Botany Courses

An introduction to the major groups in the plant kingdom, their origin, classification, and economic importance. The areas of anatomy, morphology, cytology, physiology, biochemistry, molecular biology, genetics, and ecology will be explored as they relate to plant sciences and agriculture.

Credits: 4.0

Instructor(s): Jeneen Fields

Offered: Fall and Spring

Year: 2023

This course is the first of a two-semester series that provides an introduction to fundamental biological concepts as they relate to plant biology to better prepare students for more specialized study. Lectures and laboratory exercises will cover mechanisms and processes of plant diversity, morphology, cell biology, growth and development. Our goal is to convey how these levels of organization and processes contribute to the relative success of plants within and across these environments. Throughout the course, an emphasis will be placed on how scientific data are collected and interpreted, and key experiments performed in the lab component will be used to illustrate this process.

Credits: 4.0

Instructor(s): Leonor Boavida & Scott McAdam

Offered: Fall

Year: 2023

This course is an introduction to fundamental biological concepts as they relate to plant biology to better prepare students for more specialized study. Lectures and laboratory exercises will cover mechanisms and processes of plant ecology, physiology, and genetics. Our goal is to convey how these levels of organization all contribute to the relative success of plants within and across environments. Throughout the course, an emphasis will be made on the means by which scientific data is collected and interpreted, and key experiments performed in the lab component will be used to illustrate this process.

Credits: 4.0

Instructor(s): Damon Lisch, Gordon McNickle, & Mike Mickelbart

Offered: Spring

Year: 2023

This course delivers a broad synthesis of microbiology, discussing all taxa of the microbial world. The course also discusses a wide range of subjects related to microbiology, including medical microbiology, but it has a strong emphasis on the botanical and environmental sciences. One particular characteristic that separates it from other microbiology courses is the reduced emphasis upon bacteriology, with discussions of the protists and viruses and, especially of the fungi, occurring in greater detail than the other general microbiology courses available.

Credits: 3.0

Instructor(s): Cathie Aime

Offered: Spring

Year: 2023

The course is designed to expose students to the diversity of plant science research at Purdue and help students to get started into research and in the fantastic world of scientific discovery. Students will learn the importance of Plant Science research in society and how to become active participants of Purdue research discoveries. Students will learn about the scientific method and how discoveries are made to find answers to world problems. The students will explore department and campus resources to identify areas of research interest, learn how to search and apply for research/internship opportunities and find faculty that can serve as professional models and mentors. We will provide opportunities for students to interact and network with faculty members, professionals from industry and students involved in diverse research areas.

Credits: 1.0

Instructor(s): Leonor Boavida

Offered: Fall

Year: 2022

This course focuses on fundamental knowledge of the internal structure of plants, including distinct cell types, tissures, tissue systems, and organs that make up a plant. Lectures and laboratories will cover the structural parts that comprise the plant body including three major vegetative organs (roots, stems, and leaves) and a set of reproductive organs (flowers, fruits, and seeds). The goal of this course is to understand the internal organization of plants, to learn multiple lab techniquies critical for plant science research, and to develop critical thinking and problem solving skills.

Credits: 3.0

Instructor(s): Yun Zhou

Offered: Fall

Year: 2022

This course, intended proimarily for non-majors, covers the history of agriculture, with focus on the centers of origin of our major food, fiber, and medicinal plants, and their historical, cultural, and economic relevance. The course also surveys the biology of crop plants, with respect to taxonomy, anatomy, cell structure, physiology, development, and genetics. Discussions also center on the roles plant biotechnology may play in sustainable agriculture and in helping to alleviate problems caused by overpopulation and ecological stresses.

Credits: 3.0

Instructor(s): Gyeong-Mee Yoon

Offered: Fall

Year: 2022

Supervised individual laboratory or field research (Freshmen and Sophomores). A written report of work accomplished will be required. May be repeated once for credit. Permission of instructor required.

