HORT5111

For a long time people distinguished between and identified plants using visible morphological characteristics. They used these characteristics to define species and hybrids, make breeding decisions, and answer scientific questions. However, some plants can’t be easily distinguished visibly. In this course, we will look at six examples of ways people have used genetics to distinguish between and identify plants. Examples include telling apart visually similar turf grass species, detecting contamination from GMOs in native Mexican corn, reconstructing the history of a strawberry breeding program, curation of the potato gene bank in Peru, identifying the components of traditional Hmong chicken soup, and figuring out prehistoric diets from remains. The class will involve a lecture component, a weekly paper discussion, and a lab where we try out some of the techniques we discuss.

Spring Odd Year