BS323-6-SP-CO:
Plant Biotechnology
PLEASE NOTE: This module is inactive. Visit the Module Directory to view modules and variants offered during the current academic year.
2023/24
Life Sciences (School of)
Colchester Campus
Spring
Undergraduate: Level 6
Inactive
Monday 15 January 2024
Friday 22 March 2024
15
11 August 2023
Requisites for this module
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)
BSC C110 Biotechnology,
BSC C111 Biotechnology (Including Foundation Year),
BSC C112 Biotechnology (Including Year Abroad),
BSC C113 Biotechnology (Including Placement Year)
This module is about the application of modern biology to problems in agriculture and plant science.
This module will explore the current understanding of plant genome structure, gene cloning technologies and the techniques used in plant transformation. Applications of plant genetic engineering to disease and herbicide resistance, to water use and nutrient use efficiency, to novel plant products and to manipulating metabolism and development will be considered.
The aims of this module are:
- To provide an understanding of the environmental and biological limitations on agricultural productivity.
- To give an appreciation of the potential impact of transgenic technology in overcoming the restrictions of classical breeding methods, together with the associated social and legal implications.
By the end of this module, students will be expected to be able to:
- Describe existing and emerging technologies that are important in the field of plant biotechnology, their advantages and limitations, and how they have been applied to plant research.
- Understand and evaluate the potential impact of transgenic and smart breeding technologies on helping to alleviate current limitations on agricultural productivity.
- Describe specific examples of genetic manipulation of plants and the application of smart breeding technology.
- Discuss current issues limiting food production and critically evaluate the approaches that could be taken to maximise agricultural yield.
- Compare and contrast modern breeding technologies and describe how they can be used to improve the production of new plant varieties.
- Explain how environmental factors impact on plant growth and yield, and describe examples of current research into this field.
- Demonstrate the ability to synthesise and describe current research in plant biology.
No additional information available.
This module will be delivered via:
- Twenty 1-hour lectures.
- One 1-hour seminar (compulsory).
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Slater, A., Scott, N.W. and Fowler, M.R. (2008f)
Plant biotechnology: the genetic manipulation of plants. 2nd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Available at:
https://app.kortext.com/Shibboleth.sso/Login?entityID=https://idp0.essex.ac.uk/shibboleth&target=https://app.kortext.com/borrow/578297.
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Agnès Ricroch, Surinder Chopra and Marcel Kuntz (2021)
Plant Biotechnology. Second. Springer International Publishing AG. Available at:
https://link-springer-com.uniessexlib.idm.oclc.org/book/10.1007/978-3-030-68345-0.
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Ray, D.K.
et al. (2019) ‘Climate change has likely already affected global food production’,
PLOS ONE, 14(5). Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0217148.
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Ray, D.K.
et al. (2013) ‘Yield Trends Are Insufficient to Double Global Crop Production by 2050’,
PLoS ONE, 8(6). Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0066428.
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Ricroch, A. (2021) ‘The Evolution of Agriculture and Tools for Plant Innovation’, in A. Ricroch, S. Chopra, and M. Kuntz (eds)
Plant Biotechnology. Cham: Springer International Publishing, pp. 3–15. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-68345-0_1.
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Moseley, W.G. (2015) ‘Food Security and “Green Revolution”’, in
International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences. Elsevier, pp. 307–310. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-097086-8.91019-5.
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Patel, J. and Mishra, A. (2019) ‘Genome Editing: Advances and Prospects’, in S.M.P. Khurana and R.K. Gaur (eds)
Plant Biotechnology: Progress in Genomic Era. Singapore: Springer Singapore, pp. 147–174. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-8499-8_7.
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Zhu, H., Li, C. and Gao, C. (2020) ‘Applications of CRISPR–Cas in agriculture and plant biotechnology’,
Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology, 21(11), pp. 661–677. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41580-020-00288-9.
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Yang, L.
et al. (2023) ‘Heritable transgene-free genome editing in plants by grafting of wild-type shoots to transgenic donor rootstocks’,
Nature Biotechnology, 41(7), pp. 958–967. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41587-022-01585-8.
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Reeves, G.
et al. (2022) ‘Monocotyledonous plants graft at the embryonic root–shoot interface’,
Nature, 602(7896), pp. 280–286. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-021-04247-y.
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Elango, D., Sandoya, G. and Chopra, S. (2021) ‘Techniques and Tools of Modern Plant Breeding’, in A. Ricroch, S. Chopra, and M. Kuntz (eds)
Plant Biotechnology. Cham: Springer International Publishing, pp. 17–26. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-68345-0_2.
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Lawson, T.
et al. (2022) ‘Carbon fixation’, in
Photosynthesis in Action. Elsevier, pp. 31–58. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-823781-6.00008-3.
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Raines, C.A., Cavanagh, A.P. and Simkin, A.J. (2022) ‘Improving carbon fixation’, in
Photosynthesis in Action. Elsevier, pp. 175–192. Available at:
https://app.kortext.com/Shibboleth.sso/Login?entityID=https://idp0.essex.ac.uk/shibboleth&target=https://app.kortext.com/borrow/1769091.
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Bailey-Serres, J.
et al. (2019b) ‘Genetic strategies for improving crop yields’,
Nature, 575(7781), pp. 109–118. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-019-1679-0.
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Wang, F., Yoshida, H. and Matsuoka, M. (2021) ‘Making the “Green Revolution” Truly Green: Improving Crop Nitrogen Use Efficiency’,
Plant and Cell Physiology, 62(6), pp. 942–947. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1093/pcp/pcab051.
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Jhu, M.-Y. and Oldroyd, G.E.D. (2023) ‘Dancing to a different tune, can we switch from chemical to biological nitrogen fixation for sustainable food security?’,
PLOS Biology, 21(3). Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3001982.
The above list is indicative of the essential reading for the course.
The library makes provision for all reading list items, with digital provision where possible, and these resources are shared between students.
Further reading can be obtained from this module's
reading list.
Assessment items, weightings and deadlines
| Coursework / exam |
Description |
Deadline |
Coursework weighting |
| Exam |
Main exam: Remote, Open Book, 180 minutes during Summer (Main Period)
|
| Exam |
Reassessment Main exam: Remote, Open Book, 180 minutes during September (Reassessment Period)
|
Exam format definitions
- Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
- In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary,
for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.
Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.
Overall assessment
Reassessment
Module supervisor and teaching staff
Dr Ulrike Bechtold, email: ubech@essex.ac.uk.
Dr Ulrike Bechtold, Prof Phil Mullineaux, Mr James Stevens
School Undergraduate Office, email: bsugoffice (Non essex users should add @essex.ac.uk to create the full email address)
Yes
No
No
No external examiner information available for this module.
Available via Moodle
Of 22 hours, 22 (100%) hours available to students:
0 hours not recorded due to service coverage or fault;
0 hours not recorded due to opt-out by lecturer(s).
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