Plant Physiology and Metabolism

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.  

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