Credits: 1.0 to 3.0

Instructor(s): Various

Offered: Fall, Spring, & Summer

Basic principles of plant pathology, including etiology, symptomatology, control, and epidemiology of representative diseases of plants.

Credits: 3.0

Instructor(s): Sue Loesch-Fries & Lei Zhang

Offered: Fall

Year: 2022

This course will provide an introduction to the broad field of plant ecology. Through lectures and lab assignments, students will gain an in-depth understanding of ecological concepts regarding the occurrence and distribution of plant species and populations. Students will also gain insights into the application of these concepts to the conservation and management of plant species and populations.

Credit: 3.0

Instructor(s): Christopher Oakley

Offered: Spring

Year: 2023

A survey of the scientific principles underlying weed control practices; emphasis is on the ecology of weeds and control in crop associations. It is recommended that this course be followed by BTNY 50400.

Credits: 3.0

Instructor(s): Bryan Young

Offered: Fall

Year: 2022

The principles of classification of seed plants, with emphasis on methods of identification in laboratory and field. Requires class trips. Students will pay individual lodging or meal expenses when necessary.

Credits: 3.0

Instructor: Scott McAdam

Offered: Fall

Year: 2022

(HORT 35000) A study of the methods used to produce genetically modified organisms, primarily using gene transfer technology, and the application of these organisms in agriculture. The uses of microbes, plants, and animals in agricultural biotechnology are examined. Social, economic, and ethical issues related to biotechnology are discussed.

Credits: 3.0

Instructor(s): Robert Pruitt

Offered: Spring

Year: 2023

This course deals with special topics in botany not covered in regular undergraduate coursework. Credit depends upon work done. May be repeated once for credit. Permission of instructor required.

Credits: 1.0 to 3.0

Instructor(s): Various

Offered: Fall, Spring, & Summer

This course will focus on the fundamentals of plant cellular and developmental biology. Topics to be covered include: the structure and function of plant organelles and membranes; the cell cycle; DNA, RNA and protein synthesis; the secretory pathway, and the cellular basis of development and whole plant morphogenesis.

Credits: 3.0

Instructor(s): Anjali Iyer-Pacuzzi

Offered: Spring

Year: 2024

Professional preparation for careers in plant sciences. Career development activities including resume and cover letter preparation, job search and interview preparation, and participation in career fairs. In addition, the student will polish skills in preparation of seminar, extension publications, press releases and communicating science to lay personnel based on current issues in pest management and crop protection.

Credits: 1.0

Instructor(s): Bill Johnson

Offered: Fall

Year: 2022

Supervised individual laboratory or field research (Juniors and Seniors). A written report of work accomplished will be required. May be repeated once for credit. Permission of instructor required.

Credits: 1.0 to 3.0

Instructor(s): Various

Offered: Fall, Spring, & Summer

Admission to the honors program. Permission of instructor required.

Credits: 1.0 to 6.0

Instructor(s): Tesfaye Mengiste

Offered: Fall, Spring, & Summer

Emphasizes the mode and mechanism of herbicide action and herbicide interaction with plants, and the biology and ecology of weedy plants.

Credits: 3.0

Instructor(s): Bryan Young

Offered: Fall (Odd Years)

Year: 2023

Principles of weed biology and ecology, with focus on reproduction and ecophysiology, population dynamics, community ecology, and ecosystem level phenomena. Instruction will emphasize the development and refinement of critical thinking skills.

Credits: 3.0

Instructor(s): Kevin Gibson & William Johnson

Offered: Fall (Even Years)

Year: 2022

Examines the biological and pathological characteristics of major causal agents; concepts of epidemiology and disease assessment; physiology, genetics, and molecular biology of host-pathogen interactions; disease management practices; and methods of disease diagnosis.

Credits: 3.0

Instructor(s): Tesfaye Mengiste

Offered: Fall (odd years)

Year: 2023

An examination of the current principles, strategies, and technologies used in plant disease control. Emphasis is placed on the integration of various technologies and strategies for efficacious, environmentally sound management principles for specific types of plant diseases. Major topics include plant disease management through regulatory procedures, pathogen exclusion, pathogen eradication, environmental modification, host modification, host resistance, cultural practices, host protectants, plant disease forecasting, and the epidemiological basis of disease management strategies.

