Course Description
Career Opportunities
Course Duration
Course Commencement Dates
Entrance Requirements
Application Procedures
Skills Recognition - Exemptions/Transfers
Pathways to Further Study
Course Outline
Assessment Methods
Materials
Qualification

Course Location and Contact Information

Course Description

This course covers all aspects of micro-propagation techniques for producing high health native and exotic, rare and endangered plants.

The skills and knowledge gained will be especially useful to plant propagators and breeders, lab technicians, horticulturalists, botanists, nursery and allied trades

Students are encouraged to work on plant material with which they have a particular interest.

Topics covered:

• History and principles of Plant Tissue Culture
• Sources of contamination and aseptic techniques
• Surface sterilisation of different plant materials and introduction into the culture process
• Seed, spore, plant culture establishment
• Chemical composition and preparation of culture media
• Transfer and sub-culturing of explants into multiplication and rooting media
• Deflasking of tissue cultured plantlets
• Layout and operation of a basic plant tissue culture laboratory
• Equipment requirements and suppliers
• Research project on plant of choice
• Excursions to Plant Tissue Culture laboratories.

Plant Tissue Culture Media Release

Career Opportunities

Graduates will be equipped with the knowledge to set up a basic tissue culture laboratory at home and or to work in a tissue culture facility associated with plant nurseries

The skills and knowledge gained will also equip laboratory technicians to operate tissue culture facilities in schools and other plant science laboratories

Staff of plant nurseries will also be trained to deflask tissue-cultured plants obtained from tissue culture laboratories.

Course Duration

Evening classes run from 5.30pm until 9.00pm (75 hours in total).

Excursion: 15 hours

Course Commencement Dates

February /March.

Entrance Requirements

Plant knowledge and or basic chemistry is recommended.

Application Procedure

Apply directly to the Horticulture Department

Skills Recognition - Exemptions/Transfers

Students enrolling in this course who have completed studies at other institutions should discuss the possibility of being exempted from related units in this course. If a student can demonstrate a full understanding of the unit from their work, then they may discuss the option of being assessed for units in their workplace. Students are eligible for Skills Recognition.

Pathways to Further Study

These qualifications may lead to further study in the Certificate IV in Horticulture (Nursery) or other streams, and then into the Diploma of Horticulture (Nursery) or other streams.

Course Outline

NMIT, in consultation with industry, has constructed courses that satisfy these packaging rules and are tailored to the requirements of industry.

Units

RTF3014A Implement a propagation plan
RTF5012A Manage a controlled growing environment

Assessment Methods

Performing aseptic techniques and surface sterilisation of plant materials, culture, media preparation, transfer of cultures and deflasking in the tissue culture laboratory and glasshouse.

Compulsory work for 30 hours researching and producing a crop of choice via micro propagation techniques

Materials

General laboratory and other tissue culture equipment. Students will be given more information when the course commences.

Qualification

These units are from the Certificate III in Horticulture and Diploma of Horticulture courses. Students will be issued with an in-house NMIT certificate after successful completion of the course.

Links

The Victorian Government makes a significant contribution to these programs.