Agricultural Biochemistry and Physiology of Medicinal Plants

WATER AND SOLUTE TRANSPORT IN PLANT (1 CFU) - The chemo-physical properties of water. The cell water potential and cell-water relations in plant. Water balance in plants. Water in soil. Water uptake by roots. Water transport through the xylem. Leaf transpiration. Plant mineral nutrition. Macro- and micro- nutrients. The concept of rhizosphere and the soil-plant-microorganism interactions. The chemical potential and the active and passive transport of solutes. The plant cell membrane potential. Transport systems: pumps, channels and carriers. The kinetic properties of transport systems.
PHOTOSYNTHESIS IN HIGHER PLANTS (1.25 CFU) - The properties of light. Photosynthetic pigments and photosynthetic light reactions. The organization of the photosynthetic apparatus. The electron and proton transfer systems: the roles of photosystems II and I, the cytochrome b6f complex, the cycle of the ubiquinone pool. Photophosphorylation. The Calvin cycle and its regulation. The synthesis of starch and sucrose. Photorespiration. The C4 carbon cycle and the crassulacean acid metabolism. Plant adaptation to light conditions. The responses to oxidative stress in chloroplasts. Case studies regarding environmental effects on production and quality of medicinal plants.
PLANT NUTRITIONAL STATUS: PHOTOSYNTHATE DISTRIBUTION AND ASSIMILATION OF MINERAL NUTRIENTS (1.25 CFU) - Sink-source relations in plant organs. Phloem translocation: characteristics and the mechanisms of loading and unloading. The biogeochemical cycle of nitrogen. Nitrate reduction and ammonium assimilation. Case studies regarding nitrogen nutrition in medicinal plants. Biological nitrogen fixation. Sulfur assimilation. Iron acquisition. Summary of the peculiarities of respiratory metabolism in plants. Summary of amino acid metabolism in plants. Biochemical roles of cysteine, methionine and glutathione. The shikimate pathway.
SEED, PHOTOMORPHOGENESIS AND PLANT RESPONSES TO SUN LIGHT (0.50 CFU) - Seed: characteristics, germination and utilization of reserves. Plant responses to red-light: phytochromes. Plant responses to blue-light. Stomatal opening. The concept of photoperiod and the flowering control.
PLANT GROWTH REGULATORS (0.75 CFU) - Main concepts about plant hormones. Auxin: transport, actions and effects on plant development. Gibberellins: effects on plant growth and development and on seed germination. Cytokinins: regulators of cell proliferation. Ethylene: roles in foliar abscission and in fruit ripening. Abscisic acid: roles in plant responses to drought stress and in seed maturation.
PLANT SECONDARY METABOLISM (1.25 CFU) - Eco-physiological aspects of secondary metabolism: defence and communication. Biosynthetic pathways and physiological functions of terpenes. Biosynthesis and physiological roles of phenolic compounds (simple phenols, lignin, coumarins, flavonoids, tannins and stilbenes). Biosynthesis and physiological roles of nitrogen-containing secondary compounds (alkaloids, cyanogenic glycosides, and nonprotein amino acids). Experimental strategies to improve secondary metabolite production.