Agriculture Syllabus
Paper 1: Fundamentals & Applied Agriculture
I. Ecology and Environment:
- 1. Fundamentals: Ecology, natural resources, sustainable management, conservation.
- 2. Environment & Agriculture: Physical and social factors affecting crop distribution and production.
- 3. Agroecology & Cropping Patterns: Indicators of environment; climate change; greenhouse effect and global warming; international conventions & global initiatives.
- 5. Pollution & Hazards: Environmental pollution hazards to crops, animals, and humans.
- 6. Tools for Analysis: Remote Sensing (RS) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for ecosystem analysis.
II. Agronomy:
1. Cropping patterns in agro-climatic zones.
2. Impact of HYV (high-yielding varieties) and short-duration crops on cropping patterns.
3. Cropping & farming systems: organic farming, precision farming.
4. Package of practices for major crops: cereals, pulses, oilseeds, fibres, sugar, commercial crops, fodder crops.
III. Forestry & Agroforestry:
1. Types of forestry: social forestry, agroforestry, natural forests.
2. Propagation techniques, forest products, value addition.
3. Conservation of flora and fauna.
IV. Weed Science:
1. Characteristics, dissemination, and crop association of weeds.
2. Cultural, biological, and chemical control methods.
V. Soil Science & Nutrient Management:
1. Soil properties: physical, chemical, biological.
2. Soil formation processes; soils of India; mineral & organic constituents.
3.Essential plant nutrients; integrated nutrient management; biofertilizers.
4. Nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium efficiency; nitrogen fixation; losses in submerged rice soils.
5. Problem soils and reclamation; soil factors affecting greenhouse gas emissions.
VI. Soil & Water Conservation:
1. Soil conservation, watershed management,
2. Dryland agriculture, technology for rainfed areas.
3. Water-use efficiency, irrigation scheduling, runoff reduction.
4. Rainwater harvesting, drip & sprinkler irrigation.
5. Waterlogged soil drainage; industrial effluents; irrigation projects
VII. Agricultural Economics:
1. Farm management: scope, characteristics, farm planning, budgeting.
2. Economics of farming systems; resource optimization.
3. Marketing management, cooperatives, agricultural price policy.
4. Crop insurance, factors affecting farming types and systems.
VIII. Agricultural Extension:
1.Importance and role; evaluation of extension programs.
2. Socio-economic survey of farmers and landless labourers.
3. Training programs, Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVK), NGOs, SHGs in rural development.
Paper 2: Crop Improvement, Protection, and Food Security
I. Cell Biology & Plant Genetics:
1. Cell structure, function, cell cycle.
2. Genetic material: structure, synthesis, function; laws of heredity.
3. Chromosome structure, aberrations, linkage, recombination, polyploidy, mutations.
4. Heritability, sterility, incompatibility, cytoplasmic inheritance, sex-linked/influenced/limited traits.
Plant Breeding:
1. History, modes of reproduction, selfing, crossing techniques.
2. Origin, domestication, centre of origin, genetic resources conservation & utilization.
3. Principles of plant breeding, crop improvement, molecular markers.
4. Selection methods: pure-line, pedigree, mass, recurrent; combining ability; heterosis; somatic hybridization.
5. Breeding for disease & pest resistance; interspecific & intergeneric hybridization.
6. Role of genetic engineering, biotechnology, GM crops.
III. Seed Production & Technology:
1. Seed production, processing, certification, testing, storage.
2. DNA fingerprinting, seed registration.
3. Public & private sector roles, IPR & WTO issues in agriculture.
IV. Plant Physiology:
1. Plant nutrition, absorption, translocation, metabolism; soil-water-plant relationship.
2. Enzymes, pigments, photosynthesis (C3, C4, CAM), respiration.
3. Carbohydrate, protein, fat metabolism; growth, development, photoperiodism, vernalization.
4. Plant growth substances, seed development, germination, dormancy.
5. Stress physiology: drought, salinity, water stress.
V. Horticulture & Landscaping:
1. Major fruits, plantation crops, vegetables, spices, flowers; protected cultivation, high-tech horticulture.
2. Post-harvest technology, value addition, landscaping, commercial floriculture.
3. Medicinal & aromatic plants; nutrition relevance of fruits & vegetables.
VI. Plant Protection:
1. Diagnosis & economic importance of pests & diseases in field, orchard, plantation, vegetable crops.
2. Classification, management, IPM (Integrated Pest Management).
3. Storage pests & control, biological control, epidemiology, forecasting.
4. Plant quarantine measures; pesticides: formulations & modes of action.
VII. Food Production & Nutrition Management:
1. Food production, consumption trends; food security & population (Vision 2020).
2. Grain surplus reasons; national & international policies.
3. Production, procurement, distribution constraints; per capita food availability & expenditure.
4. Poverty, PDS, BPL, targeted PDS; policy in globalisation context.
5. Processing constraints; national dietary guidelines; food-based approaches to hunger.
6. Nutrient deficiencies: protein-energy malnutrition, micronutrient deficiencies; HRD & work capacity implications.
7. Food grain productivity & food security.