BSc Agriculture Syllabus 2024: Check Semester Wise Agriculture Syllabus Here

Principles of Agronomy:

1. Definition and scope of Agronomy.
2. Classification of Crops or different basis.
 3. General principles of Crop production: Climate, soil, soil preparation, seed and
sowing, post-sowing-tillage, water management, nutrient management, plant
protection measures, harvesting, threshing and storage.
4. Crop sequences and systems with special emphasis on mixed and inter-cropping.
5. Nutritional management of crops including application of manures, fertilizers and
 bio-fertilizers. 

Practicals:

Study of weather and weather forecasting.
2. Identification of crops, manures and fertilizers.
3. Framing of crop rotations and preparation of cropping schemes for varying agroclimatic conditions.
4. Preparation of seed bed based on important inter-cropping systems.
5. Calculation of fertilizer requirement, fertilizer mixtures and unit values.
6. Methods of fertilizer application.
7. Framing of crop rotations and cropping intensity.
8. Preparation of practical record. 

Fundamentals of Social Science:

1. Soil : Pedological and Edaphological concept and components of soil.
2. Important soil forming minerals and rocks, weathering of rocks and minerals. Soil
forming factors and processes.
3. Development of soil profile.
4. Physical properties of soil and their significance.
5. Chemical properties of soil, cation and anion exchange phenomenon and their
 importance in agriculture.
 6. Soil air : Definition, composition and factors affecting the composition of soil air.
7. Soil water : Retention, potential, soil moisture constant, movement of soil water.
 8. Soil colloids- Nature, structure, properties, types, chemical composition and their
importance.
9. soils reaction - Factors controlling of soil PH and influence of soil reaction on
 availability of nutrients.
 10. soil organic matter – composition and their maintenance in soil, humus formation
and its importance in soil fertility management.
 11. Biofertilizers : Definition, types and their potential, nitrogen fixing bacteria,
 symbiotic and non symbiotic nitrogen fixation, nutrient solublizing bacteria, merits
 of biofertilizers.
 12. Important soil types of India with special reference to the U.P. soil

Practicals:

1. Analytical chemistry: Basic concepts, techniques and calculation.
2. Collection and processing of soil samples for analysis of organic carbon, soil pH and
electrical conductivity
3. Preparation of HCl extract of soil.
4. Determination of Iron oxide sesquioxide, Ca, and P in HCl extract of soil.
5. Estimation of CO3=
 and HCO3
- in irrigation water.
6. Study of soil profile and identification of rocks and minerals. 

Elements of Genetics:

1. Definition, significance and historical development in genetics.
2. Mendel's Law's of heredity .
3. Chromosomal theory of inheritance, meiosis and mitosis.
4. Linkage and crossing over - types, mechanism and significance,
5. Nucleic acid as genetic material - structure, replication, genetic code,and translation.
6. Mutation - spontaneous and induced.
7. Chromosomal changes - molecular, structural and numerical.
8. Multiple factor inheritance and multiple alleles, blood groups in man and body coat
 colour in rabbits.
9. Sex chromosomes and its determination in man and droisophila, sex linked
 characters.
10. Cytoplasmic inheritance - plasma and nuclear, gene interaction. 

Fundamentals of Horticulture:

1. Introductory knowledge of main branches of horticulture and their importance.
2. Botanical classification of fruits.
3. Climatic fruit zones of Uttar Pradesh and fruits grown therein.
4. Establishment of orchards; Selection of site, systems of planting.
5. Orchard soil management.
6. Systems of irrigation.
7. Principles of pruning and systems of training of fruit plants.
8. Unfruitfulness - its causes and measures to overcome it.
9. Fruit drop - its causes and measures to control it.
10. Rejuvenation of orchards.
11. Brief studies of Polyembryony, Parthenocarpy and incompatibility. 

Agricultural Meteorology:

1. Different meteorological variables related to agriculture.
2. Rainfall- Hydrological cycle and it’s components. Types and forms of precipitation.
Storms, occurrence, variation and measurement of rainfall. Rain guage, computation
and analysis of data. Plotting of mass curve and rainfall intensity curve.
3. Run-off - Definition, types, factors affecting, estimation and measurement.
4. Atmosphere - Definition and structure, climate and weather, atmospheric pressure,
factors affecting and measurement.
 5. Elementary idea of insolation, Temperature – kinds, measuring instruments of
temperature and evaporation. Factors affecting and measurement of temperature and
evaporation.
 6. Humidity, definition, kind and importance.
 7. Agro Climatic Zones in India.
 8. Elementry idea of weather forecasting.

