AFNS 565: Plant Breeding Course outline, Fall 2017
Instructor: Dr. Habibur Rahman, Office: 4-16G Agriculture/Forestry, Phone: 780 492-3869, E-mail: [email protected]
Lectures: Tuesday & Thursday (11:00 - 12:20 hrs), Room CSC B 41
Office hours: Thursday 12.30 – 13.30 hrs
Course description: This course deals with breeding of crop plants through application of different methodologies relative to the mode of reproduction of the crop, comparative analysis of the breeding methodologies, and application of modern tools, such as molecular markers in the breeding of crop plants.
Course objective: At the end of the course, students will be able to:
Understand the principles of breeding crop plants.
Select appropriate breeding method and tools in improving a specific crop.
Solve problems in crop plants through application of traditional & molecular genetics and plant breeding principles, methods and tools.
Communicate knowledge related to plant genetics and breeding.
Course prerequisites: Consent of instructor. Students must have taken BIOL 207 or a similar course and gained strong knowledge on classical and molecular genetics. Students must also have taken a statistics course and gained good knowledge on this subject. Evidence of these, e.g.
academic transcript, need to be provided.
Course format: The course will consist of classes, guest lectures, assignments, and seminar given by the students.
Tentative Course Outline:
1. Introduction to plant breeding: Historical concepts, strategy and objectives. Plant genetic resources, agencies engaged in plant breeding.
2. Reproduction in crop plants: Review of the types of reproduction, meiosis, mitosis, male and female gametogenesis, and self- and cross-pollinated crops. Types of apomictic reproduction in plants.
3. Gene recombination in plant breeding: Review of Mendelian heredity, progeny test, testcross, backcross, and gene interactions. Linkage and crossing over – consequence in breeding.
4. Quantitative inheritance in plant breeding: Types of variations, qualitative and quantitative traits and their mode of inheritance; types of gene action. Heritability, selection gain, and genetic advance.
5. Inbreeding, parent selections and hybridization: Consequences of inbreeding, sources of germplasm, population formation by hybridization. Notations and symbolism used to describe pedigree and generations.
6. Breeding self-pollinated crops: Different breeding methods, e.g. pedigree, bulk population, single seed descent, etc. Comparative analysis of different breeding methods, and choice of appropriate breeding method(s) under different scenarios.
7. Doubled-haploid (DH) breeding: Induction of haploids, genetic features of DH, applications in breeding and research. Comparison of DH method with other breeding methods.
8. Backcross and multiline breeding: General features of backcross; backcross procedure under different genetic control of a trait. Isolines, and multiline breeding; composite cultivars.
9. Population improvement: Hardy-Weinberg principle; changes in gene and genotype frequencies under selection; application in breeding cross-pollinated crops. Genetic drift.
10. Breeding cross-pollinated crops: Cultivar types and breeding principles. Concept of recurrent selection. Population improvement methods in cross-pollinated crops including different types of family selection, e.g. half-sib, full-sib, selfed progeny, testcross, and reciprocal recurrent selection.
Comparative analysis of these methods while developing different types of cultivars. Development of synthetics cultivars.
11. Breeding clonally propagated and apomictic crops. Breeding implications, and different breeding methods.
12. Breeding hybrid cultivars: Heterosis and its genetic basis, types of hybrids, combining ability, and genetic diversity.
13. Pollination control mechanisms and their manipulations in hybrid breeding: Different pollination control mechanisms including self-incompatibility, genetic and cytoplasmic male sterility; and their applications in hybrid breeding.
14. Molecular plant breeding: Different types of molecular markers. Mapping of simple and quantitative traits; principles of linkage map construction and QTL mapping; application of
molecular markers in plant breeding. Different database and resources in molecular plant breeding.
15. Mutagenesis in plant breeding: Types of mutation, molecular basis of gene mutation, mutagenic agents, materials for mutagenesis, types of mutagenic treatments, breeding procedures and applications.
17. Breeding for disease resistance: Vertical and horizontal resistance, different screening methods, examples of introgression of resistance genes from an allied species into a crop species, breeding methods.
