Basic education courses
Last changed: 05 October 2023
We currently offer these courses at the Department of Plant Breeding:
TD0008 – The food of the present and future society
The course is given as an independent course and can be taken by anyone that is interested in food culture and production. By understanding the food consumption in today society with a scientific point of view, the course also brings knowledge in what can be expected in food consumption and production trends for the future. Nowadays, people are more interested in a conscious food consumption. This course will shed light on the impact of food consumption in health under various perspectives, considering the novel classifications of ultraprocessed food with a scientific background. The student can expect to better understand the relationship among food composition, nutrition, culture and mental health. Specifically, this course will present a series of lectures on food through the whole chain: molecular and genetic aspects, agriculture and impact on rural and urban landscape, production, consumption and impact on health with a holistic approach. The course comprises lectures, laboratory work, excursions, seminars, individual and group assignments. Course is available in Swedish.
TD0013 - Food today and tomorrow, from different perspectives
TD0014 – Potted plants
The course is given as an independent course and can be taken by anyone that is interested in studying and producing potted plants. The course is a broad and interdisciplinary introduction in potted plants that grow indoor, such as homes and office places. By studying the various aspects of potted plants, such as basic care, the role of these plants with a design and social perspective and overview of potted plants production for national and international market, the student will be provided with deep knowledge that leads to successful results when growing potted plants. A great part of the course is focused on learning about various plants, proper identification and nomenclature, so one can successfully communicate about various marketed plants. The course is comprised of lectures, course literature, exercises, assignments as well as demonstrations and excursions. The modules are web-based and include two meeting opportunities in Alnarp.
TD0015 - Pomology – harvest, post-harvest and plant breeding
The pomology package includes two different courses, ‘Pomology – harvest, post-harvest and plant breeding’ and ‘Pomology – cultivation, propagation and plant protection’. Together, the courses give an introduction to the theoretical and practical aspects of fruit production in Sweden. The idea is to follow the value chain of apple during one year, from cultivation and pruning to post-harvest handling and market aspects. It is however possible to take the courses in any order. The courses are offered at part-time pace. The form of teaching is distance learning with the possibility of making study visits to companies and apple orchards. The courses will be given in Swedish.
TD0016 - Pomology – cultivation, propagation and plant protection
The pomology package includes two different courses, ‘Pomology – harvest, post-harvest and plant breeding’ and ‘Pomology – cultivation, propagation and plant protection’. Together, the courses give an introduction to the theoretical and practical aspects of fruit production in Sweden. The idea is to follow the value chain of apple during one year, from cultivation and pruning to post-harvest handling and market aspects. It is however possible to take the courses in any order. The courses are offered at part-time pace. The form of teaching is distance learning with the possibility of making study visits to companies and apple orchards. The courses will be given in Swedish.
TD0017 - The history and future of cultivated plants in Sweden
The cultivated plants have given us food, clothes, building material, fuel, paints, medicines and stimulants for a very long time and will continue to be necessary for our survival in the future. The cultivated plants affect our society and how we meet future challenges, they affect our culture and how we behave, they affect our health and well-being, and they affect our environment. Knowledge and understanding of the cultivated plants’ origin, cultivation, use and breeding is important in order to create a socially, economically and environmentally sustainable society. The course focuses mainly on cultivated plants that have been or are important for the primary production of food in Sweden. Examples of such plants are potatoes, barley, broad beans, cabbage, hops and apples.
TD0018 - Experimental horticulture
Horticulture and cultivation are based on both science and proven experience. But how should we relate to this? Is it possible to trust the recommendations and the old garden truths? Do the scientific theories work in practice? This course links theory and practice in order to scrutinize horticultural myths with critical thinking and scientific method. The course builds on Problem Based Learning (PBL) and the students will themselves find topics in literature, create hypotheses, set up experiments and finally analyze the outcome, draw conclusions and formulate recommendations for horticultural practice. The course focuses on the craft of gardening and the development of horticultural products, but can also touch upon other values linked to horticultural products. The focus of the course depends mainly on the students' interests.