Natural Resources and Farm Management:

A. Natural Resource Economics
Definition, subject matter and scope of economics. Micro Economics and Macro Economics within both static and dynamic framework. Definition, subject matter and significance of agricultural economics.
Primitive and scientific Agriculture. Characteristics and Indian agriculture; major problems including causes of low productivity. Economic Development, role of agriculture, Technological change in agriculture
and various inter-relationships. Task of an economic system, role of economic theory in agriculture.
Production: Basic production problems, production function, productivity curves; relationships
thereof, intensity of resource use, law of diminishing returns, output-elasticity, homogeneity in production functions.
Consumption: Theory of demand, demand curves, consumption function, Elasticity, Utility Analysis, Indifference Curve, Consumer's surplus.
B. Natural Resources
General and economic study of land and land use pattern, water and forest.
C. Farm Management Economics
1. Definition and scope of farm economics and management
2. Farm Management and production economics. Agricultural Economics and
industrial Economics - Similarities and differences.
3. Management decisions and cultivators' holdings. Economic Principles their role in farm management. Application of economic Principles/Laws.
4. Law of Diminishing, Returns/Principle of variable Proportions laws of return, scale properties, Law of Equi-marginal Returns, Law of such situation, opportunity cost/opportunity Returns, Law of comparative advantage.
5. Production Function, productivity curves, least cost combination of inputs, Principle of combining Enterprises Determination of Optimum output.
6. Cost concepts and Principles, Cost Relationship and curves.
7. Time Comparison (Compounding and discounting of costs). Allocation of Overhead and command costs.
8. Profit Maximization.
9. Measures of form profit.
10. Farm Records and Accounts.
11. Methods of valuation and depreciation of assets.
12. Types of farming: Diversified, General farm, subsistence or Marginal farming, specialized farms, Mixed farming, Ranching and Dry farming.
13. Systems of farming Cooperative farming, peasant farming, state farming, collective farming, capitalistic farming.
14. Tools of Farm Management: Farm Budgeting (Complete and partial budgeting) and farm planning, Linear Programming (Graphical method).
15. Definition of Institute and University: Types of uncertainty in agriculture (Price uncertainty, yield uncertainty, innovation uncertainty Social and legal frame as a source of uncertainty). Diversification (complementary and supplementary relationships) as a mechanism to minimize uncertainty), crop and cattle insurance, pump set insurance Arguments for and against. 

Elementary Plant Biochemistry

1. Biochemistry- Introduction, scope and importance in agriculture.
2. Carbohydrates - Definition, Classification, Chemistry and Structural formula of the following saccharides:
 i. Glucose, ii. fructose, iii. Galactose
 iv. Mannose v. Sucrose vi. Lactose.
 vii. Maltose viii. Starch ix. Cellulose.
3. Proteins: Definition, Classification, Composition, Properties, Primary and secondary Structure and its important functions.
4. Ammo acids: Definition Classification, important properties and their nutritional significance
5. Lipids: Definition, Classification, important common saturated and unsaturated fatty acids found in fats and oils and structural formula of the following fatty acids:
(I) Saturated fatty acids – Butyric , caproic, palmitic and stearic acid.
(II) Unsaturated fatty acids – oleic, linolenic, erucic acid.
6. Enzyme: Definition , nomenclature and function and factors affecting of enzyme activity.
7. Vitamins: Definition Classification and their sources, biochemical functions and structural formula of vitamin A, D, E, K, Thiamine, Riboflavin and Nicotinic acid.
8. General idea about the nucleic acid.
9. Alkaloids: Definition, classification, general properties and their biological significance, Structural formula of Conine, Nicotine and Piperine. 

Irrigation and Water Management

1. Importance of water in crop production.
2. Soil Moisture constants.
3. Estimation of potential evapo-transpiration and consumptive use
4. Water requirement of crops and factors affecting it.
5. Approaches of irrigation scheduling.
6. Systems and methods of irrigation – drip, sprinkler and mist Irrigation.
7. Quantity and quality of irrigation.
8. Measurement of irrigation water.
9. Elementary idea of drainage on farms. 

