Genetics – Plant Breeding

LECTURES

1. Introduction to Genetics – Basic concepts

2. Cellular and chromosomal structure. Chromosome organization. Cell cycle – mitosis, meiosis.

3. Mendelian Genetics – Mendel's Laws. Monohybridization, dihybridization, polyhybridization, etc.

4. Mendelian analysis and probabilities. Statistical analysis of genetic data, x2 test. Family trees.

5. Chromosomal theory of heredity. Genes and chromosomes. Genetics of sex. Cytological proof of the chromosome theory.

6. Extensions of Mendelian Genetics. Multiple alleles. Modifications of prevalence relationships between alleles. Complete, incomplete dominance, codominance.

7. Gene interactions. Epistasis, complementarity test. Lethal genes. Gene expression and environment.

8. Origin, evolution and reproductive systems of cultivated plants in relation to genetic variability. Introduction and exploitation of genetic material.

9. The genetic basis of plant improvement. The population structure of self-pollinated and cross-pollinated plants. Quantitative traits

10. Inheritance. Response to choice. Homomixture Degeneration and Heterosis. Improvement of self-fertilizing species: Mass selection. Clean lines. Pedigree improvement.

11. Origin from single seeds. Cross-over. Mixed varieties. Enhancement of mass populations. Pollination control systems: Self-incompatible, Male sterility, Chemical sterility

12. Cross-pollinated plant improvement: Recurrent selection for intra- and inter-population improvement. Production methods and utilization of varieties-hybrids. Production methods and utilization of synthetic varieties.

13. Biotechnological approaches to plant improvement: Molecular improvement and Genetic engineering Special methods of improvement: Polyploidy. Mutagenesis

LAB Course

1. Monohybrid crosses, probability calculation, pedigree analysis.

2. Dihybrid crosses, modified dihybrid ratios. Combinations at more than two genetic loci.

3. Estimation of effects from allele interactions, epistatic and non-epistatic interactions.

4. Sex-linked inheritance, sex-linked and sex-limited traits • Gene linkage and chromosomal maps.

5. Calculation of gene and genotypic frequencies in populations. Estimation of Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium.