Botany : Job Prospects & Career Options

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Career in Botany can be highly rewarding for those who are allured with the aesthetic beauty of nature and flora. Botany as a field of plant science offers various specialties as well as career openings from which you can choose from, for both male and female. Various career fields in botany are that of Plant Taxonomists, Ethnobotanists, Pathologists, Palaeobotanists and Palynologists, Plant cytologists, Plant geneticists, Plant ecologists, Plant Scientists and Weed Scientists etc.

Job prospects for botanists are generally good. Challenging positions will be available for well-trained botanists. Options are not only confined to India, numerous opportunities are also available abroad. Careers in botany offer individual freedom, varied work, pleasant surroundings, inspiring coworkers, and travel opportunities. If you like nature and being outdoors, you might enjoy a career as botany. Job opportunities usually depend on educational training and experience. Candidates with advanced qualifications can pursue either an academic career in institutions as lecturers and professors, or a scientific career in various scientific positions such as Plant Scientists, Weed Scientists etc.

The major employers of plant biologists are educational institutions, central and state agencies and industries. Almost all colleges and universities offer courses in plant science and there are faculty positions for botanists who have different specialties. In addition, educational institutions employ botanists as researchers and as administrators. Plant scientists also work in the State Departments, Botanical Survey of India, Environmental Protection Agency etc. Drug companies, oil industry, chemical industry, lumber and paper companies, genetic research industry, botanical gardens, nurseries, fruit growers, food companies, archaeological museums, fermentation industries all hire men and women trained in botany. The demand for botanists is increasing in areas such as medical plant research, plant diseases, plant breeding and plant genetics. Some botanists work in administration and marketing for biological supply houses, seed companies, biotechnology firms and pharmaceutical manufacturers. There are few others who work as scientific writers, illustrators and photographers.

Entry to Botanical Survey of India and other Government departments is through UPSC exams. The notification of various post is known through leading newspapers and employment news.

Areas of specialisation

Various Specialisation as botanists are that of :

Plant Taxonomists- Plant taxonomy involves the identification and classification of plants. Plant taxonomists are botanists who work to identify, describe, classify and name plant species. Plant taxonomists identify new plant species previously unknown to the field. They also produce new source of plant genes. Most taxonomists are engaged in field work, which involves arduous physical activity as well as environments that are unsafe or uncomfortable. Plant taxonomists usually work in herbariums, botanical gardens and research institutes.

Plant Ecologists- Plant ecologists are botanists who work to understand the relationship between plant and the world in which they live. In other words, Ecologists study the connection between plants, animals and their physical environment. They examine the environmental factors such as rainfall, population, pollutants, temperature and altitude that regulate plant growth. In some cases, ecologists may be exposed to unsafe or unhealthy working conditions. For example, when plant materials have to be studied after an environmental disaster, the condition in which they have to work may not be safe or healthy. Plant ecologists are employed by government regulatory agencies and departments as well as by colleges and universities. Some may also find work with non profit environmental organisations.

Plant Morphologist- Plant morphologist study the manner in which cells are arranged to give each plant its form. To determine the cellular arrangement of plant they study how different plants transport and conduct food and water. They work generally in research laboratories.

Plant cytologists- Botanists who study plant cells are known as cytologists. They study the structure, function and life history of plant cells. Cytologists study minute particles of plant tissue with the help of microscopes. They are concerned with the physical arrangement of DNA in a particular species of plants. They also study the cells concerned with reproduction as well as the means by which chromosones divide or unite. Cytologists can find employment in research laboratories and pharmaceutical industry.

Plant physiologist - A plant physiologist studies the internal functions and processes of plants. Plant processes include growth, respiration, cultivation, excretion, reproduction and various other functions. They develop an understanding of the biological, chemical and physical processes that are basic to plant life, so that they can regulate and control plant growth. Plant physiologists play an important role in agriculture where drought-resistance, crop production, nutritional value, quality of food crops, germination as well as the storage of seed and the production of fruit are studied. Physiologists are mainly engaged in field work as well as laboratory work.

Ethnobotanist - Ethnobotany is the study of the relationship between plants and people, 'Ethno' is the study of people and 'botany' is the study of plants. Ethnobotanists study relationships between plants and human cultures in a search for better medicines and more efficient food production. Ethnobotanists study the different ways in which people make use of plants, whether for food, fiber, medicine or any other purpose. In other words, Ethnobotanists study plants and their applications, for potential economic, medicinal or other benefits to communities. Ethnobotanists develop new products for food, herbal, and pharmaceutical companies and sometimes assist in managing biological resources. Ethnobotanists mainly hold research positions for companies in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic and alternative health product industries, as well as universities and government health agencies.

Mycologist - Mycologists study fungi and apply their findings to medicine, agriculture, and industry. Fungi often live in symbiosis with plants and play an important role in the ecology of the environment. They cause decay in food and other natural products and they are also important in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries. Mycologists may spend a lot of time out in the field collecting specimens and performing research in laboratories.

Plant geneticists - A plant geneticists are botanists who study plant heredity and plant variation. Plant geneticists study the origin and development of inherited traits. Plant geneticist works to improve breeding methods to ensure that future plant generations possess the desired traits. Geneticists are employed by both government and private forestry organisations to work on programmes for the improvement of trees for cultivation.

Palynologist- Palynology is a highly specialised branch of systematic sciene and it involves the identification of plant species through analysing the pollen with light- and electron microscopes. Palynology is the study of fossil and living- pollen, spores, similar plant structures etc. A Palynologists service are also used in forensic medicine and criminology because it is possible to identify pollen on clothes, shoes and the body.

Palaeobotanist -The Palaeobotanist studies plant fossils and must have an interest in rocks and geology. Palaeobotanists and Palynologists are employed in archaeological museums where they are responsible for the study and research of plant fossils. Palaeobotany is a branch of paleontology or paleobiology.

Plant Pathologist - Plant Pathologists study the nature, cause and control of plant diseases as well as the decay of plant products. They attempt to isolate disease causing agents and study the habits and life cycles of various plants. They work mainly in research laboratories.

Weed scientist - Weed scientists study the different types of weed as well as mechanical, chemical and biological methods of control. Knowledge of ecology is also necessary to be in his field. Ecology makes it possible to understand why weeds invade certain areas and to make predictions.