The anticipated knowledge, skills and/or attitude to be
developed by the student are:

1. Describe sources and types of genetic variation and
explain their importance for plant improvement.

2. Describe the progression of stages within a modern breeding
programme from the setting of breeding objectives, through the development and
implementation of breeding strategies to the commercialisation of plant
varieties and the protection of intellectual property.

3. Describe methods that are used in plant breeding.

4. Locate, analyse, evaluate and synthesise information
relevant to plant breeding.

5. Judge which plant breeding methods are appropriate for
specific objectives and situations.

6. Formulate and justify a plan for the application of plant
breeding methods to achieve a specific objective.

7. Carry out specific plant breeding activities, such as
selection of parental germplasm, observation and recording of phenotypic
variation and selection among progeny.

Students will be required to use MyUni

While not deemed essential, a list of recommended resources
include:

Writing guide: The following booklet provides a useful guide
on written communication in science:

Cargill, M. & Bellotti, M. 2004, Written Communication
in the Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences, The University of Adelaide,
Adelaide.

http://www.agwine.adelaide.edu.au/students/external/carwripg1.pdf

Recommended textbook:

Acquaah, G. 2007, Principles of Plant Genetics and Breeding,
Blackwell Publishing, Malden.

A dictionary of terms:

Schlegel, R.H.J. 2003, Encyclopedic Dictionary of Plant
Breeding and Related Subjects, Haworth Press, New York.

Other books: These books are also available in the Waite Library:

Halloran, G.M., Knight, R., McWhirter, K.S. & Sparrow,
D.H.B. 1979, A Course Manual in Plant Breeding. Australian Vice-Chancellors’
Committee.

Sleper, D.A. & Poehlman, J.M. 2006, Breeding Field
Crops, Blackwell, Iowa.

Chrispeels, M.J. & Sadava, D.E. 2003, ‘Plants, genes and
crop biotechnology’. Jones and Bartlett, Boston.

For some of the practicals (field trips), University cars
will be used to transport the students to and from the activity

MyUni:    Teaching materials and course documentation will be posted on the MyUni website

This course will be delivered by the following means:

Lectures:   2 hours per week
Practicals:  4 hours per week

A student enrolled in a 3 unit course, such as this, should expect to spend, on average 12 hours per week on the studies required. This includes both the formal contact time required to the course (e.g., lectures and practicals), as well as non-contact time (e.g., reading and revision).

Schedule

Week	Type of learning activity	Topic
Week 1	Lecture	Introduction to plant breeding Genetic diversity and genetic resources
	Practical	Crossing and selection decisions
Week 2	Lecture	Quantitative and qualitative variation in plants
	Practical	Roseworthy summer nursery
Week 3	Lecture	Crossing within and between plant species
	Practical	Eucalyptus breeding at the Waite
Week 4	Lecture	Novel variation for plant breeding
	Practical	Terminology test
Week 5	Lecture	Breeding methods for self-pollinating species
	Practical	Designing and setting up trials
Week 6	Lecture	Breeding methods for clonally propagated plants
	Practical	Almond breeding at the Waite
Week 7	Lecture	Breeding methods for cross-pollinating species I
	Practical	Presentations on examples in plant breeding
Week 8	Lecture	Breeding methods for cross-pollinating species II Breeding hybrid crops
	Practical	Lucerne germplasm development and breeding
Week 9	Lecture	Breeding for resistance against diseases and pests
	Practical	Disease screening
Week 10	Lecture	Performance evaluation
	Practical	Information management in plant breeding
Week 11	Lecture	Cultivar release and commercialisation Future of plant breeding – molecular markers as a case study
	Practical	Australian Grain Technologies Visit
Week 12	Lecture	Exam tutorial
	Practical	Review session

Assessment task	Type of assessment	Percentage of total assessment for grading purposes	Hurdle (Yes/No)	Outcomes being assessed
Terminology test	Summative	10%	No	1, 2, 3, 5
Student blogs	Summative	15%	No	1, 2, 3, 6
Oral presentation	Summative	15%	No	1, 2, 3, 6
Major written report	Summative	25%	No	5, 6, 7
Final exam	Summative	35%	Yes	1, 2, 3, 6

Attendance at practical classes and field trips (where held) are compulsory unless you have a medical certificate. It is also expected that all lectures will be attended and that students will read and comment on the short reports (BLOGS) that other students post.

Terminology test (10%)
At the beginning of the course, students will be provided with a list of terms and their definitions. The test (conducted early in the semester, around week 3) will assess understanding of the meaning of these terms. Feedback from the test is made available to the students one week after the test.

Student blogs (15%)
Over the course of the semester, students will contribute to a blog on MyUni by reporting in an accurate and interesting way about highlights from practicals/field trips in the course and/or other topics related to plant breeding. Each student will contribute three unique entries (no more than 300 words each) spread across the semester (approximately weeks 5, 8 and 11). Students are also expected to read each others’ posts and to post constructive comments. By the end of the semester, the blog should provide an informative and interesting record of highlights from this course.

Oral presentation on an example in plant breeding (15%)
Information and materials (including images) about a series of examples in plant breeding are provided as background information on MyUni. At the beginning of the course, each example is assigned to one student. Each student is then required to prepare and give an oral presentation in week 6 or 7 that: Presents and explains the example to the class, relating it to one or more important concepts in plant breeding; Provides relevant information and critical analysis beyond that included in the materials that were provided with the example.

Major written report (25%)
Each student is to write a report outlining a plan for addressing a specific breeding objective for a specific crop. This assessment item is due towards the end of semester (approximately week 12). The report (1500-2500 words) will include the following sections: Background on the plant species; Background on the breeding objective; A breeding plan outlining how the objective can be addressed; Discussion, which will include what factors a breeder would need to consider in deciding whether and how to address this breeding objective; Conclusion; References cited. Students will receive written feedback on this report within two weeks.

Final exam (35%)
A final exam will be given at the end of the semester to ensure summative knowledge of course material. Students must achieve at least 40% in the final exam to pass the course.

Replacement/Additional Assessment Exams
Academic grounds: offered to students who achieve a final course mark between 45-49%. Note that Replacement/Additional Exams on academic grounds will be held within the University’s official Replacement/Additional Assessment Exam period (i.e. July for semester 1 courses and December for semester 2 courses).
Medical and/or compassionate grounds: may also be granted to provide an opportunity for students whose academic performance was impaired by circumstances beyond their control in the primary examinations (i.e. medical and/or compassionate grounds). More details on Replacement/Additional Exams can be found at http://www.adelaide.edu.au/student/exams/supps.html.

If an extension is not applied for, or not granted then a penalty for late submission will apply. 
A penalty of 10% of the value of the assignment for each calendar day that the assignment is late (i.e. weekends count as 2 days), up to a maximum of 50% of the available marks will be applied. This means that an assignment that is 5 days late or more without an approved extension can only receive a maximum of 50% of the marks available for that assignment.