Welcome
DEPARTMENT of PLANT SCIENCE AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
Plant is Life, Life is Plant (Plants = Life = Plant)
It is our pleasure to welcome you into the Department of Plant Science and Biotechnology of Abia State University, Uturu, Abia State, Nigeria. The Department of Plant Science and Biotechnology is one of the oldest departments of Abia State University, having been in existence since the inception of the University in 1981 as Department of Botany. Plant Science and Biotechnology as a discipline is fundamental because it provides a link to many other disciplines; namely, Biochemistry, Microbiology, Environmental Sciences, Pharmacognosy, Food Science and Technology, Agriculture, Forestry etc. The application of Plant Science and Biotechnology in the modern scientific and Biotechnological age is apparently very wide.
The Department is housed on the upper floor of the old Science Block of the University. It has spacious lecture theatres and teaching laboratories equipped with appropriate facilities. It also maintains a Herbarium, a Departmental Library and a Botanical Garden.
A Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) degree in Plant Science and Biotechnology is an excellent preparation for graduate programmes in a variety of fields which should enable graduates to pursue many rewarding career interests. Indeed, there are many career opportunities in teaching profession, research institutes, agriculture, forestry, horticulture, pharmaceutical and food industries, civil service and bio-business in both government and private sectors, at both national and international levels.
The requirements for students intending to obtain the B.Sc. degree in Plant Science and Biotechnology are in line with those of the other departments in the Faculty of Biological and Physical Sciences of the University and they include: Credit in Biology or Agricultural Sciences, Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics, in addition to English at the Ordinary Level (O’level) of the Senior Secondary School Certificate, General Certificate of Education or its equivalent. At present, the Department runs postgraduate programmes at Masters (M.Sc.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) levels.
BRIEF HISTORY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF PLANT SCIENCE AND BIOTECHNOLOGY (PSB)
The Department of Botany (Plant Science and Biotechnology), Abia State University, was one the pioneer departments in then School of Biological Sciences of the then Imo State University established in 1981 and located at its temporary site, Etiti, in Etiti LGA of Imo State. At inception, the University operated on the Collegiate System and hence the Department of Botany was only one of the disciplines in the School of Biological Sciences in the College of Biological and Physical Sciences. In 1987, the University moved to its present permanent site at Uturu, in Isuikwuato LGA of Abia State; and with the creation of Abia State in 1992, the University was ceded to Abia State.
Under the Vice-Chancellorship of Professor Ogwo E. Ogwo (2000 – 2005), the University began to operate the Faculty System of University Academic governance and Botany became a full-fledged Department under the Headship of Professor C. I. Ogbonnaya. Because of poor enrolment into the Department and in keeping pace with global advances in various aspects of Plant Sciences, Professor C. I. Ogbonnaya obtained the approval of the University Senate for a name change from Botany to Plant Science and Biotechnology in 2001.
The dynamic and visionary contributions of several renowned botanists earned the Department national and international appointments and recognition for its teaching and research in Plant Ecology, Plant Physiology and Plant Pathology. For its exceptional performance both in teaching and research, the Department has received research grants from African Academy of Sciences (AAS), Association of African Universities (AAU) and Nigerian Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND), among others.
The Department has graduated many students at graduate and postgraduate levels, including M.Sc., Ph.D. Currently, the thrust areas of teaching and research are Plant Ecology and Eco-physiology, Plant Physiology, Plant Pathology, Mycology and Biotechnology.
The alumni have gone on to become acclaimed teachers, professors, scientists, administrators and managers in corporate institutions at national and international levels.
