Syllabus
Theory
Block 1:
Plant Water Relations
Unit I: Soil and Plant Water Relations
Water and its importance; Molecular structure of water; Properties and functions of water. Concept of water potential; Plant cell and soil water potential and their components; Methods to determine cell and soil water potential; Concept of osmosis and diffusion. Soil physical properties and water availability in different soils;
Water holding capacity and approaches to improve WHC; Concept of FC and PWP; Water holding polymers and their relevance.
Unit II: Water Absorption and Translocation
Root structure and functions; Root architecture and relevance in water mining; Mechanism of water absorption and translocation; Theories explaining water absorption and translocation; Aquaporins. Mycorrhizal association and its relevance in water mining.
Unit III: Transpiration and Evaporative Cooling
Evaporation and transpiration; relevance of transpiration; factors regulating transpiration; Measurement of transpiration; approaches to minimize evaporation and transpiration; Concept of CCATD and its relevance. Energy balance: Solar energy input and output at crop canopy level. Stomata- its structure, functions and distribution; Molecular mechanisms of stomatal opening and closing; Concept of guard cell turgidity; role of K and other osmolytes; role of ABA in stomatal closure; Guard cells response to environmental signals; Signaling cascade associated with stomatal opening and closure. Antitranspirants and their relevance in agriculture.
Unit IV: Water Productivity and Water Use Efficiency
WUE and its relevance in water productivity; Transpiration efficiency, a measure of intrinsic WUE; Approaches to measure WUE; Stomatal and mesophyll regulation on WUE; Passioura’s yield model emphasizing WUE.
Unit V: Moisture Stress and Plant Growth
Physiology of water stress in plants; Effect of moisture stress at molecular, cellular, organ and plant level. Drought indices and drought tolerance strategies. Drought tolerance traits.
Block 2:
Mineral Nutrition
Unit I: Nutrient Elements and Their Importance
Role of mineral nutrients in plant’s metabolism; Essential elements and their classification; Beneficial elements; factors influencing the nutrients availability; critical levels of nutrients. Functions of mineral elements in plants. Deficiency and toxicity symptoms in plants.
Unit II: Nutrient Acquisition
Mechanism of mineral uptake and translocation; Ion transporters; genes encoding for ion transporters; localization of transporters; xylem and phloem mobility; Nutrient transport to grains at maturity; Strategies to acquire and transport minerals under deficient levels. Role of mycorrhiza, root exudates and PGPRs in plant nutrient acquisition.
Unit III: Concept of Foliar Nutrition
Foliar nutrition; significance and factors affecting total uptake of minerals; Foliar nutrient droplet size for effective entry; role of wetting agents in entry of nutrients.
Practical
- Standard solutions and preparation of different forms of solutions
- Studies on the basic properties of water
- Demonstration of surface tension of water and other solvents
- Measurement of plant water status: Relative water content and rate of water loss
- Determination of water potential through tissue volume and Chardakov’s test
- Determination of water potential using pressure bomb, osmometer, psychrometer
- Determination of soil moisture content and soil water potential
- Use of soil moisture probes and soil moisture sensors
- Measurement of transpiration rate in plants; use of porometry
- Measurement of CCATD and its relevance
- Demonstration and use of anti-transpirants to reduce transpiration
- Influence of potassium and ABA on stomatal opening and closing respectively
- Deficiency and toxicity symptoms of nutrients
- Effect of water stress on plant growth and development
Unit I
Block 1: Plant Water Relations
Soil and Plant Water Relations
Water and its importance; Molecular structure of water; Properties and functions of water. Concept of water potential; Plant cell and soil water potential and their components; Methods to determine cell and soil water potential; Concept of osmosis and diffusion. Soil physical properties and water availability in different soils;
Water holding capacity and approaches to improve WHC; Concept of FC and PWP; Water holding polymers and their relevance.
Unit II
Water Absorption and Translocation
Root structure and functions; Root architecture and relevance in water mining; Mechanism of water absorption and translocation; Theories explaining water absorption and translocation; Aquaporins. Mycorrhizal association and its relevance in water mining.
Unit III
Transpiration and Evaporative Cooling
Evaporation and transpiration; relevance of transpiration; factors regulating transpiration; Measurement of transpiration; approaches to minimize evaporation and transpiration; Concept of CCATD and its relevance. Energy balance: Solar energy input and output at crop canopy level. Stomata- its structure, functions and distribution; Molecular mechanisms of stomatal opening and closing; Concept of guard cell turgidity; role of K and other osmolytes; role of ABA in stomatal closure; Guard cells response to environmental signals; Signaling cascade associated with stomatal opening and closure. Antitranspirants and their relevance in agriculture.
Unit IV
Water Productivity and Water Use Efficiency
WUE and its relevance in water productivity; Transpiration efficiency, a measure of intrinsic WUE; Approaches to measure WUE; Stomatal and mesophyll regulation on WUE; Passioura’s yield model emphasizing WUE.
Unit V
Moisture Stress and Plant Growth
Physiology of water stress in plants; Effect of moisture stress at molecular, cellular, organ and plant level. Drought indices and drought tolerance strategies. Drought tolerance traits.
Block 2: Mineral Nutrition
Unit I: Nutrient Elements and Their Importance
Role of mineral nutrients in plant’s metabolism; Essential elements and their classification; Beneficial elements; factors influencing the nutrients availability; critical levels of nutrients. Functions of mineral elements in plants. Deficiency and toxicity symptoms in plants.
Unit II: Nutrient Acquisition
Mechanism of mineral uptake and translocation; Ion transporters; genes encoding for ion transporters; localization of transporters; xylem and phloem mobility; Nutrient transport to grains at maturity; Strategies to acquire and transport minerals under deficient levels. Role of mycorrhiza, root exudates and PGPRs in plant nutrient acquisition.
Unit III: Concept of Foliar Nutrition
Foliar nutrition; significance and factors affecting total uptake of minerals; Foliar nutrient droplet size for effective entry; role of wetting agents in entry of nutrients.
Aim of the course
The aim of this course is to impart knowledge in the field of water relations and mineral nutrition and how plants acquire water and transport it under different soil water regimes and also make use of the water in an effective way to maximize use efficiency. In addition, the other aim is to impart knowledge of how plants minimize water loss under stress conditions besides educating the students of how plants make use of nutrients in a best possible way.
