POSTGRADUATE – Website of the Department of Botany

POSTGRADUATE PROGRAMME

The Department of Botany is at present equipped to offer post-graduate training in Botany with emphasis in any one of the following specializations: Plant Physiology, Ecology, Genetics, Cytogenetics, Plant Taxonomy, Bryology, Algology, and Pteridology.

Degree Awarded

M.Sc. and Ph.D in the fields listed above.

General Requirements
General entrance and course requirements are as set forth by University and Faculty regulations.

General Departmental Requirements
Candidates must hold a B.Sc. degree which represents work including general courses of their equivalents in Biology, Botany, Ecology, Genetics, Agriculture or forestry.

Other information about the degree are:

Course Work

General Plan
The programme of study for the Master of Science degree is of minimum of twelve months continuous residence. Approximately the first eight months are spent in course work research, while the four months are devoted to intensive research, analysis and the preparation of a dissertation.

The course load required of all candidates is from 24 units. Of these, at least 15 units must be taken from the department. Course equaling 9 units may be selected from courses outside the Department or Faculty, always upon the recommendation of the supervisor and approval of the postgraduate college. The thesis (6 units) is required of all candidates and Seminar is also required.

Course Requirements

(i) Courses are listed below, arranged according to area of degree specialization. Not all courses will be offered every year: those available will depend upon staffing and the current research programme of the department.

(ii) Several of the courses will be offered in association with other Departments and Faculties of the University.

(iii) To qualify for an M.Sc. degree in Botany a candidate must take at least 24 units of study as follows:

Compulsory Courses are BOT 601 and 602 – 5 units
Selected Courses mainly chosen from
BOT 603 – 622 – 13 units
BOT 623 – Thesis. – 6 units

(iv) Course Requirements for Ph.D. Degree

As for M.Sc. plus at least two years of research leading to the thesis. He must present a seminar on his research work.

Courses

Course No.	Course Title	Units
BOT 601 BOT 602 BOT 603 BOT 604 BOT 605 BOT 606 BOT 607 BOT 608 BOT 609 BOT 610 BOT 611 BOT 612 BOT 613 BOT 614 BOT 615 BOT 616 BOT 617 BOT 618 BOT 619 BOT 620 BOT 621 BOT 622 BOT 623	Seminar in Botany Special Research Techniques in Botany Comparative Plant Anatomy Developmental Plant Anatomy Mineral Nutrition of Plants Water Relations in Plants Growth and Developmental Physiology of Plants Primary Metabolism of Plants Conventional Taxonomic Techniques Experimental Methods in Taxonomy Critical Studies in Nigerian Flora Forest and Savanna Ecology Bryophyte Ecology Statistical plant Ecology Special Research Techniques in Ecology Weeds and Colonisers Ecology of Epiphytes Physiological plant Ecology Advanced Cytogenetics Radiation Genetics in plants Genetics of Weeds and pests Evolutionary Mechanisms Dissertation in Botany	2 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4 3 4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 6

Examination

M.Sc.
Each course will be examined at the completion of the course and all such examinations will be completed within nine months from the time the candidate came into residence. A thesis based on original research work and written in accordance to the regulations stipulated by the postgraduate college of the Obafemi Awolowo University must be presented by the candidate at the end of twelve months of residence. The thesis will be assessed in accordance with University and Faculty regulations.

Ph.D.
The Ph.D. degree shall require not less than 4 semesters of full-time study and will be subject to general and special regulations laid down by the University and Faculty. The candidate will be expected to devote most of his time to research, at the end of which he shall present a thesis; the thesis shall be examined according to the regulations prescribed by University and the Faculty.

All lecturers from the grade of Lecturer I can teach post-graduate courses. While Senior Lecturers and above can supervise both M.Sc. and Ph.D programmes, a Lecturer I can only supervise M.Sc.

Course Syllabus

BOT 601: Seminar in Botany 2 units. Fortnightly
Directed readings in Botany. Seminars led by staff members and visiting scientists on current topics of botanical research.

BOT 602: Special Research Techniques in Botany 3 units 0+2+3
Practical work with accompanying lectures where necessary on the basic techniques used in the modern investigations of problems in various aspects of Botany.

BOT 603: Comparative Plant Anatomy:
A review of the patterns of variation of anatomical features and their contribution to taxonomy and evolution. In-depth treatment of epidermal structures and wood anatomy of some critical groups of plant. Other applications of anatomical information to such areas as enviromental studies, drug research, forest products, weeds and animal feed anaylsis.

BOT 604: Development Plant Anatomy
A review of the patterns of growth in plants. Apical meristems, the shoot and root apices, organization and experimental investigations. The initiation and development of leaves and buds; phyllotaxis, stomatogenesis. The vascular cambium: differentiation and origin of procambium; cambial growth and periodicity of cambial growth. Differentiation of primary and secondary vascular tissues. Differentiation in roots. Floral anatomy; initiation and development of the flower.

BOT 605: Mineral Nutrition of Plant 3 units. 0+2+3
Mechanics and kinetics of minerals uptake and transport. Utilization and mode of action of minerals. Mineral deficiency and toxicity. Nitrogen fixation and nitrification. Nitrogen metabolism. Anthocyanin biosynthesis in relation to mineral nutrition.

BOT 606: Water Relations in Plants 3 units. 0+2+3
Water relations considered at organismal and cellular level with particular reference to the tropics and tropical plants.

BOT 607: Growth and Developmental Physiology of plants 3 units 2+0+4
Plant growth–cell division. Differentiation and correlative development. Current concepts and mode of action of plant hormones. Recent advances in the general field of growth and developmental plant physiology.

BOT 608: Primary Metabolism of Plants 3 units. 2+0+4
Photosynthesis and carbon dioxide fixation. Photosynthesis and the entrance of energy into the cell. Respiration–energy storage, utilization and loss. Recent advances in the area of photosynthesis, respiration and nitrogen metabolism.

BOT 609: Conventional Taxonomic Techniques
A course designed to prepare students to take effective responsibility for developing functional teaching and research herbaria–is a thorough treatment of Angiosperm systematics; procedures for the preparation of first-class herbarium material, special training in the effective use of keys and other procedures for plant identification and in the construction of improved keys for large groups of higly crititical plants. Herbarium administration and training of junior staff.

BOT 610: Experimental Methods in Taxonomy 3 units. 0+2+4
A course surveying how the fields of anatomy, genetics, phytochemistry, phytogeography, palynology and multivariate anaysis may be applied with advantages to taxonomy, with in-depth consideration of one or more areas. Emphasis on working with living materials sometimes under experimental growing conditions, and on methods for the object recognition of taxa independent of previously accepted views.

BOT 611: Critical Studies in Nigerian Flora units. 0+2+4
An intensive investigation into the taxonomy and ecology of a critical group of plants, vascular or non-vascular.