Welcome!

This is an advanced course in plant breeding that deals mainly with the applications of molecular methods to crop breeding programmes. It follows after 171.754 Quantitative Plant Breeding, which presents the basics of plant breeding, mainly from a quantitative genetics approach. On completion of both courses, students will have been introduced to the science of both conventional and molecular plant breeding.

Course structure

• The subject is divided into 12, one-week modules.
• For each module, there are introductory readings followed by recent papers to bring the topic up-to-date.
• Each module has an associated quiz (accessed on the web-site). A small part of your assessed grade (10%) will accrue from your answers to these questions. The answers to each quiz will be due on the Monday of the second week after the week of the module (i.e. Monday of week 3 for the week 1 quiz, etc.). This will give you two weeks to complete each module.
• There will be three assignments, two of 25% each, and a final assignment worth 40% of your assessed grade.
• In mid-semester (probably in the week of 7-11 September) there will be a 2-3 day block course in Palmerston North, where students will visit laboratories at Massey University, AgResearch and Plant & Food Research.

Introductory reading

It is suggested that you read the following: A basic genetics textbook chapter on linkage mapping. A basic plant breeding textbook on biotechnology in plant breeding.

Acknowledgements

This course has been put together with the enthusiastic involvement of plant breeders and molecular biologists working in New Zealand and international plant breeding programmes. Their help is acknowledged with considerable gratitude, as we undertake the task of training plant breeders equipped with the specialised knowledge of all the disciplines now required for practical plant breeding.