BI1235 - Postharvest - biology and technology
The course is given as an independent course and can be taken by anyone that is interest in understanding how various factors are impacting the quality of the fruits, berries and vegetables after harvest. By understanding intrinsic and extrinsic factors, it is possible to maintain the quality of products through a longer period, reduce losses and food waste, gaining in profitability. In-depth understanding of various product inner reactions, and technology for handling these will be delivered during the course. By the end of the course the student will gain a broad and depth knowledge of biochemical reactions and inner structure of the most important products during post-harvest, how to apply technology in storage and transportation of foods and be able to choose the most suitable techniques that are important for quality. Special attention will be also given to legislation concerning food safety, special certifications, traceability, the possibility for innovation in the field. The course comprises a series of lectures by selected teachers that will supervise the student, who will also perform presentations and study visits. Course is available in Swedish.
BI1336 - Botany and Plant Knowledge
The course is offered to students in Horticultural Sciences.
This course aims at giving an overall and fundamental understanding on plants. In order to provide a comprehensive approach, the course consists of web-based and presential lectures, demonstration classes, exercises and excursion on the topics of systematic botany and nomenclature, plant morphology, anatomy and physiology. This course will also provide fundamental knowledge on the relationship between the plants and the environment. Exercises will be required from the student and the course includes time for self-study.
The aim of the course is to gain an understanding of and acquire a vocabulary about plant structure, learn to communicate about plants, get an overview of plant variation and what they can be used for, and gain an understanding of the plants' relationship to the plant site. The course also provides basic knowledge in plant physiology and how the plant is affected by its environment.
BI1342 – Botany
The course is offered to students in Horticultural Sciences.
The science of plant life is highly relevant in our society due to the various roles the plants play in humans’ lives. Through this course students will gain deeper understanding on plant structures, with a broad view and knowledge on various plants. The course comprises interesting approach to plant life with a great focus on the appearance of plants, between and within species, focusing on distinguishing among the various species existent. In order to proper describe the various plants, the students will gain deep understanding in the plant nomenclature, proper vocabulary and how to communicate about plants effectively. In addition, the plant relationship to the field – natural environment and horticultural - will also be studied along the uses of various plants. The course comprises of live and web-based lectures, in-site demonstrations and dynamic exercises. Self-study is part of the program, where the student will have the time to manage the knowledge gained and discover more through updated literature on the topic.
BI1344 - Applied Plant Biotechnology
This course is offered as an independent course and can be taken by anyone interested in obtain a deeper knowledge on the topic. Thus, it is required that the applicants to this course have coursed at least 120 credits, of which 60 credits have been studied in Biology or Horticultural Science. The course aims at giving theoretical and practical knowledge in plant tissue culture, especially shoot and root formation, genetic transformation and different molecular biological methods that are used for improvement of agricultural and horticultural crops. Case studies provide the students possibilities to solve various problems using the knowledge they have learnt from the course. After having gone through the course, the students should have better theoretical and practical knowledge in tissue culture and genetic transformation, and have better understanding in using different molecular biological methods and applications of biotechnology in plant breeding. This course is offered in English.
BI1345 - Advanced Plant Breeding and Genetic Resources
This course is offered as an independent course and can be taken by anyone interested in obtain a deeper knowledge on the topic. Thus, it is required that the applicants to this course have coursed at least 120 credits, of which 60 credits have been studied in Biology or Horticultural Science. The course provides an overview of the importance of genetic resources and plant breeding for sustainable agriculture, genetic variation in horticultural plants species, the use of biotechnological tools in plant breeding among other interesting topics. This course comprises lectures, practical classes in the laboratory, seminars and study visits, providing a full scope of knowledge that will allow the student to design breeding strategies using modern technologies.
