PLANT SC 7226WT - Molecular Plant Breeding

Waite Campus - Winter - 2015

This course involves teaching sessions that may be attended by both Undergraduate and Postgraduate students. Plant molecular biology can be incorporated into crop improvement programs via plant transformation (gene technology) and/or via the application of genetic marker information. Plant cell and tissue culture is used in plant transformation and has other applications in plant breeding. This course considers the scientific basis for the application of plant transformation, molecular markers and cell and tissue culture in plant breeding.

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Course Details

Course Code	PLANT SC 7226WT
Course	Molecular Plant Breeding
Coordinating Unit	School of Agriculture, Food and Wine
Term	Winter
Level	Postgraduate Coursework
Location/s	Waite Campus
Units	3
Contact	Up to 24 hours per week for 3 weeks
Available for Study Abroad and Exchange	Y
Assumed Knowledge	PLANT SC 7225WT
Restrictions	Available to GradCertPHB, GradDipPHB, MHB students only
Assessment	Final exam, tutorials, assignments, reports

Course Staff

Course Coordinator: Professor Diane Mather

Course Timetable

The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

Please see the Learning & Teaching Activities section of this course outline for a detailed schedule of learning activities for 2015.

Course Learning Outcomes

Students will be able to:

Understand and explain scientific principles behind plant cell and tissue culture, plant transformation, molecular markers and genome mapping.
Analyse information from plant molecular biology research and recognize its potential applications in crop improvement.
Synthesize information from plant molecular biology and plant breeding to design plant molecular breeding strategies.
Evaluate the relative merits of plant transformation, marker-assisted breeding and conventional phenotypic selection for particular situations.
Demonstrate skills in collaborative group learning processes, emergent technologies and the ability to apply these principles to a specified project.

University Graduate Attributes

This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

University Graduate Attribute	Course Learning Outcome(s)
Knowledge and understanding of the content and techniques of a chosen discipline at advanced levels that are internationally recognised.	1
The ability to locate, analyse, evaluate and synthesise information from a wide variety of sources in a planned and timely manner.	2,3,4
An ability to apply effective, creative and innovative solutions, both independently and cooperatively, to current and future problems.	3,4,5
Skills of a high order in interpersonal understanding, teamwork and communication.	5
A proficiency in the appropriate use of contemporary technologies.	5
A commitment to continuous learning and the capacity to maintain intellectual curiosity throughout life.	1
A commitment to the highest standards of professional endeavour and the ability to take a leadership role in the community.	1-5
An awareness of ethical, social and cultural issues within a global context and their importance in the exercise of professional skills and responsibilities.	1-5

Learning Resources
Required Resources
Lab coats and closed-in shoes are required for laboratory work.

Prior to the course, students should read
- Tester, M & Langridge P 2010 ‘Breeding technologies to increase crop production in a changing world’ Science 327: 818-822. This article provides a short introduction to a range of molecular breeding technologies.
- Garcia, M & Mather DE 2014 ‘From genes to markers: exploiting gene sequence information to develop tools for plant breeding’, In Fleury, D & Whitford, R (eds.) Crop Breeding: Methods and Protocols. Methods in Molecular Biology vol. 1145, Springer Science+Business Media, New York. This chapter provides essential background that you will need for the computer practical session that you will do on the first day of the course.
Recommended Resources
For additional background on molecular markers and marker-assisted selection, students may wish to read sections 20.1-20.5, 20.11 and 20.12 and Chapter 22 of the following book:
- Acquaah, G. 2012, Principles of Plant Genetics and Breeding, 2nd edition, Blackwell Publishing, Malden.
For additional background on genetic modification, students may wish to read the following book chapter:
- Xu, Y. 2010 'Gene transfer and genetically modified plants' Pp 458-500 In Xu, Y. (Ed.) Molecular Plant Breeding, CABI.
Online Learning

Teaching materials and course documentation will be posted on the MyUni website. MyUni will be used extensively by academic staff and students .

Learning & Teaching Modes

The course includes a series of lectures, complemented by practical sessions and problem-based group learning sessions.

Workload

The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

A full-time student in a 3-unit course should expect to spend a total of 156 hours on their studies. This includes both the formal contact time required in the course (e.g. lectures, group work, practicals), as well as non-contact time (e.g. reading, writing and revision).

