How to Become a Plant Biologist

About Plant Biologist

Plant biologist is an amazing career option for a candidate who has a specialisation in the study of plant and wildlife or equivalent course. It is a profession in which a candidate is associated with various activities like analysis and research of plant kingdom, protection of wildlife, conservation, sustainable development and spreading of awareness of the importance of flora in an environment through technical survey and analysis. 

A plant biologist specialises in various topics like biological and chemical composition of plant species, analytical skills, research and testing, report generation and surveying. A professional as a plant biologist is responsible to provide technical and scientific information about biological systems. They also collaborate with the government sector, private sector and public sector to focus on the protection of plant life and sustainable development.

They also play a vital role in identifying the natural resources, different species of plants and their medicinal properties. They explore the composition of various species of plant and after research, list down the benefits or consequences of consumption of crops or plants on human health. 

Roles and Responsibilities of a Plant Biologist

The following are some of the role and responsibilities that a plant biologist performs:

• Create, carry out, assess, and report on various field research projects at the designated field station
• Perform the duties necessary for each research trial, such as choosing the appropriate location, planting test crops, calibrating spray equipment, applying pesticides and fertilisers, gathering crop and soil samples, and evaluating crops and pests
• the capacity to plan ahead, work independently, and share information with teammates
• Find ways to protect plants by researching how pollution affects them
• Plants can be produced from tissue cultures
• Discover new plant species
• Keep an eye on, identify, and treat any insect, disease, or cultural or physiological conditions
• Control, arrange, and evaluate field data
• Control daily lab operations, such as the organisation of supplies, use and maintenance of general lab and equipment, growth chamber monitoring, and laminar flow hood and autoclave use
• Active involvement in the location safety programme and safety leadership for the pathology lab
  

Eligibility to become Plant Biologist

The general eligibility criteria to apply for a job role as Plant Biologist is given below: 

• The candidate must hold a Bachelor’s / Master’s, Ph.D. degree in Biological Sciences, Agriculture, Botany, Biology or related disciplines to apply for various job roles as a Plant Biologist
• He/ She must have technical knowledge and understanding of plant life
• Candidates with good communication skills, writing skills, analytical and surveying skills are considered for job role as a Plant Biologist

How to Become a Plant Biologist?

If being a Plant Biologist interests you as a career option, then there are certain decisions that you need to take in the early stages of your life and then move ahead in the career path. The following guidelines will help you become a successful professional as a Plant Biologist.

• Make a choice

Make sure you are aware of your interests, the subject combinations you must take in class 12 in order to become a Plant Biologist, and the courses you are qualified to enrol in before you begin pursuing a career in this field. Depending on your area of interest, you must choose from a variety of postgraduate courses even after completing your undergraduate degree. If you are about to complete or have completed Class 10th studied then you must choose Science Stream in Class 12th with Biology as one of the subjects. It is the initial phase to choose a specialised course at the undergraduate level.

• Choose the Proper Subjects

The first and most important step is to select the appropriate subjects for class 10+2, primarily Physics, Chemistry, and Biology or Math. These are the ideal subject pairings for those interested in a career in Plant Biologist. Only after you are absolutely certain that you are interested in and have a basic understanding of these topics can you pursue further studies in Plant Biologist.

• Prepare for Undergraduate Admission Exams

After finishing 10+2, students can take the entrance examinations offered by various institutes, and only after passing will they be able to begin their Bachelor Courses. After passing the entrance examination, each student will be assigned to a specific college where they can pursue a bachelor's degree through counselling.After Class 12th studies, you can choose a bachelors course that is related to biological science. Some of the courses you can opt are BSc Biology, BSc Microbiology, BSc Botany, BSc Biotechnology, BTech in Biotechnology etc. 

• Selecting the Best College

If you want to get into top government colleges, you will need to perform exceptionally well in entrance exams. If your score is low, you can attend any private college that accepts your grades.

• Following the Qualifying Entrance Exams

Taking entrance exams and getting into the best college is only the beginning of the journey. This journey will take three years to complete and will require a great deal of dedication and patience. The three-year undergraduate programme includes both theoretical and practical classes.
 

Types of Job Roles Plant Biologist

A Plant Biologist can choose from a list of job roles. Some of the job roles they can choose and the responsibilities are listed below: 

Plant Technician

A plant technician is a technician who is responsible to collect, analyse, survey date of habitat using various techniques and methodologies. They are involved in the monitoring of vegetation processes and identification of various species of the plant kingdom.

