THE PLANT INDUSTRY PART 1

3.01:REMEMBER CAREERS IN THE PLANT INDUSTRY A.Major Plant Science Industries 1. Ornamental Horticulture a.Defined: the science and art of producing, processing, marketing and distributing plants grown for their appearance or beauty. b.Examples: Flowers, shrubs, trees, grasses, interior plants, etc.

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3.01 CONTINUED… 2. Fruit and Vegetable Production a.Defined: the science and art of producing, processing, marketing and distributing fruits and vegetables. b.Examples: blueberries, apples, peaches, strawberries, tomatoes, cucumbers, sweet corn, squash, sweet potatoes, etc. 3. Agronomy a.Defined: is the science of soil management and crops. b.Examples: Wheat, barley, corn, soybeans, cotton, etc.

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B. Careers 1. Examples of Ornamental Horticulture Careers a.Florist (p. 463) – designs and arranges cut flowers. b.Groundskeeper (p. 479) – maintains lawn and landscape areas. c.Landscape Architect (p. 503) – a professional trained in the art and science of arranging land and objects upon it. d.Golf Course Superintendent – manages the golf course grounds.

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e.Nursery Operator- manages a business that grows and sells trees, shrubs and other ornamental plants. f.Greenhouse Manager – manages a business that grows and sells greenhouse plants. g.Gardener (p. 368) – a person who grows and maintains plants for estates, institutions, etc. h.Landscape Contractor (p. 503) – a person licensed to install landscapes based on passing certification exams.

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2. Examples of Fruit and Vegetable Careers a.Vegetable Grower (p. 383)(traditional, hydroponic or organic) – grows and sells vegetables for the fresh, wholesale and retail markets. b.Produce Manager (p. 383) – manages retail produce departments of grocery stores. c.Winery Supervisor – manages the production of wines.

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3. Examples of Agronomy Careers a.Agronomist (p. 426) – a specialist in soil and crop sciences. b.Forage Manager (p. 444) – grow, manage and sell hay crops for various animal producers. c.Federal grain Inspector – Federal employee that inspects harvested grain crops.

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4. Examples of General Plant Science Careers- can work in any or all of these areas. a.Plant Physiologist (p. 322) – a person who studies plant processes and functions. b.Plant Breeder (p. 339) – a person who develops new plants through, selection, hybridization, etc c.Plant Propagator (p. 339) – a person who reproduces plants d.Entomologist (p. 373) – a person who studies insects

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3.01 REVIEW ASSIGNMENT 1.Define Ornamental Horticulture. 2.What are 3 examples of fruit and vegetable production? 3.Please list 2 careers in ornamental horticulture, fruit and vegetable production, agronomy, and general plant science.

3.01 ACTIVITY Research a Plant Science Career Activity - Choose a plant science career to research and present your findings to the class. Example Questions to answer in your search: What is the education required to obtain this job? What community colleges/universities in NC offer degrees leading to a career in this field? If this degree is only offered at the University level, what SAT score is needed to get into that school? What is the outlook for employment for this job? What is the starting pay range for this career? What benefits are generally associated with this career? Vacation time? Health insurance? Dental insurance?

3.02: UNDERSTAND BIOTECHNOLOGY IN THE PLANT INDUSTRY. A.Biotechnology Basics 1.Defined: Biotechnology is the use of living organisms (microorganisms) to make new products or carry out new processes (solve problems). a.New product – Yogurt b.New Process – Tissue culture, propagation method that rapidly multiplies plants,

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2.Historic Applications of Biotechnology a.Use of yeast to make bread rise. b.Use of bacteria to produce various kinds of cheeses and other dairy products. c.Use of microorganisms to transform fruit or grains into alcoholic beverages. d.Use of bacteria to “produce” silage e.E.coli bacteria used to produce insulin. It became one of the first commercial products created by genetic engineering.

3.02 CONTINUED B.Basic Genetics 1.Genetics is the science of heredity. a.Austrian monk, Gregor Johann Mendel discovered the effect of genetics on plant characteristics with his experimentation with garden peas. b.Heredity is the transmission of characteristics from an organism to its offspring through genes in reproductive cells. c.Genes determine the individual characteristics of living things (plant height at maturity, flower color, ears of corn per stalk). They are segments of double stranded DNA. d.Generation is the offspring, or progeny, of common parents.

3.02 CONTINUED 2.DNA –Genetic Code of Life a.A chromosome is a structure that holds the genetic information of a cell. DNA is wound tightly to form the chromosome. b. DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) is the coded material in all cell nuclei that determines what that cell and its successive cells will become. Its’ structure is that of a twisted ladder (double helix).

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c.A gene is a small section of DNA. There are thousands of genes on a strand of DNA. d.Gene mapping – the process of both finding and recording the locations of genes.

3.02 CONTINUED e.Bases are like rungs of a ladder that hold the two sides of the DNA strands together. The bases are: 1)Adenine (A) - only pairs with “T” 2)Thymine (T) – only pairs with “A” 3)Guanine (G) – only pairs with “C” 4)Cytosine (C) – only pairs with “G” Example: A – T G – C T - A f.The sequence of the bases between the DNA strands is the code by which a gene controls a specific trait (baldness in humans, tendency of female goats to have twin offspring).

