"A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specializes in this field. The term 'botany' comes from the Ancient Greek word βοτάνη (botanē) meaning 'pasture,' 'herbs,' 'grass,' or 'fodder'; βοτάνη is in turn derived from βόσκειν (boskein), 'to feed' or 'to graze'."
The scientific study of plants, including their physiology, structure, genetics, and ecology.
Plant Anatomy: Study of the structure of plants, including their parts and functions.
Plant Physiology: Study of plant functions, including photosynthesis, respiration, and water distribution.
Plant Genetics: Study of genetic techniques and principles that impact the growth and development of plants.
Plant Taxonomy: Classification and identification of plant species according to their characteristics.
Plant Ecology: The study of interactions between plants and their environment, including biotic and abiotic factors.
Plant Pathology: The study of plant diseases, their diagnosis, and treatment.
Soil Science: The study of soil, its formation, properties, and management.
Plant Breeding: The science of creating new crop varieties by selecting and crossing plants with desired traits.
Plant Biotechnology: The use of genetic engineering and other techniques to improve plant growth and productivity.
Agronomy: The science of producing and managing crops and soils for maximum yield and sustainability.
Plant Nutrition: The study of the nutrients required for plant growth and the importance of proper nutrient management.
Plant Growth Regulation: The use of hormones and other chemicals to manage plant growth, flowering, and fruiting.
Agroforestry: The management of trees and shrubs in agricultural landscapes to improve soil health and biodiversity.
Plant Protection: The use of integrated pest management and other techniques to protect crops from pests and diseases.
Agricultural Extension: The dissemination of knowledge and information to farmers and other stakeholders to improve agricultural practices and technologies.
Agronomy: This type of crop science deals with the systematic study of crop production, soil management, and field crop management practices.
Horticulture: Horticulturists deal with the cultivation of plants for ornamental and aesthetic purposes like gardening, landscaping, and floriculture.
Plant Breeding: This field involves the development of new plant varieties with improved traits using genetic and molecular techniques.
Plant Physiology: Plant physiologists study the fundamental biological processes that occur in plants, including plant growth, metabolism, and response to environmental stresses.
Plant Pathology: Plant pathologists study the causes and effects of plant diseases and develop control strategies for plant diseases caused by fungi, bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens.
Weed Science: Weed scientists investigate the management of invasive plant species that interfere with crop production and natural ecosystems.
Soil Science: Soil scientists study soil properties like texture, structure, composition, and nutrient content, and evaluate soil fertility and how it affects plant growth.
Agroforestry: Agroforesters integrate trees and shrubs into agricultural landscapes for environmental, economic, and social benefits.
Seed Science: Seed scientists study the production, storage, and propagation of crop seeds to ensure their quality and viability.
Crop Ecology: Crop ecologists study the interactions between crops and the environment and how they affect crop growth and yield.
Agricultural Engineering: Agricultural engineers use engineering principles to design and develop machinery and equipment for crop production and agricultural processing.
Precision Agriculture: Precision agriculturists employ advanced technologies like GPS and remote sensing to monitor and manage crop production for optimal yields and minimum impact on the environment.
"Traditionally, botany has also included the study of fungi and algae by mycologists and phycologists respectively..."
"Nowadays, botanists (in the strict sense) study approximately 410,000 species of land plants..."
"Botany originated in prehistory as herbalism with the efforts of early humans to identify – and later cultivate – plants that were edible, poisonous, and possibly medicinal..."
"Medieval physic gardens, often attached to monasteries, contained plants possibly having medicinal benefit."
"One of the earliest was the Padua botanical garden. These gardens facilitated the academic study of plants."
"Efforts to catalogue and describe their collections were the beginnings of plant taxonomy..."
"...and led in 1753 to the binomial system of nomenclature of Carl Linnaeus that remains in use to this day for the naming of all biological species."
"...new techniques were developed for the study of plants, including methods of optical microscopy and live cell imaging, electron microscopy, analysis of chromosome number, plant chemistry and the structure and function of enzymes and other proteins."
"Botanists exploited the techniques of molecular genetic analysis, including genomics and proteomics and DNA sequences to classify plants more accurately."
"Modern botany is a broad, multidisciplinary subject with contributions and insights from most other areas of science and technology. Research topics include the study of plant structure, growth and differentiation, reproduction, biochemistry and primary metabolism, chemical products, development, diseases, evolutionary relationships, systematics, and plant taxonomy."
"Dominant themes in 21st-century plant science are molecular genetics and epigenetics, which study the mechanisms and control of gene expression during differentiation of plant cells and tissues."
"Botanical research has diverse applications in providing staple foods, materials such as timber, oil, rubber, fibre and drugs, in modern horticulture, agriculture and forestry, plant propagation, breeding and genetic modification, in the synthesis of chemicals and raw materials for construction and energy production, in environmental management, and the maintenance of biodiversity." Please note that the given paragraph is quite extensive, so it was challenging to find direct quotes for all 20 questions. However, I provided relevant quotes for the majority of the questions.