A plant technician must have good communication, writing and analytical skills. The professionals will need to coordinate with various agencies and organisations for surveying, sampling, report generation, quality analysis and other associated tasks.  

Wildlife Biologist

A wildlife biologist is associated with the protection, management and conservation of wildlife habitats. They are responsible to manage and execute plans to protect wildlife habitats and resources.

They study and survey the importance of forest management and the role they play in environmental protection. They implement projects to enhance plant biodiversity. They also collect plant samples to analyse the medicinal value and its effects. 

Environmental Biologist

Environmental Biologists are responsible to understand the effect of various human activities on the ecological balance. They connect with the government, industries, agencies and public to discuss sustainable development and alternatives to protect the plant habitat.  

They analyse the usage of land, urbanisation, factory setup, transportation and construction of roads and their impact on the environment and plant habitat. 

An Environmental Biologist plays an important role in spreading awareness on sustainable management and to ensure that human activities comply with the environmental laws and regulations.

Research Associate

A research associate develops and performs techniques to analyse the plants and crop samples. They usually work in laboratories with a team of researchers and scientists. A research associate must have good interpretation, visualization and statistical skills as they are involved in managing huge sample data and its results after the experiment. 

He/ She uses scientific methods, techniques and procedures to draw conclusions from a set of testing and experiments. 

Aquatic Plant Researcher 

An Aquatic Plant Researcher is responsible for the analysis and research on aquatic plant species. They work as a researcher in labs or research projects to explore the compositions of aquatic plant species and the role it plays in the environment. 

They assist the team comprising scientists and researchers to study aquatic plants and their impact on aquatic life and maintaining balance in nature. 

Employment Sector or Industry

Plant biologist professionals have opportunities to work in various government organisations or the private sector. The employment sector or industry where they can work is listed below:

• Healthcare industry
• Pharmaceutical industry
• Agriculture sector 
• Wildlife Sanctuaries  
• National Parks 
• Food Industry
• Research Firms 
• Laboratories 
   

Top Recruiting Companies/ Agencies/ Organizations

Government agencies, as well as the private sector, hire candidates as a plant biologist based on their eligibility, skills and abilities. Some of the recruiters of plant biologist in India are listed below: 

• Central Council for Research in ayurvedic sciences
• Wildlife Institute of India
• GB Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment & Development
• Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy
• Union Public Service CommissionForest Research Institute
• Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research institute

Skills Required to be a Plant Biologist

To be the best plant biologist, candidates must have a few skills:

• Candidates must be enthusiastic about and capable of following research activities
• They must have strong written and verbal communication skills
• They must be interested in plant conservation
• Candidates must be investigative in nature and have a scientific interest
• The candidate must be steadfast
• They are capable of problem solving
• Excellent knowledge and a strong interest in plant biology

Pay Scale/Salary of Plant Biologist

The pay scale of a Plant Biologist varies according to the job roles and skills. The pay scale for different job role as a Plant Biologist is given in the following table: 

Note* - Inputs for Salary Structure have been taken from external sources and are subject to vary/ change. Please check with other sources to confirm. 
 

Books & Study Material to Become Plant Biologist

Students interested in making a career as a Plant Biologist can refer to the following list of best books on Plant Biology:

•  Plant Biology by Alison M. Smith, George Coupland, Liam Dolan, Nicholas Harberd, Jonathan Jones, Cathie Martin, Robert Sablowski, Abigail Amey

• Botany in a Day, The Patterns Method of Plant Identification by Thomas J. Elpel

• Laboratory Manual for Stern's Introductory Plant Biology by James Bidlack, Shelley Jansky, Kingsley R Stern

• Plant Identification Terminology by James G. Harris, Melinda Woolf Harris 

• Botany: An Introduction to Plant Biology by James D. Mauseth
   

Pros of becoming a Plant Biologist

Every job role that you choose has a certain challenging task and each of the responsibilities comes up with certain pros and cons. In this section, we have covered the advantages and limitations of a career as a Plant Biologist:

Pros:

• A plant biologist can choose to work in various sectors like agriculture, pharmaceuticals, laboratories, research department, food industry etc,

• It is a good career option for candidates who have an interest in plant kingdom and environment.

• Candidates can choose to opt from various job roles like researcher, plant technician, wildlife Biologist, aquatic plants Biologist
   

Cons of becoming a Plant Biologist