3.02 CONTINUED C. Processes and Practices in biotechnology 1. Genetic engineering developed in the early 1980’s is the process of moving genetic information in the form of genes from one cell to another. Termed: a. Gene splicing or Recombinant DNA technology- the process of removing and inserting genes from one organism and inserting them into the DNA of another.

3.02 CONTINUED b. Some examples are: 1) Alter a plant’s susceptibility to disease. 2) Make a plant resistant to insects. 3) Process in animals is newer and not as well developed techniques exist yet.

3.02 CONTINUED 2. Cloning (micropropagation in plants) – creating an exact genetic duplicate of another organism. 3. Indicator species – one of the oldest methods of biological detection. This method uses plants, animals and microbes to warn us about pollutants in the environment. 4. Bioremediation – A set of techniques that use living organisms to clean up toxic wastes in water and soil.

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5. Biostimulation - Adding nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus to stimulate the growth of naturally occurring beneficial microbes for faster more efficient work. 6. Phytoremediation - The process of plants absorbing or immobilizing pollutants. First tested actively at sites in the 1990’s. 7. Animal Reproduction and Production – the processes used in improving the efficiency of reproduction and production involve the use of biotechnology. These are considered the more conventional uses of biotechnology. 8. Biofuels – Fuels composed of or produced from biological raw materials.

3.02 CONTINUED D. Importance of Recombinant DNA Technology a. Improve plants’ and animals’ performance through the manipulation of genes. b. Alter characteristics or performance of microorganisms. c. Great potential for controlling disease, insects, weeds, and other pests is through genetic engineering. d. Less use of chemical pesticides is a result. e. Potential for helping clean the environment.

3.02 CONTINUED E. Concerns with the use of Biotechnology in Agriculture 1. Safety a. State and federal government monitor the development of newly developed biotech crops. b. Consumer resistance to new biotech food products remains high due to safety of the environment and human health concerns.

3.02 CONTINUED c. Biotechnology is a rapidly changing field, which when not fully understood, for some people can create a fear of the unknown. d. Labeling of genetically modified organisms (GMO) foods – many people feel if a product is safe it should be labeled. e. Concern has been expressed over the effect GMO’s may have on biodiversity.

3.02 CONTINUED 2. Ethics a. Ethics is a system of moral principles that defines what is right and wrong in a society. b. The ability to manipulate genetics of living organisms raises important ethical questions about how biotechnology should be used.

3.02 CONTINUED F. Scientific Method used in Biotechnology/Agriscience 1.Steps of scientific method used to solve problems a.Identify the problem. b.Review literature. c.Form a hypothesis. d.Prepare a project proposal. e.Design the experiment. f.Collect the data. g.Draw conclusions. h.Prepare a written report. 2. Can be employed in doing an SAE project and/or participating in the FFA Agriscience fair.

3.02 CONTINUED G. Biotechnology in the plant science industry 1. Herbicide and insect resistant crops are a product of genetic engineering. Examples: a.Herbicide – tolerant soybean (RoundUp Ready Soybeans) contains a gene that provides resistance to one or two broad spectrum herbicides. There are several Roundup Ready crops available or being developed such as: Canola, Corn, Cotton, Alfalfa, Lettuce, Potatoes, Sugar Beets, and Tomatoes.

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b.Insect- resistant corn (Bt corn) – contains a built-in insecticidal protein from a naturally occurring soil microorganism (Bt – Bacillus thuringiensis) that gives season- long control of corn borers

3.02 CONTINUED 2.Crops with better nutrition and longer shelf life are products of genetic engineering. c.High Oleic Peanut – genetically modified to produce nuts in high oleic acid that results in longer life for nuts, candy and peanut butter. d.High Oleic Sunflower – modified to produce sunflower oil that is low in trans-fatty acids. e.Delayed- ripening tomato – the longer shelf life has commercial advantages in harvesting and shipping.

3.02 CONTINUED 3.Tissue culture (micropropagation) – is the use of a very small actively growing part of the plant to produce a large number of new plants ( ie. African violets). 4.Numerous other crops have been genetically engineered to tolerate herbicides and resist insects and viruses such as, alfalfa, canola, cotton, potatoes, rice and many others.

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3.02 REVIEW 1.Define Biotechnology. 2.Please give 1 example of historic application of biotechnology. 3.What is heredity? 4.Define chromosome. 5.What is gene mapping? 6.What are biofuels? 7.Please give 2 examples of why Recombinant DNA is important. 8.What are the 2 concerns of using biotechnology in agriculture?

3.02 ACTIVITY 1 My Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) If you can genetically alter (change the genes) of a plant or animal to make it “perfect” what would you do? On a piece of paper draw your genetically modified plant. You have to color and label your picture so I will know what you did. Remember, you can change this organism to be whatever you want it to be. In Biotechnology, scientists modify plants and animals for things like disease resistance, color, texture, or to grow better. Use what you know to design your GMO.

3.02 ACTIVITY 2 Biotechnology Stations: In your assigned groups, rotate through the series of stations, read the scenario and answer the questions as a group. After everyone has rotated we will discuss your findings.