Biology and Management of Plant Pests and Diseases
Plants can be challenged by very different biological entities, particularly viruses, nematodes, fungi, bacteria, and insects, resulting in significant crop losses on a global scale and thus endangering food security and safety. These entities differ very much in their biology and feeding and survival strategies. On plants, the disease phenotypes can both be very similar
Perspectives on Sustainability Transitions in Agriculture
Sustainability transitions in agriculture seem inescapable. The nitrogen crisis, climate change, and diminishing biodiversity demand that governmental actors, nature conservation organizations, together with farmers, retailers, industry, academics and others develop alternatives to the dominant forms of agriculture. A protein transition, circular agriculture, nature inclusive and ecological farming are all proposed as alternatives. These alternatives also
Trends in Plant Reproduction Biology: from Flowers to Seeds
The evolutionary success and enormous diversity among flowering plants is mainly the result of the sexual reproduction process, which starts with flowering and results in the formation of fruits and seeds. This key process is under tight genetic and molecular control, but is also adapted to the environment. How such a conserved process can show
Introduction Biosystems Engineering part 2
This course is the second part of the introduction to Biosystems Engineering (Agrotechnologie). It focuses on familiarizing students with the various approaches taught in the program to address challenges in biosystems. Chair groups involved in the program present their methods and areas of research through lectures and, in some cases, tutorials or practicals. The Agricultural
Advanced Omics: from Single-Cell to Meta-Omics Approaches
Omics technologies have revolutionized our ways of looking at the relationship between genotype and phenotype of living organisms. Those technologies are nowadays widely applied to many organisms (bacteria, plants, animals, human). Yet for many years researchers have been looking only at average effects by analysing bulk samples. Recently, single-cell analyses have become available for many
BSc Minor Climate-Resilient Crops: Interdisciplinary Approaches
Plant breeding has been enormously successful in increasing the yield, variety, and quality of crops we consume on a daily basis. However, it is a major challenge to meet the growing global demand for affordable agricultural products while adapting to climate change (leading to heat waves, droughts, floods, diseases, pests and poor soil) and increasing
Introduction Plant Sciences
This course is intended for first year students of the bachelor Plant Sciences. It is an introduction into the broad field of plant sciences. The students will become acquainted with agronomy, horticulture, biointeractions, plant breeding, botany and plant taxonomy. The course is divided in modules that each introduce a plant sciences discipline. For each module
Principles of Plant Breeding
Online version of the course plant breeding. E-learnings. This course introduces students to key principles of plant breeding. Plant breeding is the science-driven creative process of changing the traits of plants in order to develop new plant varieties. Several essential approaches and tools used in the process are discussed: different modes of reproduction, selection methods,
Structure and function of plants
In this course, the structure, development and physiology of plants is studied at the level of cells, tissues and the whole plant. The focus is on the form and function relationships with respect to the main functions of the plant. The course consists of a cell biological/structural part (with emphasis on cell structure and organisation,
Breeding for Abiotic Stress Tolerance
Abiotic stress is the stress imposed on plants by the non-living environment. Abiotic stress is responsible for huge yield losses in crops around the world. In this course we will assess the impact that abiotic stresses (like drought, salinity, nutrient deficiency, temperature) have on agricultural production, and provide you with knowledge and tools for successfully