Title: Advanced techniques for Improvement of Plant Growth (IPG)

Details:

  1. NSQF Level: L5
  2. Sector: Green Jobs
  3. Fees: Rs 5000/-
  4. Course duration : 6 months (450 hours)
  5. Credits: 30

 

Course content

  1. Soil microorganisms: Their classification, methods of isolation and identification.
  2. Culture of soil microorganisms
  3. Role of soil microorganisms in improving nutrient availability to plants
  4. Role of soil microorganisms in providing plant growth regulators
  5. Role of soil microorganisms in improving plant immunity against pathogens and pests
  6. Soil microorganisms as biocontrol agents against weeds, pathogens and pests
  7. Role of soil microorganisms in improving tolerance of plants to abiotic stress
  8. Endophytes and their role in improving plant growth and health
  9. Soil microorganisms in remediation of contaminated soils
  10. Formulations of soil microorganisms and methods of application.
  11. Isolation of microorganisms from soil and obtaining axenic cultures or soil based inocula
  12. Classification of soil microorganisms using DNA sequence information
  13. Studying the role of symbiotic and non-symbiotic bacteria increasing nitrogen availability of soil /plant – Estimation of total nitrogen in soil and plant organs using Kjeldhal method, expression of plant genes related to nitrate, ammonium uptake and metabolism
  14. Studying the role of arbuscular mycorrhizal associations in improving phosphate availability to plants – Growth of plants on phosphate rich and phosphate poor soils.
  15. Effect of mycorrhizal colonisation on plant growth in these two types of soils.
  16. Expression of phosphate transporters in roots in response to mycorrhizal colonization
  17. Studying the priming effects of different soil microorganisms in improving immune responses in plants against pathogens – estimating levels of defense related plant hormones and chemicals in plants associated with mycorrhizae, other non-pathogenic fungi like Trichoderma viridae or non-pathogenic strains of bacteria belonging to Pseudomonas spp.
  18. Studying expression of defense genes in response to pathogen application to the primed and non-primed plants
  19. Studying the effect of soil microorganisms on inhibition of growth of plant pathogens in vitro by co-culturing the two organisms.
  20. Effect of soil microorganisms in inhibiting growth of plant nematodes
    Studying bioremediation of saline soils or heavy metal contaminated soils by microorganisms – Estimating salt, or heavy metal content of soil to which different soil microorganisms have been added.