18. Wide hybridization: Wide cross, considerations in wide hybridization, barriers in wide hybridization and methods of overcoming the barriers, example of interspecific gene transfer.
Prospect and constraints of wide hybridization.
19. Field-plot techniques and data management: Problems with field experimentations and their solutions; field test with different types of breeding materials from different generations;
experimental designs. Data management and information storage in plant breeding.
20. Pre-commercial and commercial aspects: Cultivar registration in Canada with example for canola. Pre-commercial and commercial seed production.
Recommended books:
Acquaah, G. 2012. Principles of Plant Genetics and Breeding (2nd edition). Wiley-Blackwell.
http://www.library.ualberta.ca/permalink/opac/6247656/WUAARCHIVE
Sleper, D.A. and Poehlman, J.M. 2006. Breeding Field Crops, 5th Edition, Blackwell Publ., Ames, Iowa.
Other suggested books:
Griffiths, A.J.F., Wessler, S.R., Carroll, S.B. and Doebley, J. 2012. Introduction to genetic analysis. W.H. Freeman & Company, New York.
Weising K, Nybom H, Wolff K, Kahl G, 2005. DNA Fingerprinting in Plants. Principles, Methods, and Applications (2nd Edition). CRC Press.
http://www.library.ualberta.ca/permalink/opac/4619410/WUAARCHIVE
Jacqueline Batley (ed), 2015. Plant Genotyping: Methods and Protocols.
Humana Press. ISBN: 978-1-4939-1965-9; ISBN: 978-1-4939-1966-6 (eBook)
http://link.springer.com.login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/book/10.1007%2F978-1-4939- 1966-6
Other resources:
Singh, R.J. 2003. Plant Cytogenetics, 2nd edition, CRC Press.
http://www.library.ualberta.ca/permalink/opac/4619990/WEBSERVER
Fehr, W.H. 1987. Principles of Cultivar Development, Vol. 1. Theory and Technique, McMillan, N.Y.
Simmonds, N.W. 1979. Principles of Crop Improvement, Longman, London.
Allard, R.W. 1960. Principles of Plant Breeding, Wiley, New York.
Grading and Exam Scheme
Examination % Examination / due dates Mid-term 1 20 October 10, 2017 - in class room
Mid-term 2 20 November 21, 2017 - in class room
Problem assignment 5 Due as per date indicated in the assignment Term paper 10 Due on November 23, 2017 at 11.00 noon**
Term paper presentation 5 November 30, 2017 (in class room)
Final 40 December 14 (Thursday) at 9.00 AM
Mid-term 1 will cover all lectures and activities up to October 5, 2017.
Mid-term 2 will cover all lectures and activities after mid-term 1 to November 9, 2017.
Final will be comprehensive of the whole course.
E-class notes: Most of the power point slides of the lecture notes will be placed on e-class.
However, additional slides will be discussed in class for enhanced clarity of the topics − questions from these slides may also be included in exams. These slides will not be available on e-class;
therefore, it is important that you attend all lectures.
Missed midterm, term paper and assignments: The weight will be transferred to the final exam.
Throughout the term, raw marks will be assigned to reflect performance on each component of the course. Letter grades will be assigned only to the final distribution of mark totals. There are no predetermined cut lines for final grade assignment.
Assignments
*Problem assignment(s) will be given in class, and due date(s) will be indicated in the assignment.
*/**Late submission will be penalized 10% of it’s value per day (not limiting to working days) beyond the due date.
Electronic Devises
Uses of electronic devices during examinations are restricted; only approved non-programmable calculators can be used.
Cell phones should be turned off in class.
Missed Final Exam
Instructors can neither give permission to a student to miss the final exam nor grant a request for a deferred final exam. Students are encouraged to check exam schedules prior to making travel or event plans. The decision to grant a deferred final exam can only be granted by their own Faculty (students should visit their own faculty office to apply for a deferred exam).