Extension Education and Rural Development:

1. Extension Education:
a. Meaning, Definition, Objectives, Principles, Scope, Philosophy and its distinguishing features.
b. Extension Teaching and Learning: Teaching, Teaching Elements, steps in Teaching and Learning, Learning Situation, Basic Principles of Teaching and Learning.
c. Early Extension Efforts in India.
d. Comparative study of Extension Service in India and USA.
2. Community Development:
 a. Meaning, Definition and objectives of community development.
 b. Organizational setup and Activities of Community development at the State, District, Block and Village levels.
 c. Extension and Rural Development Programmes: Including T and V system, National Demonstration, IRDP, Jawahar Rojgar Yozana.
3. Extension Programme Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation:
 a. Meaning, Principles and Procedure of Programme Planning.
 b. Definition, purpose, types, criteria and steps involved in monitoring and evaluation.
 c. Role of extension agent in programme planning 

Elementary Crop Physiology:

1. Role of plant physiology in agriculture.
2. Cell structure and function.
3. Plant tissues.
4. Physio-chemical phenomenon-diffusion, osmosis and imbibition.
5. Essential nutrient elements, their role, deficiency symptoms, mineral salt,
absorption.
6. Photosynthesis - light and dark reactions.
7. Mechanism of respiration, transpiration
8. Ecological adaptation of plants.
9. Plant growth substances, photoperiodism and vernalization. 

Introduction to Entomology

1. Insect Morphology: Body wall-structure, composition and functions; Body divisions – Head (structure and its appendages; structure, functions and modifications of antennae; Mouthparts – Biting and chewing, piercing and sucking, sponging, siphoning, chewing and lapping); Thorax – its structure and
appendages, modifications and functions of legs and wings, wing coupling apparatus and wing venation; Abdomen – its segments and appendages.
2. Anatomy: Digestive, Excretory, Reproductive, Circulatory, Respiratory and Nervous systems of grasshopper.
3. Sense organs: Structure and functions of ocelli, compound eye, tympanum and Johnston’s organ.
4. Post-embryonic development including ecdysis, instars, types of larvae and pupae. Different types of metamorphosis.
5. General introduction to Phylum Arthropoda, its various classes and their distinguishing characters with particular reference to class Insecta.
6. Taxonomy: Insect classification upto the level of families of agricultural importance of following orders:
i) Orthoptera : Acrididae.
ii) Isoptera : Termitidae.
iii) Hemiptera : Coreidae, Pyrrhocoridae, Lophopidae, Aleurodidae, Jassidae, Aphidae, Coccidae, Lacciferidae.
iv) Coleoptera : Dermestidae, Coccinellidae, Bruchidae, Chrysomelidae, Curculionidae, Tenebrionidae, Scarabaeidae.
v) Lepidoptera : Gelechiidae, Pyralidae, Noctuidae, Cymbidae, Papilionidae, Arctiidae and Bombycidae.
vi) Hymenoptera : Tenthredinidae and Apidae.
vii) Diptera : Trypetidae (=Tephritidae), Cecidomyidae and Agromyzidae.

Elementary Microbiology:

1. Definition, scope and importance of microbiology.
2. Characteristics of Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic.
 3. The type and classification of microorganism with particular references to
bacteria, fungi and virus.
4. General structure of bacteria and fungi.
 5. Shape, size, locomotion, reproduction, growth, nutrition and morphology of
bacteria and fungi.
 6. Factors affecting of growth of microorganism.
 7. Koch’s postulates.
 8. Microbiological laboratory techniques – microscopy, sterilization, isolation,
identification and enumeration.
 9. Simple and Gram’s staining techniques of bacteria.
 10. Characteristics of Gram’s positive and negative bacteria.
 11. General structure of bacteriophage and replication. 