Credits: 3.0

Instructor(s): Christian Cruz

Offered: Spring

Year: 2023

Lectures cover general features of fungi, unique characteristics of major fungal groups, fungal interactions with other organisms, and principles of fungal genetics. Lab exercises include examination of representative species from major groups of fungi and classical and molecular manipulations of fungi.

Credits: 3.0

Instructor(s): Jin-Rong Xu

Offered: Fall (Odd Years)

Year: 2023

This is mainly a laboratory exercise course designed to help students to be more familiar with common molecular techniques used in plant pathology studies. Techniques will include DNA/RNA isolation, hybridization, sequence analyses, various PCR reactions, library construction and screening, protein isolation, and plant transformation. Lectures will cover basic principles and applied aspects of molecular studies in plant pathology, and recent advances in genomics and proteomics techniques.

Credits: 3.0

Instructor(s): Zhixiang Chen

Offered: Spring

Year: 2023

Plant pathology is the science of plant diseases and of the microorganisms that cause them and of our attempts to manage plant diseases. The ultimate goal of plant pathologists is to reduce the losses caused by diseases, thereby, increasing both the quality and quantity of the world food supply. Plant diseases are caused by the same types of microorganisms that cause disease in animals and humans and, as such, many of the principles that apply to human and animal medicine apply to plant diseases. It is the objective of this course to introduce students to the major types of plant pathogens (plant pathogenic bacteria, viruses, nematodes, and fungi), their basic biology and examples of the types of diseases they cause. It will be expected that students have knowledge in plant pathology.

Credits: 3.0

Instructor(s): Zhixiang Chen, Sue Loesch-Fries, & Jin-Rong Xu

Offered: Fall

Year: 2022

This course is intended to help students understand why having some kind of model is probably essential to the scientific process. The intent is to show students that they probably already have a model in their heads, and they just don’t know it! Few biologists realize that when they can draw a picture of their system, or explain important pathways in words, that this is a model. From there, it isn’t hard to start some basic math. The course will be a broad overview of different techniques that can be used to model biological systems. Each lecture topic in this course could itself form an entire course, so students will not complete the course as experts in mathematical modeling. Instead, the objectives are to: 1) expose students to a number of tools in mathematical modeling; 2) give students some practical experience with these tools; and; 3) develop a component of their thesis research into a model. Permission of instructor required.

Credits: 3.0

Instructor(s): Gordon McNickle

Offered: Spring

Year: 2023

This course will provide a broad and integrated overview of the current status of plant hormone research. All aspects of plant hormones including biosynthesis, metabolism, transport, signal transduction will be discussed in relation to the role of hormones in plant growth and developmental processes. Cross-talk between hormones and how plants use hormones to integrate developmental or environmental signals to regulate plant growth will be included. In addition, practical aspects of hormones in the agriculture, horticulture, and pathogen responses will be covered to demonstrate the impacts of basic plant science to a modern agriculture. The course will consist of lecture and discussion of primary research papers. Upon completion of the course, the students will acquire a comprehensive knowledge of the action of plant hormones as growth regulators, critical thinking skills, and ethical research.

Credits: 3.0

Instructor(s): Gyeong Mee Yoon

Offered: Fall (Odd Years)

Year: 2023

Open to graduate students and qualified undergraduates who desire to study special problems in plant science not covered in regular coursework. Credit dependent upon work done. Permission of instructor required.

