{"id":96484,"date":"2021-03-19T18:00:25","date_gmt":"2021-03-19T12:30:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.forumias.com\/?page_id=96484"},"modified":"2023-11-02T13:32:04","modified_gmt":"2023-11-02T08:02:04","slug":"agriculture-syllabus","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/upsc-syllabus\/agriculture-syllabus\/","title":{"rendered":"Agriculture Optional Syllabus as per UPSC official syllabus"},"content":{"rendered":"

Agriculture Optional -Syllabus<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Paper – I<\/span>
\n<\/strong><\/h3>\n

1.1.<\/strong> Ecology and its relevance to man, natural resources, their sustainable management and
\nconservation. Physical and social environment as factors of crop distribution and production. Agro
\necology; cropping pattern as indicators of environments. Environmental pollution and associated
\nhazards to crops, animals and humans. Climate change\u2014International conventions and global
\ninitiatives. Green house effect and global warming. Advance tools for ecosystem analysis\u2014Remote
\nSensing (RS) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS)<\/p>\n

1.2.<\/strong> Cropping patterns in different agro-climatic zones of the country. Impact of high-yielding and
\nshort-duration varieties on shifts in cropping patterns. Concepts of various cropping, and
\nfarming systems. Organic and Precision farming. Package of practices for production of important
\ncereals, pulses, oil seeds, fibres, sugar, commercial and fodder crops.
\nImportant features, and scope of various types of forestry plantations such as social forestry,
\nagro-forestry, and natural forests : Propagation of forest plants. Forest products. Agro-forestry and
\nvalue addition. Conservation of forest flora and fauna.<\/p>\n

1.3.<\/strong> Weeds, their characteristics, dissemination and association with various crops; their
\nmultiplications; cultural, biological, and chemical control of weeds.
\nSoil\u2014physical, chemical and biological properties. Processes and factors of soil formation.
\nSoils of India. Mineral and organic constituents of soils and their role in maintaining soil
\nproductivity. Essential plant nutrients and other beneficial elements in soils and plants. Principles
\nof soil fertility, soil testing and fertiliser recommendations, integrated nutrient management
\nBiofertilizers. Losses of nitrogen in soil, nitrogen-use efficiency in submerged rice soils, nitrogen
\nfixation in soils. Efficient phosphorus and potassium use. Problem soils and their reclamation.
\nSoil factors affecting green house gas emission.
\nSoil conservation, integrated watershed management. Soil erosion and its management. Dry
\nland agriculture and its problems. Technology for stabilising agriculture production in rainfed
\nareas.<\/p>\n

1.4.<\/strong> Water-use efficiency in relation to crop production, criteria for scheduling irrigations, ways
\nand means of reducing run-off losses of irrigation water. Rainwater harvesting. Drip and
\nsprinkler irrigation. Drainage of water-logged soils, quality of irrigation water, effect of industrial
\neffluents on soil and water pollution. Irrigation projects in India.
\nFarm management, scope, importance and characteristics, farm planning. Optimum
\nresource use and budgeting. Economics of different types of farming systems. Marketing
\nmanagement strategies for development, market intelligence. Price fluctuations and their cost;
\nrole of co-operatives in agricultural economy; types and systems of farming and factors affecting
\nthem. Agricultural price policy. Crop Insurance.
\nAgricultural extension, its importance and role, methods of evaluation of extension
\nprogrammes, socio-economic survey and status of big, small and marginal farmers and landless
\nagricultural labourers; Training programmes for extension workers. Role of Krishi Vigyan Kendra\u2019s
\n(KVK) in dissemination of Agricultural technologies. Non-Government Organisation (NGO) and
\nself-help group approach for rural development.<\/p>\n

Paper-II<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

1.1.<\/strong> Cell structure, function and cell cycle. Synthesis, structure and function of genetic material.
\nLaws of heredity. Chromosome structure, chromosomal aberrations, linkage and cross-over, and
\ntheir significance in recombination breeding. Polyploidy, euploids and aneuploids. Mutation\u2014and
\ntheir role in crop improvement. Heritability, sterility and incompatibility, classification and their
\napplication in crop improvement. Cytoplasmic inheritance, sex-linked, sex-influenced and
\nsex-limited characters.<\/p>\n

1.2.<\/strong> History of plant breeding. Modes of reproduction, selfing and crossing techniques. Origin,
\nevolution and domestication of crop plants, center of origin, law of homologous series, crop
\ngenetic resources\u2014conservation and utilization. Application of principles of plant breeding,
\nimprovement of crop plants. Molecular markers and their application in plant improvement.
\nPure-line selection, pedigree, mass and recurrent selections, combining ability, its significance in
\nplant breeding. Heterosis and its exploitation. Somatic hybridization. Breeding for disease and pest
\nresistance. Role of interspecific and intergeneric hybridization. Role of genetic engineering and
\nbiotechnology in crop improvement Genetically modified crop plants.
\nSeed production and processing technologies. Seed certification, Seed testing and storage.
\nDNA finger printing and seed registration. Role of public and private sectors in seed production,
\nand marketing. Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) issues, WTO issues and its impact on Agriculture.
\nPrinciples of Plant Physiology with reference to plant nutrition, absorption, translocation and
\nmetabolism of nutrients. Soil-water-plant relationship.<\/p>\n

1.3.<\/strong> Enzymes and plant pigments; photosynthesis\u2014modern concepts and factors affecting the
\nprocess, aerobic and anaerobic respiration; C3, C4 and CAM mechanisms. Carbohydrate, protein
\nand fat metabolism. Growth and development; photoperiodism and vernalization. Plant growth
\nsubstances and their role in crop production. Physiology of seed development and germination;
\ndormancy. Stress physiology\u2014draught, salt and water stress.
\nMajor fruits, plantation crops, vegetables, spices and flower crops. Package practices of major
\nhorticultural crops. Protected cultivation and high tech horticulture. Post-harvest technology and
\nvalue addition of fruits and vegetables. Landscaping and commercial floriculture. Medicinal and
\naromatic plants. Role of fruits and vegetables in human nutrition.<\/p>\n

1.4.<\/strong> Diagnosis of pests and diseases of field crops, vegetables, orchard and plantation crops and
\ntheir economic importance. Classification of pests and diseases and their management.
\nIntergrated pest and diseases management. Storage pests and their management. Biological
\ncontrol of pests and diseases. Epidemiology and forecasting of major crop pests and diseases.
\nPlant quarantine measures. Pesticides, their formulation and modes of action.
\nFood production and consumption trends in India. Food security and growing
\npopulation\u2014vision 2020. Reasons for grain surplus. National and International food policies. Production, procurement, distribution constraints. Availability of foodgrains, per capita
\nexpenditure on food. Trends in poverty, Public Distribution System and Below Poverty Line
\npopulation, Targeted Public Distribution System (PDS), policy implementation in context to
\nglobalization. Processing constraints. Relation of food production to National Dietary Guidelines
\nand food consumption pattern. Food based dietary approaches to eliminate hunger. Nutrient
\ndeficiency\u2014Micro nutrient deficiency : Protein Energy Malnutrition or Protein Calorie
\nMalnutrition (PEM or PCM), Micro nutrient deficiency and HRD in context of work capacity of
\nwomen and children. Food grain productivity and food security.<\/p>\n

Suggestive books for UPSC Optional Agriculture<\/strong><\/h3>\n