Basic Plant Biochemistry 100 Hours Certificate Course

There are 9 lessons:

1 Introduction

• The Basics: Atoms, Elements and Compounds, Table of Significant Elements
• Parts of a Compound
• Other Common Biochemical Groups
• Chemical Names: Alkyl Groups, Arrangement of Atoms in a Compound
• Organic Compounds
• Types of Carbohydrate: Proteins, Amino Acids, Lipids, Nucleic Acids
• Biochemical Processes in Plants and Animals
• What is Life?
• Classification of Living Things
• Atoms: The Atomic Nature of Matter, The Structure of Atoms
• Biochemistry: Biochemical Process in the Cell
• The Carbon Cycle
• Calculating the Components in a Chemical: Atomic Weights of Elements
• Recommended Reading

2 Lipids and proteins

• Carbohydrates
• Function: Carbohydrates trap light energy, Carbohydrates release energy, Energy Supply in Animals/Humans, Types of Carbohydrates
• Hydrolysis
• Aromatic Compounds
• Lipids & Proteins: Characteristics of Lipids, Naturally occurring & commercially useful lipids
• Proteins: Amino Acids, Types of Proteins
• Lipoproteins
• Proteins in the Human Diet
• Protein Structure

3 Enzymes

• Definitions
• Enzymes
• Plant Hormones
• Chemical Growth Modification
• Enzymes Additional Information: Effect of Temperature, Effect of pH, Activation, Isoenzymes, Inhibition

4 Nitrogen and the nitrogen cycle

• The Role of Nitrogen
• The Nitrogen Cycle: Nitrogen fixation, Ammonification, Nitrification, Denitrification, Nitrogen loss, Forms of Nitrogen

5 Photosynthesis and respiration

• Photosynthesis: The Light Reactions, The Dark Reactions, Environmental factors which affect photosynthesis
• Respiration: Glycolysis, The Krebs cycle, The Electron Transport Chain
• The Rate of Respiration is Affected By..............
• Terminology

6 Assimilation and transpiration

• Water and Plant Growth
• Transpiration: Environmental Factors that Affect Transpiration and Water Uptake
• Metabolism of Plants and Animals
• Mechanisms of Nutrient Uptake in Plants
• Terminology

7 Acidity and alkalinity

• pH
• Measuring pH: Methods of Measuring pH
• What is an Acid or Base?
• Buffers
• Soil pH
• Nutrient Availability and pH
• Cation Exchange Capacity and pH
• The Acid-Base Balance in Human Exercise Physiology: Buffer Effect, Respiration, The Kidney Effect

8 Chemical analysis

• Chemical Analysis: Laboratory testing of Soils, Soil Sampling, Measuring Salinity
• Colorimeters
• Chromatography
• Gas Spectrometers
• Atomic Absorption Units
• Conductivity: Conductivity and Hydroponics
• Terminology

9 Biochemical applications

• Alkaloids: Pyrrolidine Alkaloids, Quinoline and Isoquinaline Alkaloids, Pyridine & Piperidine Alkaloids, Indole Alkaloids
• Poisonous Plants
• Herbal Medicines
• Preparing Herbal Remedies
• Chemical Toxicities: Chemical Pesticides: Insecticides, Characteristics of Pesticides, Summary of Main Chemical Groups of Insecticides, Comparative Toxicities of Pesticides
• How Poisonous is a Chemical?
• Tissue Culture: Uses, Problems
• Tissue Culture Procedures: Explants, Sterilisation, Nutrient Media, Methods of shoot induction and proliferation, Multiplication by adventitious roots, Rooting and Planting Out
• Environmental Conditions: Types of media, Composition of Nutrient Media, Cleanliness, Light and Temperature Conditions, Hormones
• Laboratory Requirements
• Glossary of Terms
• Biotechnology in Horticulture: Tissue Culture Development
• Cell Fusions
• Overcoming Pollination Incompatatbility