Plant Physiology

elementary

enter learning outcome code/codes

Understanding of basic biochemical processes determining plant growth and plant development under different envcironmental conditions. Description of general mechanisms of photosynthesis, pigment synthesis, nitrogen metabolism and plant acclimation to different stresses (light, heavy metals and saline stresses). In last chapters, courses also describe major applications of plants in current biotechnology.

Course programme:

Programme of lectures

1. Plant model organisms.

2. Photosynthetic pigments: synthesis, structure and properties and spectrophotometry of chlorophylls carotenoids as well as phycobilirotein. Photosystems structure

3. Photosynthesis: noncyclic and cyklic photosynthetic electron transport chain. Carbon reactions in C3 plants (Calvin-Benson cycle).

4. Carbon fixation in C4 and CAM plants. Photorespiratory pathway. Main factors affecting photosynthesis.

5. The structure and function of photoreceptors for red and blue light.

6. Induction of flowering: fotoperiodism, long-, short- and neutral plants.

7. Signal perception and transduction.

8. Nitrogen metabolism. Overview of nitrogen fixation. Symbiotic nitrogen fixation.

9. Plant secondary metabolites.

11. Plant stress physiology.

12. Plant biotechnolgy.

Programme of practicals:

1. Seeds germination.

2. Phytohormones (auxin, cytocinins, gibberellins), herbicides

3. Photomorphogenesis.

4. Alleopathy.

5. Water circuits.

6. Mineral nutrients.

7. Biological rythms of plants. Plants productivity

8. Secondary metabolites part I.

9. Secondary metabolites part II. Plant in vitro culture.

Evaluation method: written exam. Knowledge of issues provided during the course lectures and practicals.

Plant Physiology and Development - Sixth Edition by Lincoln Taiz, Eduardo Zeiger, Ian M. Møller, and Angus Murphy, published by Sinauer Associates.