Cloning elite crop planting material:

• for import/export;
• for rapid multiplication;
• for germplasm preservation;
• for disease-elimination;
• for genetic improvement (fixing the F1)

Developmental biology:

• hormonal and nutritional interactions in vitro
• plant growth regulators interacting with sucrose and    nitrogen, yielding
• morphogenesis in xylem and phloem,
• organogenesis of roots, shoots, flowers,
• embryogenesis of pollen, from leaf and in de-differentiated tissues (callus)

• K110 tobacco, i.e. pollen culture, anther culture, embryo rescue
• Advantages and disadvantages of somaclonal variation e.g. coffee.
• The generation of drought-tolerant germplasm via selection for somaclonal variation

The movement of water and ions into roots and across membranes:

• gates, transporters, pumps, inhibitors, e.g. Ca, Mg, PO4, Ni, Al
• The molecular basis of senescence and it's potential control.
• Control of the cell cycle

• (IGM, Integrated Gene Management) i.e. the coordinated use of plasmids carrying promoters, enhancers and suppressors introns and exons, operons, MADS box control, plus fusion proteins as such DNA fragments are used in the generation of new transgenic cultivars

• case studies: virus-resistance, insect-resistance, herbicide resistance etc.
• Manipulation of starch biosynthetic pathway, and of fruit ripening. Two case studies State-of-the art in Zimbabwean and global tissue culture and gene-cloning in some crops: sweet potato, cowpea, cassava, and coffee
• Methodologies and techniques for gene cloning: electrophoresis, plasmodia construction, biolistics, Agrobacterium vectors, RAPDs and RFLPs, restriction enzymes, PCR, transposon tagging, antisense technology, reverse genetics
• Regulatory issues, sociological and financial implications of modern molecular physiology

The molecular basis of various herbicide actions and resistances

• Practicals will include both personal participation in tissue culture and gene cloning and in production of transgenic plantlets. An individual mini-project is possible. Current interests and needs of both the student and their chosen crop(s) will be addressed. Videofilms concerning techniques and issues will be viewed and discussed.