Learning Activities Summary

Schedule
Date	Day	Start	End	Activity	Instructor
June
15	Monday	9	11	LECTURES Introduction to the course Markers in plant breeding	Diane Mather
15	Monday	1	3	COMPUTER PRAC From genes to markers (CH Computer Suite 2)	Melissa Garcia
16	Tuesday	9	11	LECTURES Markers in plant breeding (continued)	Diane Mather
16	Tuesday	1	4	GROUP WORK	Jessica Scott Diane Mather
17	Wednesday	9	1	LAB PRAC Marker-assisted breeding - part 1	Tim March
18	Thursday	11	12	LECTURE Genomic selection	Diane Mather
18	Thursday	1	4	GROUP WORK	Jessica Scott Diane Mather
19	Friday	9	1	LAB PRAC Marker-assisted breeding - part 2	Tim March
22	Monday	9	11	LECTURE GM breeding: achievements and approaches	Diane Mather
23	Tuesday	9	11	LECTURE GM breeding; regulatort and commercial considerations	Diane Mather
23	Tuesday	1	4	GROUP WORK	Jessica Scott
24	Wednesday	9	1	LAB PRAC Transformation - part 1	Darren Plett and staff
24	Wednesday	2	3	VISIT Containment facility: PC2 glasshouse (Building 9F)	Jan Nield
25	Thursday	1	12	LECTURE From transgenic plant to transgenic cultivar: the Golden Rice experience	Diane Mather
25	Thursday	1	4	GROUP WORK	Jessica Scott
26	Friday	9	1	LAB PRAC: Transformation - part 2	Darren Plett and staff
29	Monday	9	11	LECTURES Applications of tissue culture in plant breeding Next-generation mutation breeding: TILLING and eco-TILLING	Diane Mather
30	Tuesday	9	1	LECTURES Novel plant breeding technologies	Diane Mather
30	Tuesday	1	4	GROUP WORK	Jessica Scott
July
1	Wednesday	9	10	LECTURE Application of biotechnology in commercial wheat breeding	Haydn Kuchel
		10:30	11:30	LECTURE Application of biotechnology in almond breeding	Michelle Wirthensohn
		12	1	LECTURE Application of biotechnology in ornamental eucalypt breeding	Kate Delaporte
2	Thursday	11	12	LECTURE Biotechnology in hybrid breeding	Ryan Whitford
2	Thursday	1	4	GROUP WORK	Jessica Scott
3	Friday	11	1	Review session	Diane Mather

Small Group Discovery Experience

The group problem-based learning project is a small group discovery experience.

The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
Assessment must maintain academic standards.

Assessment Summary

Assessment Task	Task Type	Due	Weighting	Learning Outcome
Group learning project	Summative	Friday 10 July	35%	LO2 - LO5
Short assignments (on-line questions posted on MyUni)	Summative	To be scheduled during the course	30%	LO1
Final examination	Summative	Tuesday 7 July	35%	LO1 - LO4

Assessment Detail

Short assignments

During the course, students will be expected to answer short questions related to the course content. Questions and due dates will be posted on MyUni. One purpose of these assignments is to encourage students to keep up with the reading and lecture materials.

Group project

Students are assigned to work in groups, as consultants to a breeder of durum wheat. Each group will prepare a report (up to 3000 words) on whether and how a specific approach could be used to introduce the lutein esterification trait into durum wheat. Each report should include:

An executive summary
A brief introduction to the breeding objective
An introduction to the assigned approach
A realistic plan for how the assigned approach could be applied to this problem
A discussion of the advantages, disadvantages and risks associated with the assigned approach
A list of recommendations that will be helpful to your client.
A list of references cited in the report

The group report will be assessed based on

The extent to which it demonstrates a thorough understanding of the problem and the assigned approach (10 marks)
The scientific validity and feasibility of the recommended plan (10 marks)
Professional presentation and clarity of the report (5 marks)
Whether the recommendations are logical and consistent with the information presented (5 marks)
Whether the report uses references appropriately and thoroughly (5 marks)

At the discretion of the instructors, marks for individual group members may be moderated based on inequality of contributions by group members, as assessed based on observations of instructors in combination with student input in an anonymous peer assessment survey.

Final examination

The final examination will be a three-hour written examination, with questions designed to assess students' understanding of the concepts covered in the course.

Submission

All written work is to be submitted via MyUni.

Course Grading

Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
Grade	Mark	Description
FNS		Fail No Submission
F	1-49	Fail
P	50-64	Pass
C	65-74	Credit
D	75-84	Distinction
HD	85-100	High Distinction
CN		Continuing
NFE		No Formal Examination
RP		Result Pending

Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

Student Feedback

The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.
Student Support
Policies & Guidelines
This section contains links to relevant assessment-related policies and guidelines - all university policies.
Fraud Awareness

Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.

The University of Adelaide is committed to regular reviews of the courses and programs it offers to students. The University of Adelaide therefore reserves the right to discontinue or vary programs and courses without notice. Please read the important information contained in the disclaimer.

Authorised by:	Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Academic)
Maintained by:	Course Outlines Administrator