Genomics and Plant Breeding

Coordinators

Karine ALIX; Yves DEVEAUX

Goals

At the end of this course, the students will be able to:

- List and detail what represent the New Breeding Techniques in plant breeding

- Describe strategies that can be developed to create genetic diversity to be used for crop improvement

- Explain the current issues and challenges of the professional sector of plant breeding, and describe the global context of legislation for plant breeding

- Conceive a scientific project based on the use of genomic approaches to address a specific scientific question in plant biology and genetics, and justify all the choices made

- Give an oral communication dedicated to specific applications of genomics/genetics in plant breeding to evaluate the relevance of these approaches and criticize their current use by analysing their advantages and limits

Skills

- Describe new breeding techniques in the field of plant breeding.
 - Analyze a set of genomic sequence data using the appropriate tools and databases available.
 - Select the functional study or functional validation approach appropriate for a given biological question.
 - Explain the current challenges facing the professional plant breeding sector
 - Present the results of a scientific study in plant genomics orally in English, proposing well-argued study perspectives supported by a technical approach

Content

The main topics dealt during the unit will be as follows: - evolution of plant genome structure: evolutionary dynamics and response to domestication and to human selection pressure (specificities of crop species) (CM) - direct and reverse genetics in species of agronomic interest and plant models (CM) - genomic tools for plant breeding; introduction to New Breeding Techniques (CM) - introduction to NGS data analysis methods (TP) - statistics and mendelian genetics for varietal improvement (TD); - quantitative genetics and genomic selection for crop improvement; legislation of crop breeding (CM) - control of reproduction in crops; physiology and quality of the seed (CM) . (CM=Lecture/Cours Magistral; TD=Tutorial/Travaux Dirigés; TP=Practical work/Travaux Pratiques)

Format

Teaching in the form of lectures, practical work, tutorials supplemented by targeted seminars presented by researchers. Thematic groups on plant improvement will be offered as part of an individual project that will be assessed. Depending on availability, a half-day visit to a breeder or a public applied genetics laboratory will be organized. 

Special teaching methods

Students will make a bibliographic synthesis that they will defend during an exposé and discuss with their colleagues; they will make a training report (40 % of the final mark). A final exam will contribute to evaluate the students (60% of the final mark).

Language : English

ECTS : 5

Lectures: 12; Directed Study: 12;  Practical Study: 12