NPLK15012U New Plant Breeding Technologies

Volume 2015/2016
Content

The course will provide the students a basic understanding of plant breeding. The course focuses on the new breeding technologies within mutational breeding. In recent years new mutations methods have been developed that allows to target the gene-of-interest in order to introduce site-directed mutations.The course will in theory and practice introduce New Plant Breeding Techniques (NPBTs) including TILLING. The legal certainty for science and industry concerning the application of NPBT will be presented along with examples of the exploitation of the techiques in addition to classical methods including the latest genomic information. The course will deal with the challenges of phenotyping large populations and management of large dataset.

A mix of lectures, case study and excursion to a plant breeding company will provide an excellent learning experience. Leading experts in their field will be teaching the course.

Learning Outcome

The course is concerned with plant breeding of field crop plants (eg. grain, grass, tuber), forestry trees, specialty plants with reference to temperate climate growth conditions. The aim is to bridge between plant molecular biology and practical plant breeding

  • The principle of the new breeding technologies

  • Mutational breeding

  • Breeding strategies in different crops

  • Breeders right, IPR and GMO regulation

 

After completing the course, the participants should be able to:

Knowledge:

- Understanding difference between mutation methods

- Understanding the principles of cripspar and TILLING

- Knowledge about the genome editing technologies

Skills

- Be able to identify required information in order to carry out a mutational breeding project

- Be able to design tools needed for cripspar and TILLING for a target trait

Competences

- Be able to evaluate feasibility of breeding for a given trait

- Be able to suggest critical measures to reach the goal

During the self-preparatory phase at home, participants will have access to recommended literature for course preparation

This course targets students in agricultural or plant sciences, or related subjects. It is particularly suitable for students in their master study phase. Also early (first- and second-year) PhD students are accepted, depending on available places. A sound basic understanding of general genetics (including quantitative and population genetics) and plant breeding is a pre-requisite for this course.
The course is based on lectures and experimental work in the lab, a case project, working groups and at plenum. It will include a visit to a plant breeding company.
This is an intensive course starting Sunday and ends the following Saturday, both day included. Before the course an assignment is given, where the students on the basis of given literature prepare a presentation to be given for the rest of the students on the course. The final report is to be handed in Saturday (5 pages), some of the results will first be ready Saturday, so there need to be reported shortly after the course.
Preparatory phase (July-August 2016): All accepted students will receive several key articles for self-study at least one month before the beginning of the course. This preparation will be necessary to ensure all participants are at the same level of knowledge before the course starts.
The course takes place at Frederiksberg Campus (Central Copenhagen)
  • Category
  • Hours
  • Excursions
  • 8
  • Guidance
  • 20
  • Laboratory
  • 20
  • Lectures
  • 20
  • Preparation
  • 42
  • Project work
  • 27,5
  • Total
  • 137,5
Credit
5 ECTS
Type of assessment
Continuous assessment
The examination consists of handing in written reports and oral presentations.
Continous assessment of written case project report (Weight:80%), and the oral presentation of the case studies (weight :20%).
Exam registration requirements

Participation in compulsory components are required. Compulsory components include the lab exercises, the study visit and attendance at a minimum of 90% of the scheduled lectures.

Aid
All aids allowed
Marking scale
passed/not passed
Censorship form
No external censorship
One internal examinator
Re-exam

Re-examination: Oral exam in full curriculum

If the exam requirement is not met before the ordinary exam the student must hand in reports over the laboratory exercices before the reexamination.

Criteria for exam assesment

The assesment will be based the learning outcomes