Field Crops:

Importance, origin, distribution climate varieties soil practices, manuring and
irrigation, plant protection, harvesting and processing of the following crops, under
different agroclimatic conditions of U.P.
A. Cereal Crops : Paddy, Maize.
B. Millet Crops : Sorghum, Bajra.
C. Oil seed crops : Groundnut, Til, castor.
D. Pulses Crops : Pigeon Pea, Urdbean, Moongbean, Soybean, Cowpea.
E. Fibre Crops : Cotton, Jute, Sunnhemp.
F. Green Manure crops : Sun hemp and Dhaincha.
G. Fodder Crops : Chari, Napier, Sudan grass, Cluster bean, cowpea

Principles of Plant Breeding:

1. Plant Breeding - history, objectives and scope.
2. Mode of reproduction in crop plants in relation to breeding techniques.
3. Plant variation kind and causes.
4. Genetic consequences of self and cross pollinated crops.
5. Plant Introduction and exploration.
6. Breeding self pollinated crops, population’s improvement, Mass selection, recurrent
 selection. Breeding cross pollinated crops mass selection, pedigree, bulk and
 back cross methods.
7. Male sterility and its importance.
8. Breeding of asexually propagated crops, Clonal selection and apomixes.
9. Polyploidy and mutation breeding.

Vegetable Crop Production:

1. Importance and scope of vegetable production.
2. Classification of vegetables.
3. Types of vegetable gardens.
4. Cultivation and seed production of major vegetables like Potato, Brinjal, chillies,
tomato, Cauliflower, Cabbage, knol khol, Onion, gourds, Musk melon,
Watermelon, Okra, Radish, Carrot and Pea. 

Principles and Methods of Soil and Water Conservation:

1. Definition, importance and history of soil conservation in agriculture.
2. Physical properties of soil and their determination.
3. Definition of Soil survey and land use capability classification.
4. Measurement of distance, direction and elevation of survey.
5. Definition, types, mechanism and causes of erosion. Factors affecting
 soil erosion. Agronomical practices for soil and water conservation.
Engineering practices such as bunding, terracing, temporary and permanent
structures for gully control. Grassed waterways, water harvesting, shifting
cultivation.
6. Definition, objectives and uses of Remote Sensing.

Farm Power and Machinery:

1. Farm structures farm site, food grain storage structure, Building materials for
farm house, dairy building and poultry housing.
2. Elementary knowledge about the engineering terminology and calculations on
piston displacement, compression ratio, HP and efficiencies of engines.
Construction and working of four stroke and two stroke cycle I.C. engines,
common engine troubles, causes and their remedies.
3. Classification of tractors, Elementary knowledge about main components of
tractor and their functions such as steering, clutches, transmission gears,
differential and final drive, brakes, belt, pulley PTO, shaft and hydraulic lift.
Methods of starting and stopping of tractors. General care and maintenance.
 4. Study of simple parts, operation and installation of an electric motor (Induction
type only), calculation of HP units consumed. Role of switches, fuses and
starter.
 5. Study of construction, working principles, troubles and adjustments of the
following machines: M.B. Plough, Disc plough, Disc harrow, cultivator,
secondary tillage equipments, seed drill and planter, reaper and mower,
threshers, combine, sprayers and dusters. Calculation of area covered, power
requirement and efficiency of above machines. Calibration of seed drill. 

Practicals:

 1. Preparation of layout for farm houses, dairy barn and poultry housing.
 2. Study of construction of four stroke and two stroke cycle I.C. engines operating and running of diesel engines.
 3. Study of tractor’s transmission systems and tractor driving practice.
 4 Study of M.B. Plough.
 5. Study of Disc Plough.
 6. Study of seed drill and planter and its calibration.
 7. Study of power thresher.
 8. Visit to places of engineering interest.
 9. Identification of different work shop tools, farm machines and engine parts.
 10. Preparation of practical record.

