Plant Breeding

Catalog description

The scientific principles and techniques of utilizing genetic variability in improving the heredity of plants for specific purposes. HORT 407 Plant Breeding (3) Horticulture 407 is a 3-credit course that is taught every spring semester and is required of horticulture undergraduate students at Penn State. This course also attracts upper-division and graduate students from other departments such as Agronomy, Biology, Forest Resources, Plant Pathology, Biochemistry, and Molecular Biology. The objectives of the course are to 1) develop an understanding of the role of genetics in plant breeding, 2) elucidate the diversity of plant characteristics which are subject to improvement, 3) review conventional and contemporary techniques for the development of new cultivars, and 4) present the opportunity for the student to effectively communicate scientific information in writing and through speaking. Horticulture 407 emphasizes basic principles of plant genetics and breeding and the utilization of molecular biology techniques for crop improvement. It includes two-hours of lecture and a two-hour laboratory-discussion session each week. Major topics of discussion during lecture periods include plant reproduction, genetic variation in plants, review of mitosis and meiosis, Mendelian genetics, linkage, and recombination, qualitative and quantitative traits, population genetics, cytogenetics, theory of selection and response to selection, heritability, review of statistical tools useful in plant genetics and breeding, systems of pollination controls in plants including self-incompatibility and male sterility, breeding methods for self- and cross-fertilized plants, and application of modern technologies, including molecular markers, marker-assisted selection, and genetic transformation, to crop improvement. The laboratory sessions are designed to complement the lectures and provide opportunities for hands-on experience. For example, students practice staining and counting plant chromosomes on microscope slides, self- and cross-pollination of different plant species, linkage mapping and analysis of plants for Mendelian segregation, inoculating plants with fungal pathogens and observing and evaluating plants for disease development, extracting DNA from plant tissue and separating DNA segments on agarose medium using gel electrophoresis, and practicing computer programs for gene mapping and analysis of Quantitative Trait Loci (QTLs). Furthermore, students are mentored to prepare a term paper on a plant breeding/plant genetics subject and to orally present their findings to the class using visual aids.Student evaluation is based on two mid-term exams (each 100 points), one comprehensive final exam (200 points), 10 weekly homework or laboratory reports (for a total of 100 points), and a term paper (50 points for writing and 50 points for presentation). For the presentation, each student is required to turn in a 3-5 page write-up about a topic of interest.