LPLK10392U Experimental Plant Science

Volume 2024/2025
Education

MSc Programme in Agriculture

Content

The course offers the opportunity to gain experience in conducting experimental work with the aim of achieving advanced as well as practical insight in plant science. Previously acquired knowledge and skills will form the basis for the experimental work. The experiments cover a range of well-established methods, state-of-the art and cutting edge technologies used to study plants, their development and function. The course is placed at the beginning of the MSc education programme and runs over two blocks to allow studying the processes involved in growth and development of plants also over longer time periods.

The main focus is on how to apply acquired knowledge in an experimental setup; this comprises knowledge gained in earlier courses which will be combined with research topics in current plant science. The conducted experiments are research based and will include an array of tools and methodologies useful to analyse and examine plants in different settings and with different aims.

The aim of the course is to give students in depth knowledge and understanding of key physiological and molecular function of plants and plant organs, from whole plant level to molecular and cellular perspectives. Learning, understanding and practice is obtained by combining knowledge about plants within a number of selected topics with appropriate methods and technologies used to analyse plants and plant products. The methods and technologies learned in this course are useful in research and plant production; they can be applied in the laboratory, in the field or in ecosystems. The methodology covers a broad range from molecular tools to measurement of physiological processes, growth and development.

The topics are:
• Genetic modification and gene expression
• Leaves, climate and photosynthesis
• Roots, water and nutrients
• Plant development and senescence

Learning Outcome

The aim of the course is to give the students thorough knowledge and skills within modern plant science. The course intends to illustrate established methods and presents novel technologies within plant biology. The students will learn to work with a range of plants, from model plants to plants in a production context. During the course they will use a number of tools to understand plant functions and to analyse plant growth and development. The students will become familiar with measurement of physiological and molecular processes e.g. photosynthesis, as well as genetic analyses e.g. genetic plant improvement and gene expression studies.

After completion of the course the students should be able to:

Knowledge:
- Describe basic and advanced analytical methods and techniques within plant science.
- Identify methods and approaches that can be used in the analysis of problems within plant science
- Describe methods and technologies used in research and in plant production to solve specific scientific problems
- Describe how to plan and conduct an experiment or research based project, from background and problem statement to interpretation of data and report writing.

Skills:
- Plan and conduct a scientific experiment within plant science
- Analyse, evaluate, discuss and come to a conclusion based on data obtained from own experiments or data and results obtained from others
- Interpret and evaluate the results presented in scientific articles and take a critical and creative standpoint to the presented scientific problems
- Present, analyse and communicate results from conducted experiments and critically set the results in a perspective
- Critically evaluate the limits and possibilities of new methods and technologies in relation to experimental evidence in a scientific context

Competences:
- Work independently and in a group to plan and conduct experiments related to research based problems and questions
- Transfer results and practice from experimental work to knowledge and understanding of scientific subjects
- Critically interpret data, draw conclusions and present results to various target groups
- Reflect about obtained results and derived knowledge in relation to plant science, usefulness in plant production and relevance for industries and society

Literature

Scientific research articles and review papers will be part of the curriculum. Further information will be available on Absalon.

Plant physiology, Cell biology and Biochemistry on BSc level

Academic qualifications equivalent to a BSc degree is recommended.
The teaching will be a combination of experimental work supplemented with introductory interactive lectures. The teaching and several experiments are research based. Case studies and seminars will be included to give a complete and up-to-date picture of plant research. The core of the course will be conducted as a series of experiments, supplemented with theoretical background. Lectures and seminars are based on articles from the scientific literature or may arise from case studies.
  • Category
  • Hours
  • Lectures
  • 34
  • Class Instruction
  • 24
  • Preparation
  • 222
  • Theory exercises
  • 4
  • Practical exercises
  • 102
  • Excursions
  • 24
  • Exam
  • 2
  • Total
  • 412
Written
Oral
Individual
Collective
Continuous feedback during the course of the semester

Formative feedback to assignments via Absalon Speedgrader

Individual and group feedback by oral communication

Feedback on student presentations  (conference)

Quizzes 

Credit
15 ECTS
Type of assessment
Oral examination, 30 minutes
Type of assessment details
Oral exam (no preparation time) will be based in two of the topics from the course. The student draw questions at the exam in one of the topics, and then there will be questions to one of the practical exercises from one of the other topics, also drawn by the student. Each part will count 50% and both parts have to be passed.
Exam registration requirements

 8 of 9 reports have to be accepted. Participation and presentation at conference.

Aid
Without aids
Marking scale
7-point grading scale
Censorship form
No external censorship
Several internal examiners
Re-exam

Same as the ordinary exam.

Students who do not fulfill the requirements for attending the ordinary exam will have to follow the course again.

Criteria for exam assesment

The assesment will be based on the learning outcome.