Crop Physiology studies the plant functions that are responsible for its growth, photosynthesis, respiration and other developmental processes of crops. The subject knowledge will include a variety of disciplines of Botany, Soil Science, Ecology, Agricultural Science and Agricultural Technology. Crop physiology studies in depth the factors responsible for increased productivity. Some topics that combine Crop Physiology include study of plants and its species, organisms, essential minerals, water retention and usage, mapping and gene cloning, oxygen and other gases, photosynthesis and metabolism.
■ TAMIL NADU AGRICULTURAL UNIVERSITY
The university in Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu), offers an MSc Agriculture specialising in Crop physiology and a PhD in the subject through its Department of Agricultural Botany. The programmes were started as early as 1963 and the Department does research on specific locations and develop solutions for sustainable production.
VISIT: www.tnau.ac.in
■ Agricultural College
The Department of Crop Physiology in Bapatla, Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, offers seven MSc (specialising in courses related to crops and crop physiology) and a PhD in the subject. Nutrio-physiology, ecophysiology, plant water relations, pesticide physiology, herbicide physiology, flowering physiology, plant growth regulators, stress physiology and crop growth modeling are some topics of interest for research at the college.
VISIT: www.agcbapatla.in/html/pph.html
■ UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES
The Department of Crop Physiology was started in 1976 at this Bangalore-based University. The department undertakes research in chemical regulation of plant growth, genetic engineering for stress resistance, nutrition bio prospecting, and herbicide physiology and houses National Facility for Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry. It offers an MSc and PhD in the subject.
VISIT: www.uasbangalore.edu.in/index.php/department-of-crop-physiology