Course description

Responsible teacher (email): Dr. Cserhalmi Dániel ([Click to see email])
Teacher(s) take part in teaching: Dr. Péli Evelin ([Click to see email]), Kutszegi Gergely ([Click to see email])

Aim of the subject:

The aim of the subject is to introduce the Plant kingdom from a veterinarian point of view. During this, students can learn about the most important crop and poisonous plant species, their general morphology, cytology and histology, as well as their metabolic processes resulting nutrients and secondary metabolites for animals. The fundamental role of plant primary metabolic processes in the biosphere is discussed and compared to bacterial, fungal, and animal metabolism. Paying extra attention to the health hazards caused by micro or macrofungi, or agricultural chemicals, the importance of food chain safety in veterinary medicine is highlighted. The subject deals with grassland habitats also, as they are the main providers of animal forage.

Mandatory literature:

• Lecture notes and slides

Recommended literature and seminars:

1. Horváth, Zs. – Vetter, J.: Applied botany for Veterinary Students. SZIE AOTK, Budapest, 2003.
2. Frohne, D. – Pfander, H.J.: Poisonous Plants. Manson Publishing Ltd London, UK 2005.

 

Partian exemption is only possible if former studies match at least with 50% of the course.

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Lectures theme

Weekly schedule
1. (02.09)	Introduction, importance, morphology 1
2. (02.16)	Morphology 2
3. (02.23)	Plant cytology
4. (03.01)	Plant histology
5. (03.08)	Primary metabolism
6. (03.15)	Physiology and nutrient metabolism (online)
7. (03.22)	Biogeography – grasslands
8. (03.29)	Easter holiday
9. (04.05)	Equus days – no lecture 🙂
10. (04.12)	Secondary plant metabolites 1.
11. (04.19)	Secondary plant metabolites 2.
12. (04.26)	Taxonomy 1.
13. (05.03)	Taxonomy 2.
14. (05.10)	Mycoses, mycotoxicosis
15. (05.17)	Macrofungi and agricultural chemicals

Updated: 2024.01.11.

Practical lessons theme

Weekly schedule
1. (02.05)	Cereals
2. (02.12)	Pulse crops and oil plants
3. (02.19)	Forage legumes and fleshy forages
4. (02.26)	Test 1, Plants producing cardiac glycosides
5. (03.04)	Plants promoting CNS symptoms
6. (03.11)	Poisonous plants affecting the gastrointestinal tract, more organ systems simultaneously or causing photosensitization or cytotoxicity (online?)
7. (03.18)	Poisonous plants promoting cancer, affecting the clotting of blood, producing oxalate crystals, accumulating nitrate ions, producing HCN, or allergy
8. (03.25)	Easter holiday
9. (04.01)	Equus week (no seminars during the week)
10. (04.08)	Test 2; Poisonous indoor and garden plants
11. (04.15)	Medicinal plants
12. (04.22)	Grasslands
13. (04.29)	Visiting the botanical garden „Füvészkert”
14. (05.06)	Test 3; Analysis of stomach/rumen contents, botanical hay analysis
15. (05.13-17)	Retake week

Updated: 2024.01.11.

Evaluation description

 

Retake of mid-terms

If someone failed to reach the pass limit of the mid-term (50%) there’s two options for retake:

1) during the following week of the mid-term on a date discussed with your seminar teacher

OR

2) during the retake week (13–17 May), when you can retake the mid-term during any seminars you prefer.

Each tests can be retaken only once!

Despite of the retakes if someone still has one missing or failed test (<50%) in the end of the semester, we offer a final retake during the first week of the exam period.

In this case the mid-term is cumulative thus it covers the entire species list, not only that one which was below the pass grade (50%).

It means the identification and characterization of 5 species from each topics, so 15 species in all.

 

Updated: 2024.01.11.

Exam information

Oral exam

Before the oral exam students have to pass an entrance test.

It’s a single choice test, which covers the most important parts of the exam questions.

Rejection limit: 7 good answers from 10 questions.

In case of 6 correct answers students can revise the incorrect ones.

Students can be exempted from the entrance test if they reach more than 80% from each seminar tests.

During the oral exam students take one topic from the A and one from the B list.

For a succesfull oral exam students have to reach a pass grade (50%) from both topics.

“A” questions

1. The importance of the botanical disciplines
2. The morphology and main modifications of plant organs
3. Specific organelles of the plant cell
4. The main plant tissues (regarding to nutrition value and digestibility)
5. The nutrient metabolism of plants; the effect of nutrient deficiency
6. The most important pathways of primary metabolism: the role of plants, fungi and bacteria in the biosphere (their relationships with animals)
7. Photosynthesis and respiration and their role in plant metabolism
8. The role of secondary metabolites; major carbohydrate and phenoloid compounds
9. The major groups of polyketides and terpenoids
10. The major groups of azotoids
11. Antinutritive compounds in forages (regarding to the biosynthetic pathways)
12. Major flowerless, gymnosperm and monocot taxa (identification and importance)
13. Major dicot taxa (identification and importance)
14. Grassland formation and their distribution on Earth and in Europe (regarding to the major grassland types)
15. Mycotoxicosis: human and animal poisonings of microfungi
16. Mycetism: mushroom poisonings in humans
17. Toxins of anthropogenic origin in the biosphere: effects, mechanism of action, consideration of food safety from soil microbes to humans

 

“B” questions

1. The importance of cereals in animal nutrition
2. The importance of pulse crops in animal nutrition
3. The importance of oil-producing plants in animal nutrition
4. The importance of forage legumes in animal nutrition
5. The importance of fleshy forages in animal nutrition
6. Poisonous plants affecting the cardiac muscle (mechanism of action, effects, symptoms)
7. Poisonous plants with alkaloids promoting CNS symptoms (mechanism of action, effects, symptoms)
8. Poisonous plants with terpenoids or thiaminase enzymes promoting CNS symptoms (mechanism of action, effects, symptoms)
9. Poisonous plants causing photosensitization and liver damage (mechanism of action, effects, symptoms)
10. Poisonous plants accumulating nitrate ions and producing HCN (mechanism of action, effects, symptoms)
11. Poisonous plants affecting the digestive tract and producing oxalate crystals (mechanism of action, effects, symptoms)
12. Poisonous plants affecting more organ systems simultaneously and affecting the clotting of blood (mechanism of action, effects, symptoms)
13. Poisonous plants promoting cancer and causing cytotoxicity (mechanism of action, effects, symptoms)
14. The importance of medicinal plants in veterinary medicine (benefits, fields of application, limitations)
15. The importance of grazing and hay in animal nutrition: veterinarian aspects
16. Botanical hay and rumen content analysis

 

Updated: 2024.01.11.