Credits: 1.0 to 3.0

Instructor(s): Various

Offered: Fall, Spring, & Summer

Plant cell biology is a rapidly evolving field that combines genetics, biochemistry, and advanced imaging technologies to reveal how plant cells grow, divide, and respond to cell signals. The goal of the course is to cultivate a fundamental understanding on the mechanisms of plant cell function and introduce modern approaches used in cell biology research. Major topics include live cell imaging, mechanisms of cell division, cytoskeleton-based cell wall assembly, cell signaling, and vesicle trafficking as they relate to important plant traits. The class emphasizes quantitative biology and critical thinking, and includes: 1) lectures and discussions that introduce classic findings and new advances in cell biology; 2) directed readings from the primary literature (primary literature examples are student selected); 3) structured written and oral discussions to improve communication skills. Students who complete this course will obtain a solid understanding about the molecular control of plant cell functions and will improve their critical thinking and communication skills. Cross listed with BIOL 59500U.

Credits: 3.0

Instructor(s): Christopher Staiger and Dan Szymanski

Offered: Fall (Even years)

Year: 2022

Credits: 1.0

Instructor(s): Christopher Staiger

Offered: Spring

Year: 2023

This course is for graduate students and advanced undergraduates who wish to gain an introduction to modern plant development biology with an emphasis on the underlying genetic and molecular mechanisms controlling the life cycle of the plant (from seed to seed). The specific objectives of this course are to: 1. Understand how cells, tissues, and organs are specified throughout plant development; 2. Understand how genetic approaches are used to dissect developmental processes; 3.Learn how to read and evaluate the scientific literature related to plant development; 4. Formulate hypotheses and design experiments that address a question in plant development (in a written research proposal); 5. Learn how to be an effective peer reviewer.

Credits: 3.0

Instructor(s): Sharon Kessler

Offered: Spring

Year: 2023

This course is a weekly seminar designed to introduce students to a variety of career paths available to researchers with a PhD in the plant sciences. As part of their talk, speakers will discuss their day-to-day activities, the best and worst aspects of their jobs, work-life balance, and their career paths. Students will have the opportunity to ask speakers questions during class. If you have every wondered 'what will I do after grad school?' or 'how do I find the right job for me?' this course is for you.

Credits: 1.0

Instructor(s): Anjali Iyer-Pascuzzi

Offered: Every Even Fall

Year: 2024

Symptomatology and diagnosis of diseases of field crop, vegetable, fruit, ornamental, and tree plants. Emphasis is on the collection and study of diseases in field, greenhouse, and storage. Prerequisite: BTNY 30100.

Credits: 2.0

Instructor(s): Janna Beckerman

Offered: Summer (Odd Years)

Year: 2023

This course makes an exhaustive attempt to dissect the nature of plant disease and resistance mechanisms in plants. Special emphasis is placed on emerging concepts and paradigms that underlie a wide variety of plant-pathogen interactions, and how the knowledge gleaned from these studies is being used to devise effective and environmentally safe strategies of plant protection. It is expected that students have knowledge in genetics, molecular biology, biochemistry, and plant pathology.

Credits: 3.0

Instructor(s): Guri Johal

Offered: Spring

Year: 2023

This is a course on coping with publication in professional journals. It covers the full range of activities involved in carrying a piece of original research to completion as a primary research article in a refereed journal. Emphasis is on principles of clear and concise technical reporting. Topics include: research and writing goals; journals’ policies; data presentations; effective style; organizing, writing, revising, and processing manuscripts; proofreading; peer review; ethics; and grant proposals. Students will use their own data to prepare a manuscript as if for publication. Permission of instructor required.

Credits: 3.0

Instructor(s): Damon Lisch

Offered: Spring

Year: 2023

This course is aimed at first year graduate students in the Botany department. Its purpose is to introduce the students to the department, teach them what it takes to be a successful graduate students, and to help them develop effective written and oral communication skills.

Credits: 1.0

Instructor(s): Sharon Kessler

Offered: Fall

Year: 2022

Research MS Thesis. Permission of instructor required.

Credits: 1.0 to 18.0

Instructor(s): Various

Offered: Fall, Spring, & Summer

Research PhD Thesis. Permission of instructor required.

Credits: 1.0 to 18.0

Instructor(s): Various

Offered: Fall, Spring, & Summer

Botany Courses

Botany Course List