June 29, 2012

This fall and spring the UNL Department of Agronomy and Horticulture will be offering a series of plant breeding mini-courses. The courses, available via distance delivery, are excellent professional development opportuhities for seed industry personnel, producers, and other agribusiness professionals. The graduate level courses assume basic familiarity with genetics.

They will be taught by Stephen Baenziger, professor and first faculty member to hold the Nebraska Wheat Growers Presidential Chair, and Thomas Hoegemeyer, professor of practice and former CEO of Hoegemeyer Hybrids. 

Students have the option of participating in lectures in real time and viewing previous lectures in the online archives.  The courses are available for noncredit professional development, as well as regular academic credit.

Courses

Self-Pollinated Crop Breeding

August 21 – September 20, 2012
Course covers the common breeding methods used to improve self-pollinated crops, such as wheat, rice and barley, and the theoretical basis for self-pollinated crop breeding.

Germplasm and Genes

September 25 – October 30, 2012
Course focuses on the importance of creating the necessary genetic variation resources for conventional and modern plant breeding programs.

Cross-Pollinated Crop Breeding

November 1 – December 6, 2012
Course emphasizes standard breeding methods and theories associated with population movement of cross-pollinated crops and self-pollinated crops that are forced to cross-pollinate.

Heterosis in Plant Breeding

January 29 – February 28, 2013
Course covers classical concepts of heterosis; genetic hypotheses for hybrid vigor; quantitative genetics of heterosis; new tools to study hybrid vigor, structure and function; organization of germplasm into heterotic groups; prediction of heterosis and hybrid performance; mechanisms for making hybrid seed; and breeding methods/concepts for developing hybrids in plants.

Registration

The noncredit registration fee for each course is $200. Special package pricing is available for multiple courses. For more information or to register, visit On-Line Crop Breeding Courses.