Agricultural Marketing Cooperation:

A. Agricultural Marketing:
Market, Meaning, scope and classification of markets. Definition of agricultural marketing, demand, supply and price. Marketable surplus, marketed surplus. Integrated marketing. General theory of markets and marketing. Demand for agricultural products. Production and market supply. Price Determination and price analysis under different market structures. Marketing Functions and services.
Marketing costs, margins and efficiency. Defects of Present system of marketing of agricultural produce. Steps taken by the Indian Government and possibilities of improvements. Fixation of agricultural Prices.
Marketing Institutions: Regulated and cooperative markets. Market Research.
B. Export.
The concept of export as a district business activity in agricultural sector of the Indian economy, its importance and role in economic development. Policies of export of food grains and agricultural commodities pursued by the Indian Government. Import vs. export value of cereals and other agricultural commodities. Agencies engaged in exporting agricultural goods.
C. Cooperation
Meaning and Concept of Cooperation, principles of Cooperation (Equality, universality, distributive, justice, democracy, unity, honorary services and voluntarism). Place of thrift in cooperation, economic planning and cooperation. History and Progress of cooperative movement in India. Structure and organization of agricultural cooperation in India. National cooperative federations, courses of slow growth of agricultural cooperatives, suggestions for rapid development. National Bank for Agriculture and Rural development (1982). Cooperative farming: Meaning thereof, New classification cooperative farming, cooperative joint farming, cooperative collective farming. Advantages thereof. Reasons for apathy of farmers in adopting cooperative joint farming. 

Introduction to Plant Pathology:

1. Definition and importance of plant pathology.
2. Causes of plant diseases.
3. Classification of plant diseases according to cause and occurrence.
4. Plant Pathogens:
 (a) Fungi
 (i) Economic importance and general characteristics.
 (ii) Morphology of different vegetative structures (thallus, mycelium, haustoria, etc.)
 (iii) Reproduction.
 (iv) Different types of spores.
 (v) Levels of parasitism.
 (vi) Nomenclature.
 (vii) Classification of fungi with special reference to genera listed under following
 item:-
• Life histories of Pythium, Albugo. Erysiphe, Ustilago, Claviceps and Puccinia.
• Diagnositic characters of the following genera: Phytophthora, Peronospora,
 Sclerospora, Ustilago, Sphacelotheca, Tolyposporium,Melampsora,
Alternaria,Cercospora, Fusarium, Helminthosporium,
 Pyricularia, Rhizoctonia and Colletotrichum.
 (b) Bacteria:
 (i) Brief history of bacteria as plant pathogens.
 (ii) Morphology and Cell structure.
 (iii) Vegetative reproduction.
 (iv) Classification of plant pathogenic bacteria.
 (v) A brief account of mycoplasma.
 (c) Viruses
 (i) Brief history.
 (ii) Nature and properties.
 (iii) Transmission of plant virus.
 (d) Phanerogamic parasites: Cuscuta, Loranthus, Orobanche and Striga. 

Introductory Agrometeorology& Climate Change:

Earth atmosphere- its composition, extent and structure; Atmospheric weather variables; Atmospheric
pressure, its variation with height; Wind, types of wind, daily and seasonal variation of wind speed,
cyclone, anticyclone, land breeze and sea breeze; Nature and properties of solar radiation, solar
constant, depletion of solar radiation, short wave, longwave and thermal radiation, net radiation,
albedo; Atmospheric temperature, temperature inversion, lapse rate, daily and seasonal variations of
temperature, vertical profile of temperature, Energy balance of earth; Atmospheric humidity, concept
of saturation, vapor pressure, process of condensation, formation of dew, fog, mist, frost, cloud;
Precipitation, process of precipitation, types of precipitation such as rain, snow, sleet, and hail, cloud
formation and classification; Artificial rainmaking. Monsoon- mechanism and importance in Indian
agriculture, Weather hazards - drought, floods, frost, tropical cyclones and extreme weather
conditions such as heat-wave and cold-wave.Agriculture and weather relations; Modifications of crop
microclimate, climatic normals for crop and livestock production. Weather forecasting- types of
weather forecast and their uses. Climate change, climatic variability, global warming, causes of
climate change and its impact on regional and national Agriculture. 

Practical:

Visit of Agrometeorological Observatory, site selection of observatory, exposure of instruments and
weather data recording. Measurement of total, shortwave and longwave radiation, and its estimation
using Planck’s intensity law.Measurement of albedo and sunshine duration, computation of Radiation
Intensity using BSS.Measurement of maximum and minimum air temperatures, its tabulation, trend
and variation analysis.Measurement of soil temperature and computation of soil heat
flux.Determination of vapor pressure and relative humidity.Determination of dew point
temperature.Measurement of atmospheric pressure and analysis of atmospheric
conditions.Measurement of wind speed and wind direction, preparation of windrose.Measurement,
tabulation and analysis of rain.Measurement of open pan evaporation and
evapotranspiration.Computation of PET and AET.

