Texas A&M University Graduate Catalog 2004-2005 Edition

F. J. Betran, M. L. Binzel (Chair), T. W. Boutton, D. D.Briske, J. M. Chandler, Z. J. Chen, B. G. Cobb, J.T.Cothren, H. T. Cralle, F. T. Davies, Jr., S. A. Finlayson, E.A.Funkhouser, J. H. Gould, L. R. Griffing, T. C. Hall, D. B. Hays, J. L. Heilman, M. A. Hussey, T. S. Isakeit, S. R. King, P. E. Klein, H. Koiwa, M. V. Kolomiets, L. Lombardini, C. Loopstra, C. W. Magill, T. D. McKnight, E. L. McWilliams*, M. G. Messina, J. C. Miller, Jr., J. E.Mullet, W. D. Park, C. O.Patterson, H. B. Pemberton, A. E. Pepper, H. J. Price, K. S. Rathore, D. W. Reed, S. C. Ricke, P. J.Rizzo, S. A. Senseman, D. M. Stelly, L. Tarpley, T. L.Thomas, M. G. Tjoelker, W. K. Versaw, D. M. Vietor, R.H.White, H. Zhang, K. Zhu-Salzman

The intercollegiate Faculty in Plant Physiology and Plant Biotechnology has been renamed the intercollegiate Faculty of Molecular and Environmental Plant Sciences (MEPS). The MEPS faculty has members in the Colleges of Agriculture and Life Sciences and Science and is administered through the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences. Degree programs are available leading to MS and PhD degree in molecular and environmental plant sciences. Program requirements are determined and supervised by MEPS faculty. Degree programs are prepared on an individual basis by the graduate students in consultation with their advisory committee. Students hold appointments, for administrative purposes, in the department of their major professors.

Molecular and environmental plant sciences seeks to understand the molecular basis for functions and behavior of plants in natural environments. It blends botany, ecology, molecular biology, chemistry, genetics and physics. Traditionally, plant scientists have been interested in the improvement of agriculture, and many of the most basic findings on photoperiodism, mineral nutrition, plant growth regulators, morphogenesis, postharvest physiology and plant competition have had major effects on modern agriculture. Today the unifying goal of plant science is to understand and improve plants. This goal involves significant interdisciplinary interactions with molecular genetics, plant breeding, environmental physics, agronomy and other plant-agriculture disciplines.

Graduate degree programs are individually designed to prepare graduates for careers in specialized areas of the discipline including molecular biology, metabolism, development, physiological ecology and environmental or crop physiology. Faculty members hold appointments in the Departments of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Biology, Entomology, Forest Science, Horticultural Sciences, Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Rangeland Ecology and Management, and Soil and Crop Sciences. Courses in these departments support the curriculum along with those in chemistry, genetics, mathematics, physics and statistics.

All graduate students participate in the student seminar program, the faculty-sponsored visiting scientist seminar program, other faculty-sponsored special programs, the core curriculum of courses and regional and national scientific meetings. These activities lend continuity and unity to the graduate student group just as research topics and the selection of supporting courses lend diversity to individual programs.

(MEPS)

601. Physiology of Plants. (3-0). Credit 3.

Advanced physiology of higher plants, includes water relations, mineral metabolism, biochemistry, growth, development, hormones, environmental signals and stress physiology. Emphasis on current literature and research trends; cellular and sub-cellular mechanisms related to whole plant behavior. Prerequisites: MEPS 313 and BICH 410 or approval of instructor.

605. Plant Biochemistry. (3-0). Credit 3.

Major metabolic pathways in plant metabolism; emphasis on biochemistry unique to plants. Prerequisites: MEPS 313; BICH410.

611. Plant Nutrition. (3-0). Credit 3.

Inorganic nutrition of plants; solute absorption, accumulation and translocation, growth in artificial media, physiological roles of various elements, and biophysical/molecular aspects of solute transport; genetic regulation of mineral nutrition and transport. Prerequisite: MEPS 313 or equivalent.

612. Phytohormones and Plant Growth Regulators. (3-0). Credit 3.

Biosynthesis mechanisms of action and developmental roles of the classes or groups of plant hormones; uses of hormones and synthetic growth regulators in plant production. Prerequisite: MEPS 313.

630. Post-Harvest Biology, Physiology and Genetics of Plants. (3-0). Credit 3.

Overview of the biological, physiological and genetic mechanisms which impart phenotypes associated with quality and value of plant products; current emphasis in the areas of ripening, senescence, fruit and flower development and relevant applications of biotechnology will be the focus of this course. Prerequisite: Approval of instructor. Cross-listed with HORT 630.

650. Plant Cell Culture for Crop Improvement. (3-1). Credit 3.

Focus on techniques in plant cell culture which can be applied to all crop plants, including agronomic crops, horticulture and forestry crops for germplasm improvement. Prerequisites: MEPS 313; CHEM 101; graduate classification.

654. Analysis of Complex Genomes. (3-0). Credit 3.

History and current status of genetic and molecular analysis of higher eukaryotic genomes; coverage of techniques for dissection of genomes into manageable parts; investigations in genetics, breeding and evolution; emphasis on quantitative inheritance, genetic mapping, physical mapping, map-based cloning, with examples drawn from a wide range of organisms. Prerequisite: GENE 603. Cross-listed with GENE 654 and AGRO 654.

655. Analysis of Complex Genomes--Lab. (0-7). Credit 3.

Laboratory methods in molecular genetic techniques for genetic mapping, physical mapping, and map-based cloning of both qualitative and quantitative phenotypes. Prerequisites: Concurrent registration in MEPS 654 and approval of instructor. Cross-listed with AGRO 655 and GENE 655.

673. Environmental Mechanisms of Plant Growth. (4-0). Credit 1.

Analysis of physical and molecular mechanisms of whole plant responses to environment. Prerequisites: MEPS 313 and BICH 410 or concurrent registration or approval of instructor. (Four weeks)

676. Solute Transport and Utilization in Plants. (4-0). Credit 1.

Analysis of inorganic nutrient uptake, long distance transportation and genetic control of nutrient acquisition. Prerequisites: MEPS 313 and BICH 410 (or concurrent registration) or approval of instructor. (Four weeks)

677. Plant Growth and Development. (4-0). Credit 1.

Analysis of mechanisms of hormone action during vegetative and reproductive development, gene expression during development, photomorphogenesis and photoperiodism, dormancy and tropisms. Prerequisites: MEPS 313 and BICH 410 or concurrent registration or approval of instructor. (Four weeks)

681. Seminar. Credit 1 each semester.

Professional development for students pursuing careers in plant physiology; oral and poster presentations, writing skills, grantsmanship, job search and the promotion and tenure process.

685. Directed Studies. Credit 1 to 4 each semester.

Individual problems or research not pertaining to thesis or dissertation. Prerequisite: MEPS 313.

689. Special Topics in... Credit 1 to 4.

Selected topics in an identified area of plant physiology. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: Approval of instructor.

691. Research. Credit 1 or more each semester.

Original investigations in support of thesis or dissertation.