BI1359 - Botany and Plant Physiology
The course is not given as an independent course. The course "Botany and plant physiology" consists of teaching on spring plant material where the focus is on identifying a selection of spring-flowering bulbs, tubers and perennials, plant physiology and floristics where the focus is on species identification of wild Swedish plants with the help of a key flora. The elements of the course consist of lectures, plant walks, excursions, group discussions, microscopy exercises, key exercises and cultivation experiments.
BI1367 - Plant Breeding and Plant Physiology
This course is offered as an independent course and can be taken by anyone interested in obtain a deeper knowledge on the topic. Thus, it is required that the applicants to this course have coursed at least 120 credits, of which 60 credits have been studied in Biology or Horticultural Science. In this course, students will be guided through discussions that lead to the understanding of basic plant genetics, traditional and modern breeding methods and their applications, physiological processes that occurs at the molecular level environmental factors driving the growth, development and response of plants to stress, micropropagation and application in plant production. This course will also contribute with discussions on ethical issues in plant breeding. The course comprises a series of lectures, laboratory work, study visits, discussions and seminars.
KE0070 – Chemistry and Biochemistry of Plants
The course is given as an independent course and can be taken by anyone that is interested in chemistry and biochemistry of plants, providing a foundation for a depth understanding of plants. Plants have reached a great momentum in our history and are a topic of great relevance for various sectors, especially in providing and sustaining food for humanity. By understanding how plants work, for example, in a climate-changing world, this course will provide great insight for those interest in plants, which are nowadays proving not only food, but also bioactive compounds, medicines, fibers and biofuels to society. In this course, students will gain great knowledge in how plants can create energy, grow, form components such as starch and body oils. During the course, these answers will be discussed from their importance for the plants and how society benefits from them. The course comprises lectures in key chemical concepts, broad understanding in biochemical processes in the plant cell and an overview on various groups of molecules present in the plants. Laboratory work based on key chemical and biochemical techniques with plants in focus will occurs, being able to perform basic laboratory techniques after completion. Course is available in Swedish.
TD0010 - Crop management and quality of horticultural products
The course is offered to students in Horticultural Sciences.
Crop management and genetics are important for the quality of various food products. The main goal of this course is to provide a comprehensive and in-depth knowledge in various important aspects of horticulture, such as genetics and plant breeding, crop management, postharvest treatments and perspective on processing of various foods, taking into consideration sustainability as a foundation for enhancing crop production. During the course, the student will acquire broad and specific knowledge on the importance of plant breeding and domestication and its impact on past, present and future society. The students will also learn to plan various cultivation systems, factors that affect product quality and how the quality of products can be maintained during the post-harvest. Basic concepts of statistics will be applied during the course for the development of the program. The course comprises lectures, projects to be developed individually and in group, laboratory work, seminars and study visits. The students will be evaluated through written exams, participation in key parts of the course, project development and presentation.
Independent Project
Master’s thesis project is called Independent Project at SLU. In addition to a literature survey, a master’s thesis project has to include an experimental part, such as experiments in the field, greenhouse or laboratory, or structured interviews. The project can be done in collaboration with a company or other external part.
You as a student need to find a relevant project and a supervisor before the course start. The main supervisor have to be from SLU. The course leader can help you to identify a project and supervisor.
Course codes for Horticultural Science – Master’s Programme (course leader Ida Lager):
EX0947 Independent Project in Biology, A2E – Horticultural Science – Master’s Programme
EX0948 Independent Project in Horticultural Science, A2E – Horticultural Science – Master’s Programme
EX0949 Independent Project in Horticultural Science, A2E – Horticultural Science – Master’s Programme
Course codes for Horticultural Science Programme (five-year programme), Plant Biology in Sustainable Production – Master’s Programme in Alnarp, exchange students and other external students (course leader Salla Marttila):
EX0856 Independent Project in Biology, A2E
EX0857 Independent Project in Horticultural Science, A2E