Diploma in Plant Development Biology

Plant development biology is an exciting area of study covering the regeneration, asexual reproduction, metamorphosis and the growth and differentiation of stem cells in plants. In this course, you will explore the various phases in the life cycle of an angiosperm plant and how the process of pollination results in double fertilisation and the formation of seeds. Following on from this, you will be taught how the plants have a unique ability to grow indefinitely throughout their life due to the presence of meristems in their body. This will include the open form of growth where the meristems divide and self-propagate by constantly adding new cells to the plant body. You will discover that a plant’s ability to optimise growth for a local environment may provide an advantage as habitats are altered by the changing climate based on plastic development. The course highlights the molecular structure of DNA, its cellular activities as well as its influence in determining the overall makeup of plant growth and development. This will include the various molecular approaches to the study of plant growth and development for analysing their diversity and functions.

Next, the course goes on to explain the major steps that take place during the process of root development. You will explore how the root system supplies the crop plant with both the necessary water and the mineral nutrients and regulates the possibilities of soil utilisation. In addition to this, you will be taught about the processes by which distinct cell types arise from precursor cells and become different from each other by means of cellular differentiation. Following on from this, you will learn how the vascular tissues of plants form continuous systems through the plant body and provide transport pathways for water, nutrients and signalling molecules and support a plant body against mechanical stresses. This will include the role of xylem and phloem tissues in transporting water, nutrients and organic compounds from the roots and from the site of photosynthesis to different parts of the plant. Further, the cardinal process of root system formation and the essential constituents of plant health are discussed. You will investigate how the lateral root is controlled by intrinsic and extrinsic pathways as it determines the characteristic architecture of the root system and limits its developmental plasticity.

Finally, you will learn about the progression of the shoot system in plants through several discrete phases during its development. You will discover how the floral meristem undergoes precise processes of initiation, maintenance and termination to ensure proper reproductive development and metagenesis. This will include the process of maintaining a balance between the self-renewal of a reservoir of central stem cells and organ initiation from peripheral cells. Following on from this, the role of shoot organogenesis in plant biotechnology for in vitro micropropagation and genetic transformation in plant growth and development are highlighted. The course explains the process of the acquisition of leaf shape and size, from leaf initiation to a mature functional leaf to senescence. This will include the establishment of the basic form of the leaf during the early stages of leaf development. Subsequently, you will discover how the plant cells are connected and communicate with each other through plasmodesmata. This ’Diploma in Plant Development Biology’ class is an informative course, catering to those studying Plant Sciences, Botany, Biotechnology or Agriculture or for anyone with an interest in these topics. Why wait? Sign up today and start learning about this stimulating field of plant development!