Course detail

LZT5710 - Physiology of Forage Plants


Credit hours

In-class work
per week
Practice
per week
Credits
Duration
Total
4
1
8
15 weeks
120 hours

Instructor
Patricia Menezes Santos

Objective
Study the physiological processes of plants and their implications for the growth and development of
forage plants. Understand the importance of the relationship between plants and the environment and
its implications for pasture production systems. Relate the processes of water conservation,
photosynthesis, and plant development to the productivity of forage plants.

Content
1. Water in plants. 1.1. Structure and properties of water. 1.2. Water transport mechanisms: mass flow,
diffusion, and osmosis. 1.3. Water potential. 1.4. Water relations: absorption, water transport,
transpiration, water balance. 2. Carbon metabolism in plants. 2.1. Light interception: leaf area index,
canopy structure, competition for light. 2.2. Photosynthesis: photochemical phase, carbon fixation and
reduction. 2.3 Photosynthetic cycles and their implications. 2.4. Transport and distribution of
photoassimilates. 4. Plant growth and development. 4.1. Concepts of growth, differentiation, and
development. 4.2. Developmental stages. 4.3. Mechanisms controlling plant development. 5. Plant
physiology under stress. 5.1. Concept of biotic and abiotic stress. 5.2. Water stress.

Bibliography
JONES, H.G. Plants and microclimate: a quantitative approach to environmental plant physiology.
Cambridge University Press. 2014.
LOPES, F.N.; LIMA, M.G.S. Fisiologia da produção. Editora UFV. 2015.
TAIZ, L.; MOLLER, M.M.; MURPHY, A.; ZEIGER, E. Plant physiology and development. Sunderland:
Sinauer Associates, 2022.
Annals of Botany
Annual Review of Plant Physiology and Plant Molecular Biology
Journal of Experimental Botany Physiologia
Plantarum
Plant Physiology
Planta