Plant Breeding and Seed Science

Growing the Future: Plant Breeding & Seed Science Plant breeding is an industry upstream of agricultural production that has had and will continue to have a significant role in increasing agricultural production and productivity. The interface between plant breeding and agricultural production is the seed sector with seed multiplication, processing, and marketing. The "Plant Breeding and Seed Science" major qualifies students for the professional field of plant breeding and seed production, building on an agriculturally oriented Bachelor's degree programme. It is integrated as a major in the Master's degree programme "Crop Sciences". Objectives Students completing the programme successfully will be trained to accomplish the following: scientific competence apply broad knowledge in biology, genetics, genomics, bioinformatics and data science to solve problems in modern plant breeding process and analyse complex sets of analytical and phenotyping data with advanced statistical and bioinformatic methods design, carry out and evaluate research projects on seed quality in a plant breeding environment towards qualified employment develop plant breeding approaches to address the challenges of e.g. climate change or bioeconomy assess impacts of plant breeding under societal, scientific, and ethical aspects determine and assess seed quality with standard methods and modern technologies towards personality development communicate complex issues in an understandable manner across disciplines and cultures Occupational Fields Typical employers of graduates of "Plant Breeding and Seed Science" are private companies and public institutions engaged in practical plant breeding or breeding research, as well as seed production or seed research in Germany or abroad. A doctorate is advisable if a student wants to be the director of a breeding programme or a breeding laboratory in a breeding company or a public plant breeding institution, for which graduates in this discipline are very well qualified.