Educational guide
IDENTIFYING DATA 2024_25
Subject PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY Code 00208027
Study programme
0208 - GRADO EN BIOTECNOLOGÍA
Descriptors Credit. Type Year Period
6 Compulsory Third Second
Language
Castellano
Prerequisites
Department INGENIERIA Y CIENCIAS AGRARIAS
Coordinador
CENTENO MARTÍN , MARÍA LUZ
E-mail mlcenm@unileon.es
aeencg@unileon.es
hmelm@unileon.es
Lecturers
CENTENO MARTÍN , MARÍA LUZ
ENCINA GARCÍA , ANTONIO ESTEBAN
MÉLIDA MARTÍNEZ , HUGO
Web http://
General description Plant Biotechnology consists of the manipulation of plants for practical purposes such as crop improvement (higher quality of their products, higher yields), increasing the production of valuable molecules, and the production of novel molecules. In this course we will study a) plant tissue culture and plant regeneration (cell culture, meristematic apex culture, somatic embryogenesis, organogenesis...), b) the techniques of plant transformation and genetic edition and, c) the applications of both in crop breeding and in the production of biofactory plants.
Tribunales de Revisión
Tribunal titular
Cargo Departamento Profesor
Presidente INGENIERIA Y CIENCIAS AGRARIAS ALVAREZ FERNANDEZ , JESUS M.
Secretario INGENIERIA Y CIENCIAS AGRARIAS ACEBES ARRANZ , JOSE LUIS
Vocal INGENIERIA Y CIENCIAS AGRARIAS GARCIA ANGULO , PENELOPE
Tribunal suplente
Cargo Departamento Profesor
Presidente INGENIERIA Y CIENCIAS AGRARIAS LORENZANA DE LA VARGA , ALICIA
Secretario INGENIERIA Y CIENCIAS AGRARIAS CASQUERO LUELMO , PEDRO ANTONIO
Vocal INGENIERIA Y CIENCIAS AGRARIAS VALENCIANO MONTENEGRO , JOSE BENITO

Competencias
Code  
A14070
A14071
A14072
A14089
A14092
A14093
A14094
A14098
A14101
B3839
B3842
B3847
B3848
B3852
B3854
B3858
C1 CMECES1 That students have demonstrated possession and understanding of knowledge in an area of study that is based on general secondary education, and is usually found at a level that, although supported by advanced textbooks, also includes some aspects that involve knowledge from the cutting edge of their field of study
C2 CMECES2 That students know how to apply their knowledge to their work or vocation in a professional manner and possess the skills that are usually demonstrated through the development and defense of arguments and the resolution of problems within their area of study.
C3 CMECES3 That students have the ability to gather and interpret relevant data (normally within their area of study) to make judgments that include reflection on relevant issues of a social, scientific or ethical nature.
C4 CMECES4 That students can transmit information, ideas, problems and solutions to both a specialised and non-specialised audience

Learning aims
Competences
A14070
A14071
A14072
A14089
A14093
A14094
A14098
A14101
 B3852
B3858
 C1
C3
C4
A14071
A14072
A14092
 B3839
B3842
 C2
C3
A14092
A14093
A14101
 B3847
B3848
B3852
B3854
 C2
C3
C4

Contents
Topic Sub-topic
Plant in vitro culture and their applications Topic 1: Introduction to Plant Biotechnology.
Topic 2: Plant in vitro culture: general technique and the fundamentals.
Topic 3: Micropropagation and adventitious organogenesis.
Topic 4: Somatic embryogenesis and artificial seeds.
Topic 5: Obtaining virus-free plants. Germplasm conservation.
Topic 6: Plant cell cultures and production systems of valuable compounds.
Topic 7: Somatic variantion, protoplast culture and somatic hybridation.
Genetic modification of plants. Transgenic plants and biofactory plants. Topic 8: Methods of genetic transformation/ transfection of plants.
Topic 9: Gene editing in plants.
Topic 10: Applications of transgenesis and gene editing in crop improvement.
Topic 11: Transient expression systems of foreign genes in plants and their applications: biofactory plants.
Topic 12: Environmental, health and ethical implications of genetically modified plants.
Practical classes in lab Activity 1: Hormonal control of in vitro morphogenesis in tobacco leaf explants.
Activity 2: Tobacco micropropagation.
Activity 3: Somatic embrigenesis in carrot and tobacco.
Activity 4: Effect of different variables on the rhizogenic response of lentil nodal segments.
Activity 5: Genetic transformation of tobacco mediated by Agrobacterium tumefaciens.

Planning
Methodologies  ::  Tests
  Class hours Hours outside the classroom Total hours
Laboratory practicals 15 15 30
 
Problem solving, classroom exercises 5 7.5 12.5
PBL (Problem Based Learning) 10 20 30
 
Lecture 28 42 70
 
Mixed tests 2 5.5 7.5
 
(*)The information in the planning table is for guidance only and does not take into account the heterogeneity of the students.

Methodologies
Methodologies   ::  
  Description
Laboratory practicals It is intended that practical teaching is the natural continuation of theoretical teaching and that there is no separation between the two. The students will carry out 5 experimental activities in the laboratory under the supervision of the responsible professors. They will be provided with the bibliographic documentation required in each case. All this material will be available to the students in the institutional Moodle. The students will have to present a written report of the experiments as a scientific work, which will be used by the professors to evaluate their work. Attendance to the practicals will be compulsory, as well as the delivery of the report.
Problem solving, classroom exercises Different teaching methodologies may be applied: a) presentation by the professor of experimental cases/questions that students must solve and discuss in the classroom; b) group tutorials that allow professors to support and monitor the PBL and students learning; c) lectures on current topics given by specialized researchers.
PBL (Problem Based Learning) The students will carry out a PBL in groups of 5 students maximum. For this work each group of students will have to solve a problem on a topic of Plant Biotechnology. To do so, they will search for information, prepare a written work and a presentation that they will have to defend through an oral presentation. During the presentation, the participation of the classmates will also be evaluated when asking questions in a critical way, as well as the capacity of the group to respond. Attendance to the tutorials related to the PBLs, as well as to the final presentations of all the papers, will be mandatory.
Lecture The theoretical teaching will be given by means of lectures. The professor will use diagrams of the topics that he/she will show through Power-Point slides. This material will be available to the students before the classes. The students will have to complete the topics with their class notes and with the bibliography.

