The course focuses on the fundamentals of plant physiology for undergraduate students. It consists of 40 modules divided into nine major units. This course will acquaint students with the basic concept of plant water relation and mineral nutrition. This course will help them to understand the different physiological processes of translocation, photosynthesis, respiration and nitrogen metabolism. Within respiration they will learn different basic metabolic processes. They will also learn about structure, function, nomenclature, assay of different enzymes and plant growth regulators specially hormones. They will have an idea of differential plant response to light and temperature.
Thus by studying these 40 modules, a student should be able to understand and appreciate the major concept of plant physiology including the different catabolic and anabolic processes, mineral nutrition, enzymes, plant growth regulation, photoperiodism and vernalization.
Overview
Syllabus
COURSE LAYOUT
Week 1:
1. Introduction to Plant Physiology and Metabolism
2. Importance of water
3. Transpiration
4. Root pressure and Guttation
5. Macrolements
Week 2:
6. Microelements
7. Transport across membrane
8. Phloem translocation
9. Composition of phloem sap
10. Introduction to Photosynthesis
Week 3:
11. Photochemistry and accessory pigments
12. Concept of photosystems and cyclic photophosphorylation
13. Non-cyclic photophosphorylation
14. Electron transport and ATP production
15. Details of C3 pathway
Week 4:
16. C1, C2 ,C4 pathway and CAM
17. Anaerobic Respiration
18. Glycolysis and its significance
19. TCA cycle and Electron Transport system
20. Pentose Phosphate pathway and Glyoxalate pathway
Week 5:
21. Alternative respiratory pathways
22. Classification, Biological significance and assay of enzyme
23. Structure and Properties of enzymes
24. Different mechanism of enzyme catalysis and purification
25. Different mechanism of enzyme inhibition and kinetics
Week 6:
26. Allosteric Enzymes: Principle and Mechanism
27. Biological nitrogen fixation
28. Molecular mechanism of Nitrogen fixation and genes
29. Nitrate and ammonia assimilation
30. Role of Microbes in N,P,K utilization
Week 7:
31. Auxin
32. Gibberellin
33. Cytokinin
34. Abscisic acid
35. Ethylene
Week 8:
36. Practical applications of phytohormones
37. Photoperiodism
38. Phytochromes
39. Photomorphogenesis and its application
40. Vernalization
Taught by
Dr. Sudeshna Shyam Choudhury
