PLSCI 4500 - Fruit Crop Physiology

Spring. 3 credits. Student option grading (no audit).

Prerequisite: college-level plant physiology course, such as PLSCI 1420 or PLSCI 3420. Recommended: PLSCI 3350, PLSCI 3575, PLSCI 4520, PLSCI 4140, or NTRES 3250. Offered in odd-numbered years only. Co-meets with PLSCI 6500.

G. Peck.

We will be studying the physiology of perennial fruit crop production with an emphasis on the biochemical and genetic mechanisms by which fruit crops function and interact with the environment. The class focuses on temperate fruit trees, grapevines, and small-fruits that are commercially grown in the Northeastern U.S., but other species will be highlighted on occasion. Topics include: flower development, pollination and fertilization, cold hardiness, fruit set and growth, plant growth regulators, carbon acquisition and partitioning, soil-root interactions, mineral nutrition, and water transport. Additionally, we will highlight critical challenges to fruit crop production, such as climate change and soil degradation. Course readings will largely come from journal articles. Students will lead and participate in discussions, write a review article, and learn how to evaluate scientific methods.

Outcome 1: Apply physiological processes to temperate fruit crop plants and planting systems.

Outcome 2: Evaluate scientific methods and experimental designs used to study fruit crops.

Outcome 3: Synthesize complex phenomena and present information in a concise written format.

Outcome 4: Facilitate discussions based upon course readings.