Farming System and Sustainable Agriculture:

Farming System-scope, importance, and concept, Types and systems of farming system and factors
affecting types of farming, Farming system components and their maintenance, Cropping system and
pattern, multiple cropping system, Efficient cropping system and their evaluation, Allied enterprises
and their importance, Tools for determining production and efficiencies in cropping and farming system; Sustainable agriculture-problems and its impact on agriculture, indicators of sustainability,
adaptation and mitigation, conservation agriculture strategies in agriculture, HEIA, LEIA and LEISA
and its techniques for sustainability, Integrated farming system-historical background, objectives and
characteristics, components of IFS and its advantages, Site specific development of IFS model for
different agro-climatic zones, resource use efficiency and optimization techniques, Resource cycling
and flow of energy in different farming system, farming system and environment, Visit of IFS model
in different agro-climatic zones of nearby states University/ institutes and farmers field. 

Problematic Soils and their Management:

Soil structure and aggregation-factors influencing the structure and aggregation, stability and
degradation of structure and aggregation; restoration and management of soil structure and
aggregation.Water stable aggregates .Evaluation of soil structure. Soil crusting-concept, types and
management of crusting; Soil compaction- concept, factors influencing and management of soil
compaction.Water infiltration in soil- concept, factors and redistribution of water. Soil acidityconcept, types, factors, chemistry, management and reclamation; Acid sulphate soils Saline and sodic
soils- characteristics, factors, chemistry, management and reclamation;Quality of irrigation water;
Flooded and submerged soils- characteristics and its management; Degraded soils and its management
Soil pollution - Cause,effect and mitigation Soil classification-definition, purpose, evolution of soil
genetic system of classification, diagnostic horizons, soil moisture and temperature regime, Soil
taxonomical structures: definition, examples, land capability and classification, land suitability
classification. Soil survey: definition, classification, map unit, map scales etc.Problematic soils under
different Agro-ecosystems. Soil quality and health- concept and evaluation. Remote sensing and GIS
in diagnosis and management of problem soils. 

Practical:

Study of aggregate stability; Soil infiltration study; Determination of lime requirement,
Determination of lime potential, Determination of gypsum requirement,Physical and chemical test for
monitoring soil quality; Preparation of a soil health score card. RS and GIS software in problem
soils.Soil survey in problem soils. 

Pests of Crops and Stored Grains and their Management:

General account on nature and type of damage by different arthropods pests. Scientific name, order,
family, host range, distribution, biology and bionomics, nature of damage, and management of major
pests and scientific name, order, family, host range, distribution, nature of damage and control
practice other important arthropod pests of various field crop, vegetable crop, fruit crop, plantation
crops, ornamental crops, spices and condiments. Factors affecting losses of stored grain and role of
physical, biological, mechanical and chemical factors in deterioration of grain. Insect pests, mites,
rodents, birds and microorganisms associated with stored grain and their management. Storage
structure and methods of grain storage and fundamental principles of grain store management. 

Practical:

Identification of different types of damage. Identification and study of life cycle and seasonal history
of various insect pests attacking crops and their produce: (a) Field Crops; (b) Vegetable Crops; (c)
Fruit Crops; (d) Plantation, gardens, Narcotics, spices & condiments. Identification of insect pests and
Mites associated with stored grain. Determination of insect infestation by different
methods.Assessment of losses due to insects.Calculations on the doses of insecticides application
technique.Fumigation of grain store / godown.Identification of rodents and rodent control operations
in godowns.Identification of birds and bird control operations in godowns.Determination of moisture content of grain.Methods of grain sampling under storage condition. Visit to Indian Storage
Management and Research Institute, Hapur and Quality Laboratory, Department of Food., Delhi. Visit
to nearest FCI godowns. 

