WACI 611: Genetic Improvement of Crop Plants
Goals, materials, methods and principles of plant breeding and genetics. Processes of Crop Evolution. Geographical distribution and conservation of crop genetic resources. Reproduction of crop plants. Fertility regulating mechanisms. Breeding and selection methods for self and cross pollinated crops. Population improvement methodologies. Breeding for resistance to disease and pests. Polyploidy, Mutation breeding, and Interspecific hybridization, Heterosis and inbreeding depression. Breeding for abiotic stress resistance. Genotype-environment interactions. Applications of current biotechnologies to crop improvement. Marker assisted selection. Breeding for end user traits. Breeding for nutrient enhancement. Tissue culture applications in plant breeding.
WACI 612: Quantitative Inheritance in Plant breeding
Genetical and statistical concepts of quantitative variation in crop plants. Quantitative genetic principles in plant breeding. Factors affecting direct and correlated responses to artificial selection. Methods of quantitative genetic research. Genotype-environment interaction and crop adaptation, quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis. Mating designs, diallel, design I and design II. Heritability, theoretical gain from selection, genetic correlation coefficients.
WACI 613: Biometry and Research Methods
Parametric statistical methods commonly used in agricultural research. Estimation of parameters and test of hypothesis. Principles of experimental designs. Analysis of simple and complex experiments. Covariance analysis and alternatives. Simple and multiple correlation and regression. Non-parametric methods in lieu of analysis of variance and for character association. Scientific writing and research report preparation. Literature search. Research planning and design. Field research including on-station, on-farm, multi-location, multi-season and long-term experiments.
WACI 614: Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology in Plant Breeding
The history of molecular cell biology, Protein structure and function. Nucleic Acids: structure and function. The Genetic Code and Protein Synthesis. Control of gene expression. Mechanisms of Genetic Change I: Gene Mutation, Mechanisms of Genetic Change II: Recombination. Mechanisms of Genetic Change III: Transposable Genetic Elements. Organisation and composition of plant genomes, comparative genomics of crop plants, plant gene isolation, gene mapping, gene expression profiling, functional genomics, transgenic plants in plant breeding and bioinformatics.
WACI 615: Plant-microbe interactions and the control of plant diseases
The biology, genetics and molecular genetics of plant microbe interactions, signaling between plants and microbes, disease resistance genes, breeding for disease resistance and disease control strategies.
WACI 616: Physiology of Environmental Stresses
Plant growth and development, The influence of the environment, Drought, heat and salt stresses, The acquisition of resources: energy and carbon, mineral nutrients, water, temperature, toxicity, Ecological perspectives, the individual plant, interactions among plants, interactions between plants and other organisms, Strategies, Dynamics.
WACI 617: Plant Genetics
Transmission and distribution of genetic material: Mendelian genetics, probability and statistical testing, dominance relations and multiple alleles, environmental effects and gene expression,extranuclear inheritance, Linkage, linkage maps and recombination; Chromosome theory of heredity; Plant genome organization and function.
WACI 618: Plant Virology
Introduction to viruses, Mechanism and Evolution of plant viruses. Virus purification and characterisation.Virus classification, Structural organisation of RNA Viruses, Structural organisation of DNA Viruses, Expression and Analysis of viral genes. Replication of viruses.Movement of plant Viruses.Transmission of viruses. Important viral diseases of crop in West Africa.
WACI 619: Plant Cell and Tissue Culture
Introduction.History and botanical basis for tissue culture.The tissue culture laboratory, location design, equipment and supplies, maintenance, culture media, composition, preparation, choice of media. Initiation and maintenance of callus cultures.Choice of explants.Preparation and sterilisation of explants. Callus induction, subculture and maintenance suspension cultures.Root cultures, meristem cultures, micropropagation in the shoot apex. Embryogenesis, organogenesis and plant regeneration.Isolation, culture genetic manipulation of plant protoplast.Somatic hybridisation.Selection of somatic hibrid plants. Transformation of plants. Protoplast culture and fusion.Selection of plant cells for desirable characteristics. Haploid cell cultures.Embryo rescue and uses.Secondary metabolites production by cell suspension culture. Cryopreservation and storage of germplasm.Tissue culture methods in phytopathology.Commercial Micropropagation.
WACI 622: Integrated Pest Management
Definition of pests and vectors , formulation of pest problems, economic assessment of losses due to pests and vectors, making decision to control pests. Meaning, evolution, development and principles of IPM. Ecological basis of pest and vector management, pest monitoring and forecasting, Behavioural control, biological control, chemical pesticides, cultural control, biopesticides, Host plant resistance, mechanical plant resistance. Transgenic plants (GMOs), quarantine regulations, International initiatives in IPM, Farmer empowerment through IPM.