Plant Science

Are you intrigued by the career potential in such biofuels as crop-based biodiesel or cellulosic ethanol? Can you imagine a more worthy goal than producing optimum yields of life-sustaining crops with minimal impacts on the environment? Would you like to unravel complex interactions involving plants and multiple pests – or develop trees, ornamentals or turfgrasses that are adapted or native to the Intermountain West?

Our master's and doctorate in plant science – the only such degrees in Idaho – are multifocused and multidisciplinary. They’ll prepare you for both urban- and rural-based careers in private industry, public service and academia.

As a student in our program, you can expect to get a thorough education in economically, environmentally and socially sustainable plant production systems and management practices. Our core curriculum provides foundations in plant biology, plant ecology, plant breeding and genetics, plant production and plant protection. In addition, you'll engage in stimulating and rigorous course work, field work and independent research in:

• Plant pathology (including bacteriology, biological control, epidemiology, molecular biology, nematology and virology)
• Biotechnology
• Plant breeding and genetics
• Plant physiology
• Weed science
• Crop management
• Horticulture (including fruit and vegetable crops, urban landscape management and ornamentals)

Many of our 500-level courses are cross-listed and taught jointly with Washington State University, whose faculty also serve on our graduate research committees.

Through your thesis or dissertation project, you’ll build the scientific skills that will ensure your competitiveness in the marketplace. For example, you can learn to:

• Hand-pollinate crops and conduct intricate breeding experiments in our state-of-the-art, on-campus greenhouses or growth chambers.
• Assess agronomic and resistance traits at our geographically dispersed and environmentally diverse off-campus research and extension centers.
• Use polymerase chain reactions to recognize virus strains – or molecular markers to accelerate plant breeding – in our biotech wing.
• Compare the physiology of weeds at different life stages in our Lambert-Erickson Weed Herbarium, one of the nation’s outstanding collections.

With a 2:1 student-to-faculty ratio, you’ll enjoy ready access to experts in your chosen field.

Prepare for Success

Our successful students are focused, persevering and committed to helping people and the environment. They share a strong interest in at least one facet of plant science and an attraction to teaching, research and/or outreach. They’ve earned bachelor’s degrees in agriculture, biology, botany, horticulture, agricultural engineering, environmental science, natural resources or a number of other disciplines. They’ve also developed their analytical, critical thinking, computer and communication (written and verbal) skills, and they have the aptitude and drive to achieve their academic and career goals.

Your First Year

Tailor your study plan to your specific professional goals. During your first semester, we’ll consult with you and your adviser before assembling either a three-member (master's) or four-member (doctorate) graduate committee, which may include faculty members of both the University of Idaho and Washington State University. This committee assesses your background, interests and goals, then defines a study plan.

See our Plant Science Graduate Handbook for details.

What You Can Do

With an advanced degree in plant science, you may pursue a variety of careers. Potential job titles include:

• Agricultural consultant (domestic or international)
• Agricultural chemical researcher or sales manager
• Commercial crop or greenhouse manager
• Food processing scientist
• Plant biotechnologist
• Plant breeder
• Plant industry or biofuels researcher
• Plant-pest protection specialist
• Senior scientist or program leader for a federal or state agriculture, environmental quality, or land management agency
• University professor, research support scientist, or extension educator
• Urban landscape consultant or manager

Opportunities

Graduates of our program are national and international leaders in industry, government and academia. With an acute national shortage of applied scientists, our graduates are in demand, with nearly 100 percent placement. Graduates with a master's degree start between $30,000 - $35,000 in academia and at approximately $50,000 in private industry. Doctoral graduates earn beginning salaries between $65,000 - $75,000 in academia and between $75,000 - $85,000 in private industry.

Current Research

Enjoy extensive informal interactions with professors whose doors are wide open well beyond office hours and who are engaged in vital research such as:

• Incorporating into cereal crops, the targeted qualities that consumers, nutritionists and ethanol markets are demanding.
• Breeding oilseed crops that fill the nation’s fuel tanks and control soilborne pests.
• Investigating mutations in key plant damaging viruses like Potato Virus Y.
• Developing native ornamentals that decrease dependence on fertilizers, pesticides and water in Intermountain West landscapes.
• Evaluating the potential transmission of herbicide resistance from transgenic wheat to such weedy relatives as jointed goat grass.
• Detecting and mapping aggressive weed invaders.

Activities

Join the Plant and Soil Science Club, which produces plants for sale, or the Student Society of Arboriculture. Roll up your sleeves with the Soil Stewards, who operate a community supported agriculture subscription program and offer opportunities to learn sustainable/organic production and marketing methods. Or, gain leadership, organizational and communications skills with the Graduate and Professional Student Association.

Hands-On Experience

Your thesis or dissertation research will provide your richest opportunities for hands-on learning – from designing your own experiment to conducting trials, analyzing data and reporting results. You’ll be guided by a faculty member who will mentor your progress every step of the way. Recent graduate students have:

• Determined the effect of Potato Virus A on yields of two varieties of potatoes.
• Studied the effects of postharvest phosphoric acid on fungal disease management in potatoes.
• Evaluated management and agronomic practices for optimal production of winter and spring canola and Oriental and yellow mustard in the Pacific Northwest.
• Used genetic engineering tools to study RNA viruses in recombinant yeasts and molecular markers to map Hessian fly resistance in wheat.
• Studied the effects of onion maturity and agronomic practices on the severity of neck rot.
• Assessed the effect of organic mulches on carbon-nitrogen ratios, nutrient availability and tree growth.
• Evaluated benthic barriers and herbicides against the invasive weed Eurasian water milfoil.

Breakthroughs & Discoveries

Join our faculty in making notable contributions to the field of plant science. In the past few years alone, we have:

• Developed a low lignin wheat with enhanced potential as an ethanol feedstock that surprised plant breeders nationally with its unexpected straw strength.
• Identified precise, sensitive methods for detecting plant viruses to protect our national and international seed potato markets.
• Developed Brassica crops with improved fatty acid profiles for biodiesel production.
• Tracked the first outbreak of wheat streak mosaic in southeastern Idaho.
• Developed potato varieties that are resistant to late blight and other major diseases, making them suitable for organic production.