This program aims at training and equipping modern day plant breeders with capacity to analyse , evaluate, design and implement practical plant breeding schemes that will enhance, sustain and improve food and nutritional security while raising household incomes.

Expected Learning Outcomes of the Course

      i.         Apply knowledge and skills acquired to map and validate QTLs linked to major agronomic traits and to develop practical molecular marker selection systems based on the understanding of bioinformatics data systems.

    ii.         Analyse the different molecular marker systems, DNA sequencing methods and the different molecular biology information systems in DNA, RNA and Protein.

   iii.         Design innovative  markers assisted and genomic selection schemes for diverse crops that could be utilized in crop improvement

Course Content

Genetics systems of eukaryotes, prokayotes and viruses.  Development and physiological genetics. Recombinant DNA technology; methods of creating recombinant molecules, isolation of cloned genes, tumour viruses, movable genes, viral vectors; genetic engineering of plants.  Genome, proteome, epigenome. Linkage mapping, cross-overs, repulsion and coupling phases, interference and coincidence, recombination frequencies, genetic mapping; mapping functions; mapping populations, lod score; linkage disequilibrium, two point and three point crosses. Application of biotechnology techniques in crop improvement: Molecular markers; RAPDs, RFLPs, SSR, AFLP, ESTs, DaRT, SNPs. Marker assisted selection, foreground and background selection: QTL analysis and mapping. Association Mapping, Genomic selection and Genome-wide Association (GWAS). Bioinformatics: DNA sequencing theory. Analysis of gene expression transcript profiling; microarrays.; Gene families; genome analysis; identification of introns/exons; genome analysis tools and automation, measuring biodiversity. Analysis of protein expression, prediction of protein structure, comparative genomics, sequence alignment and comparisons.