Personalized attention
 
Description

Assessment
  Description Qualification
Lecture - The knowledge acquired will be valued, as well as the ability to relate and apply it to the resolution of practical cases. The precision of the answers, the use of the appropriate scientific vocabulary and the clarity of the exposition will also be taken into account.
- The evaluation procedure will be a mixed test with different types of questions, which will be passed with a grade equal to or higher than 5 and a maximum of 1 question graded with "zero".
In addition, the student will be able to solve several cases and problems to deliver or perform in class and test in Moodle. The grade obtained in these tests may increase the grade obtained in this section up to 1.5 points. 		50%
Laboratory practicals - Attendance to practices is compulsory unless there is a duly justified and certified cause.
- The student's attitude in the laboratory practices will be continuously evaluated, as well as his ability in the handling of the different techniques and in the application of the acquired knowledge to solve the problems that may arise during the development of the practical program.
- The results of the practices will also be evaluated. For this purpose the students will have to present a report on 2-3 of the practices carried out. The understanding of the experiments, the correct presentation of the results, the level of the discussion, the scientific rigor and the formal correctness will be considered. 		25%
PBL (Problem Based Learning) - The elaboration and presentation of results of the PBL will be evaluated.
The development scheme of the work, the use of bibliographic sources, the quality of the work, the group and individual work and the precision in the use of scientific language will be taken into account.
To evaluate the quality of the presentation and final defense of the work, scientific aspects will be taken into account (adequacy of the introduction, presentation of the objective and hypothesis, formal correctness in the representation of the results, scientific level of the discussion) and formal aspects (presentation style and expository clarity). 		25%
 
Other comments and second call

The final grade of the course will be given by the weighted average of the grades obtained in the sections of: lecture, laboratory practices and PBL. To pass the course it is necessary to obtain at least a 5 in each section. In the case of the evaluation of the mixed test, in no case it will be passed if the grade of more than 1 question is equal to zero.

All the evaluation tests will be normatively governed by the "Reglamento de Evaluación y Calificación del Aprendizaje de la ULE" (Approved by the Consejo de Gobierno dela ULE on 12-03-2010) and by the document "Pautas de actuación en los supuestos de plagio, copia o fraude en exámenes o pruebas de evaluación" (Approved by the Comisión Permanente del Consejo de Gobierno de la ULE, el 29/01/2015). Specifically:

(a) For all written tests, the student must be provided exclusively with blue or black ballpoint pen (or similar). The use of electronic devices will not be allowed except with the prior consent of the teacher,

b) The teacher may use anti-plagiarism software. If plagiarism is detected, the work will be graded as failed.

c) During the celebration of the corresponding exam or evaluation test, if any irregularity is detected, the professor may withdraw the exam and expel the student, who will be graded as failed.

Students who do not pass the course in the 1st call, will keep the grades of the approved parts for the second call.

Repeating students will be considered 1st registration students for all purposes.

Sources of information
Access to Recommended Bibliography in the Catalog ULE

Basic

Christou P, Savin R, Costa-Pierce BA, Misztal I y Whitelaw CBA (Eds.) (2012). Sustainable Food Production. Springer, New York.

Chawla HS (2009, 3rd edition). Introduction to Plant Biotechnology. Science Publishers.

Clark DP y Pazdernik (2016). Biotechnology (Capítulo 15). Academic Cell, Elsevier, USA.

Davey RD and Anthony P (2010). Plant Cell Culture: Essential Methods. Wiley-Blackwell.

Echenique V, Rubinstein C, Mroginski L (2004). Biotecnología y Mejoramiento Vegetal. Ediciones INTA.

García del Moral LF (2021). Biotecnología Vegetal. Fundamentos y aplicaciones. Ed. Universidad de Granada.

García Villaraco A (2023). Prácticas de Biotecnología Vegetal. Fundación Universitaria San Pablo CEU

Gibson A (2022). Plant Biotechnology: The Genetic Manipulation of Plants. States Academic Press

Punja Z.K., De Boer S.H., Sanfaçon H. (2007). Biotechnology and Plant Disease Management. CAB International

Slater A, Nigel WS, Fowler MR (2008, 2nd edition). Plant Biotecnology: The Genetic Manipulation of Plants. Oxford Univ. Press.

Stewart CN (2016). Plant Biotechnology and genetics: Principles, Techniques and Applications. John Wiley and Sons.

Woods K (2023). Plant Improvement: Molecular Breeding and Genetic Perspectives. Syrawood Publishing House.

Complementary
Recent reviews and publications specific to each topic

Renneberg R (2008). Biotecnología para Principiantes. Editorial Reverté.

Srivastava PS, Narula A, Srivastava S. (Eds) (2004). Plant Biotechnology and Molecular Markers. Kluwer Academic Publishers.

Tourte Y (2005). Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology. Concepts, Methods and Agronomic Applications. Science Publishers, Inc.


Recommendations


Subjects that it is recommended to have taken before
PLANT PHYSIOLOGY / 00208016
 
Other comments
Have a broad knowledge in Plant Physiology