Course Content
Lectures
- Plant Breeding: overview and historical perspectives
- Genetic variation. The genetic basis of plant breeding. Population structure of self- and cross-fertilized plants.
- Quantitative traits. Components of variation of quantitative traits. Heredity, response to selection, inbreeding depression, heterosis. Genetic effects.
- Plant reproduction. Reproductive systems. Introduction to reproduction and autogamy. Allogamy, hybridization, clonal propagation. Germplasm for breeding.
- Pollination, self-incompatibility, male sterility, chemical male sterility.
- Plant breeding objectives, Yield and morphological traits. Quality traits.
- Breeding self-pollinated species.: Mass selection, pure line selection, pedigree selection, bulk population, single seed descent. Backcross breeding. Breeding clonal species.
- Breeding cross-pollinated species. Recurrent selection for inter and intra population breeding.
- Hybrid cultivars. Heterosis. Synthetic cultivars.
- Molecular Breeding. Mapping of genes, molecular markers, marker assisted selection.
- Double Haploids. Genetically modified plants.
- Mutational Breeding, polyploidy, wide crossings.
- Registration of cultivars, Marketing and social issues, Legal and regulatory issues.
Laboratory exercises
- Calculation of the components of variance for quantitative traits
- Coefficient of heritability under the narrow and broad sense. Estimation of selective response and selection differential.
- Artificial pollination and crossing
- Evaluation of phenotypic variation, morphological descriptors.
- Genetic variation and molecular markers
- Calculation of heterosis
Course Content
Lectures
- Nomenclature, definitions and terminology in the field of Agricultural Pharmacology.
- Historical review of the discovery and use of Plant Protection Products (PI) and biocides.
- Labels and legislation.
- Standardization and methods of handling and application.
- Classification and description based on the target organism (eg insecticides, fungicides, herbicides) and their uses (seed, soil, spraying, etc.).
- Toxicological Properties and personal protective equipment.
- Ecotoxicity, impact on the environment and residues in agricultural products.
- Selectivity and toxicity.
- Classification and description of insecticides (acaricides and nematicides) based on the biochemical mode of action
- Classification and description of fungicides based on their biochemical mode of action.
- Classification and description of herbicides based on their biochemical mode of action.
- Classification and description of plant regulating compounds.
- Classification and description of biocides.
Laboratory exercises
- Selecting the appropriate plant protection product.
- Analysis and decoding of the plant protection product label.
- Dose Calculation Problems.
- Rational use of plant protection products.
- Hygiene and safety rules for the preparation and application of plant protection products.
- Management of packaging and residues of plant protection products.
Course Content
Lectures
- Introduction
- Water budget
- Soil hydraulic properties
- Soil water dynamics
- Introduction to fluid mechanics
- Hydrostatics
- Hydrodynamics
- Water flow in pipes (Part I)
- Water flow in pipes (Part II)
- Water flow in open channels
- Drainage of soils (Part I)
- Drainage of soils (Part II)
- Design parameters of drainage networks
Laboratory exercises
- Laboratory exercise 1: Creation and processing of water balance variables timeseries
- Laboratory exercise 2: Sampling and determination of soil hydraulic properties – Direct and indirect methods for the determination of soil moisture and soil water pressure head
- Laboratory exercise 3: Determination of the soil water retention curve and hydraulic conductivity
- Laboratory exercise 4: Pipes and materials– Calculation of frictional pressure losses, Selection of the optimal pipe sizes, Moody diagram
- Laboratory exercise 5: Open channels and hydraulic constructions – Flow measurement, – Calculation of water speed and flow rate in streams and open channels
- Laboratory exercise 6: Drainage pipes and drainage networks. Measurement of saturated hydraulic conductivity in the laboratory and in the field. Calculation of drainage pipes equidistance
- Laboratory exercise 7: Recapitulation – Exemplary solution of exercises
Course Content
Lectures
Plant hormones:
- Regulation of plant growth and development, endogenous hereditary and exogenous factors.
- Classes of Plant Hormones. Chemical Structure, Biosynthesis, Degradation, Physiological Role:
- Growth promoting plant hormones: Auxins, Gibberellins, Cytokinins.
- Growth retarders and inhibitors: Abscisic Acid, Ethylene.
- Chemical growth regulators.
- The use of plant Hormones in plant-applications
- Phytoestrogens
Plant Nutrition:
- Macro and Micronutrients
- Factors Affecting Plant Nutrition
- Determination of nutritional status of plants
- Photoperiodism
Plant stress:
- Abiotic stress factors
- Extreme temperatures stress, nutritional stress.
- Water stress, Salinity, etc..
- Effects of stress on crops, stress control practice.
- Biotic stress factors, Allelopathy
Laboratory exercises
- Practical application of phytohormones to vegetables
- Practical application of plant hormones in arboriculture
- Effect of hormones on seed germination and rooting of cuttings
- Malnutrition toxicities
- Photoperiodism-applications
- Coping with stressful situations
Course Content
Lectures
- Soil nutrients and availability
- Soil microorganisms and fertility
- Organic materials and fertility – carbon sequestration.
- Biological and physicochemical indicators of soil quality/fertility.
- Relationships between nutrient availability and plant growth/yield
- The concept of fertilizer – Types of fertilizers – Properties
- Diagnostic criteria of fertilization needs
- Inorganic – Organic fertilization – Foliar fertilization
- Estimation of the required quantities of fertilizers
- Utilization of Organic Waste
- Effect of fertilization on the quantity of production, the quality of the produced products, and human health
- Economic view of fertilizers
- Fertilization in the context of integrated agriculture in Greece and the European Union
Laboratory exercises
- Sample preparation for soil fertility assessment – Safety measures
- Determination of soil physical properties for assessing fertility
- Determination of soil chemical properties for soil fertility assessment
- Preparation and calculation of water-soluble fertilizers
- Quality control of fertilizers
- Identification of fertilization units
Course Content
Lectures
Introduction in Molecular Biology: Structure and physicochemical properties of DNA and RNA molecules
DNA replication, transcription, regulation of transcription.
Protein synthesis. The ribosome. The genetic code. Overview of translation. Open reading frame mutations.
Protein synthesis. Translation critical factors, rRNA and their role in translation. Protein synthesis in prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. Post translational modification. Epigenetic and chemical modifications.
Genetic manipulation and recombinant DNA technology
Genetic transformation methods. Production of genetically modified plants
Plant tissue culture, nutrient solutions, hormones. Plant regeneration. Anther and protoplast culture, somaclonal variation
Gene targeting – gene editing
Transient gene expression. Gene silencing.
Applications of GMO plants. Identification of GMO plants. Legal and ethical issues. Bioethics, patents, social impact etc.
Bioinformatics, Databases and genomic repositories.
Laboratory exercises
- DNA isolation
- Total RNA isolation
- Quantitative and qualitative evaluation of DNA και RNA
- Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR).
- DNA manipulation. Restriction Enzyme digestion and ligation of DNA
- Agarose gel electrophoresis.
- Bioinformatics. Databases and genomic repositories.