Acceptable reasons for an excused absence may include illness or bereavement, and
unacceptable reasons include weddings, travel arrangements or being on vacation. The University policy on deferred exams can be found in Section 23.3.2 of the University Calendar. It includes specific instructions on how to obtain a deferral.
Policy on Deferred Examinations
Deferred examination date must be agreed between the student and the instructor, and the examination must be completed no later than the end of Reading Week, February 20, 2018 (See 23.5.6(3) of the University Calendar for further information)
Academic Integrity
“The University of Alberta is committed to the highest standards of academic integrity and
honesty. Students are expected to be familiar with these standards regarding academic honesty and to uphold the policies of the University in this respect. Students are particularly urged to
familiarize themselves with the provisions of the Code of Student Behaviour and avoid any behaviour which could potentially result in suspicions of cheating, plagiarism, misrepresentation of facts and/or participation in an offence. Academic dishonesty is a serious offence and can result in suspension or expulsion from the University.” (GFC 2003)
Code of Student Behaviour
All students at the University of Alberta are subject to the Code of Student Behaviour, as outlined at:
http://www.governance.ualberta.ca/en/CodesofConductandResidenceCommunityStandards/Codeo fStudentBehaviour.aspx
Please familiarize yourself with it and ensure that you do not participate in any inappropriate behavior as defined by the Code. Key components of the code include the following statements:
30.3.2(1) No Student shall submit the words, ideas, images or data of another person as the
Student’s own in any academic writing, essay, thesis, project, assignment, presentation or poster in a course or program of study.
30.3.2(2) c. No Student shall represent another’s substantial editorial or compositional assistance on an assignment as the Student’s own work.”
Professionalism and Classroom Rules of Engagement
Students are advised to attend all classes, arrive on time, and stay in class during the whole class- hour. During class, students are expected to be engaged, respectful, and actively participating in class discussions. Students should review the e-class notes before class for better understanding of the lecture topics and to facilitate participation in class discussions. If students do not understand the topics discussed in class, they should ask the instructor for clarification. During class,
electronic devices and other items must only be used for classwork. Students are not allowed to distract or impede upon the learning of others.
AFNS 565 Plant Breeding
Term paper
The term paper should be on plant breeding, genetics, genomics, or molecular plant breeding.
Select a topic for your term paper that is relevant to plant breeding goals, problems,
methodologies, or tools that can be applied in breeding. Topic should be finally chosen by October 3rd in consultation with the instructor. It would be good idea to have your choice ready by
September 28th, which will give time to go through so that a final decision can be agreed upon by October 3rd.
Your term paper should include the following sections, and marks will be assigned to all.
Title page: Title, students name and ID, etc.
1. Summary: (1/2 page) 2. Key words: 6-8 words
3. Introduction: Should cover importance of the topic; state the objective of the term paper, etc.
4. Literature review (main body of the paper): Relevant literatures including the most recent ones (last 5 years) should be consulted and must be cited as appropriate. At least 10 journal articles need to be consulted of which at least 3 should be from the last 5 years.
5. Discussion – critical discussion to be build up.
6. Conclusions based on current literature/knowledge.
7. What further research in this area should be undertaken and why?
8. References: Should be cited as per style of the journal Plant Breeding.
Please follow a constant format/style in writing the paper – mark will also be assigned for this.
The main body of your paper (excluding title page, figures, tables and references) should be minimum of 8 but not more than 10 pages (double spaced). Font should be ‘Times New Roman’ style ‘Regular’ and size ‘12’. Margins should be 2.54 cm in all four sides.
THIS ASSIGNMENT IS DUE AT THE BEGINNING OF CLASS ON NOVEMBER 23, 2017.
BOTH HARD AND ELECTRONIC COPY NEEDS TO BE SUBMITTED.
Term paper presentation
The presentation should be based up on the term paper, approximately 15-20 min in length, and in power point. The grade will be determined, for example, by the following:
Organization (logical sequence) of the presentation,
Speaking voice and articulation,
Clarity of presentation,
Quality of visual aids,
Handling of questions,
Knowledge of the content, etc.