Collections

Botany – LibreTexts (CC BY-NC-SA)

Botany is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. Traditionally, botany includes the study of fungi and algae by mycologists and phycologists respectively.

Primary Botany – OER Commons (Various CC licences)

These resources are appropriate for Applied Science, Education, Life Science, and Physical Science programs.

Supplemental Materials

Buds, Branches and Bark: A Guide to Winter ID in the Pacific Northwest (CC BY-NC-SA)

This project was made possible by funding through the Open Education Resource Grant at BCIT.

Textbooks

Cultivar Development (CC BY-NC)

This textbook places emphasis on the design of a process pipeline for continuous development of new improved cultivars as a means to implement the cycle of crop improvement. Essential topics in New Line Development and New Line Evaluation are addressed, such as choice of parents, creation of progeny, and evaluation and selection of progeny. Students learn to design a process pipeline to produce improved cultivars that meet a specific product target which represents stakeholders’ needs.

History and Science of Cultivated Plants (CC BY-NC)

This textbook narrates how humans transitioned from foragers to farmers and have arrived at present-day industrial agriculture-based civilization. It entails myths, historical accounts, and scientific concepts to describe how human efforts have shaped and produced easier to grow, larger, tastier, and more nutritious fruits, vegetables, and grains from wild plants. Using examples of various economically and socially important crops central to human civilization, the book describes the origin of crop plants, the evolution of agricultural practices, fundamental concepts of natural selection vs. domestication, experimental and methodical plant breeding, and plant biotechnology.

Identifying Noxious Weeds of Ohio (CC BY)

This identification guide provides technical descriptions and photos for Ohio’s 21 invasive and noxious weed species. These descriptions include information on habitat, life cycle, key plant characteristics, and a summary of problematic features. Photos included in this guide present the weed species at different stages of maturity for optimal identification aid. This book also provides information on Ohio’s noxious seed law, extension guides to weed control, and a quick guide to weed regulations in Ohio law.

Plant Anatomy and Physiology (CC BY-SA)

This book was created to support teaching of an introductory unit on plant environmental physiology at Charles Darwin University in Australia. It makes use of various images of cells and tissues to introduce and illustrate the range of plant organelles, cells, tissues and organs.

Quantitative Genetics for Plant Breeding (CC BY-NC)

This textbook is intended to expose students to the application of quantitative genetic models to plant breeding populations. Specific topics include conducting and interpreting multi-environment trials, resource allocation using engineering principles, genetic modeling of quantitative traits, simulation modeling, variance, covariance and heritability, prediction, selection, and genetic gain.

Quantitative Methods for Plant Breeding (CC BY-NC)

This textbook covers common statistics used in agriculture research, including experimental design in plant breeding and genetics, as well as the analysis of variance, regression, and correlation.

The Science of Plants (CC BY-NC)

An approachable guide to the fundamentals of plant science. Created for horticulture students, gardeners, science teachers, and anyone interested in understanding plants and how they grow. This is the required text for HORT 1001/6001 Plant Propagation at the University of Minnesota Department of Horticultural Science.

Videos

Interviews with Plants (CC BY-NC-SA)

Learn plant identification skills by viewing dozens of “Interviews with Plants” videos that focus on native coastal British Columbia flora, including trees, shrubs, and herbs.