Insect Pests of Fruit, Plantation, Medicinal and Aromatic Crops (Horticulture):

General – economic classification of insects; Bio-ecology and insect-pest management with reference
to fruit, plantation, medicinal and aromatic crops; pest surveillance. Distribution, host range, bioecology, injury, integrated management of important insect pests affecting tropical, sub-tropical and
temperate fruits, plantation, medicinal and aromatic crops like coconut, areca nut, oil palm, cashew,
cacao, tea, coffee, cinchona, rubber, betel vine senna, neem, belladonna, pyrethrum, costus,
crotalaria, datura, dioscorea, mint, opium, Solanumkhasianum and. Storage insects – distribution,
host range, bio-ecology, injury, integrated management of important insect pests attacking stored
fruits, plantation, medicinal and aromatic crops and their processed products. Insecticide residue
problems in fruit, plantation, medicinal and aromatic crops and their maximum residue limits
(MRLs). 

Agricultural Marketing, Trade and Prices:

Agricultural Marketing: Concepts and definitions of market, marketing, agricultural marketing, market structure, marketing mix and market segmentation, classification and characteristics of agricultural markets; demand, supply and producer’s surplus of agri-commodities: nature and determinants of demand and supply of farm products, producer’s surplus – meaning and its types, marketable and marketed surplus, factors affecting marketable surplus of agri-commodities; product life cycle (PLC) and competitive strategies: Meaning and stages in PLC; characteristics of PLC; strategies in different stages of PLC; pricing and promotion strategies: pricing considerations and approaches – cost based and competition based pricing; market promotion – advertising, personal selling, sales promotion and publicity – their meaning and merits & demerits; marketing process and functions: Marketing process-concentration, dispersion and equalization; exchange functions – buying and selling; physical functions – storage, transport and processing; facilitating functions – packaging, branding, grading, quality control and labeling (Agmark);Market functionaries and marketing channels: Types and importance of agencies involved in agricultural marketing; meaning and definition of marketing channel; number of channel levels; marketing channels for different farm products; Integration, efficiency, costs and price spread: Meaning, definition and types of market integration; marketing efficiency; marketing costs, margins and price spread; factors affecting cost of marketing; reasons for higher marketing costs of farm commodities; ways of reducing marketing costs; Role of Govt. in agricultural marketing: Public sector institutions- CWC, SWC, FCI, CACP & DMI – their objectives and functions; cooperative marketing in India; Risk in marketing: Types of risk in marketing; speculation & hedging; an overview of futures trading; Agricultural prices and policy: Meaning and functions of price; administered prices; need for agricultural price policy; Trade: Concept of International Trade and its need, theories of absolute and comparative advantage. Present status and prospects of international trade in agri-commodities; GATT and WTO; Agreement on Agriculture (AoA) and its implications on Indian agriculture; IPR. 

Practical: 

Plotting and study of demand and supply curves and calculation of elasticities; Study of relationship
between market arrivals and prices of some selected commodities; Computation of marketable and
marketed surplus of important commodities; Study of price behaviour over time for some selected
commodities; Construction of index numbers; Visit to a local market to study various marketing
functions performed by different agencies, identification of marketing channels for selected
commodity, collection of data regarding marketing costs, margins and price spread and presentation
of report in the class; Visit to market institutions – NAFED, SWC, CWC, cooperative marketing
society, etc. to study their organization and functioning; Application of principles of comparative
advantage of international trade

Principles of Organic Farming:

Organic farming, principles and its scope in India; Initiatives taken by Government (central/state),
NGOs and other organizations for promotion of organic agriculture; Organic ecosystem and their
concepts; Organic nutrient resources and its fortification; Restrictions to nutrient use in organic
farming; Choice of crops and varieties in organic farming; Fundamentals of insect, pest, disease and
weed management under organic mode of production; Operational structure of NPOP; Certification
process and standards of organic farming; Processing, leveling, economic considerations and viability,
marketing and export potential of organic products.

Geoinformatics and Nano-technology for Precision Farming:

Precision agriculture: concepts and techniques; their issues and concerns for Indian agriculture; Geoinformatics- definition, concepts, tool and techniques; their use in Precision Agriculture. Crop discrimination and Yield monitoring, soil mapping; fertilizer recommendation using geospatial technologies; Spatial data and their management in GIS; Geodesy and its basic principles; Remote sensing concepts and application in agriculture; Image processing and interpretation; Global positioning system (GPS), components and its functions; System Simulation- Concepts and principles, Introduction to crop Simulation Models and their uses for optimization of Agricultural Inputs; STCR approach for precision agriculture; Nanotechnology, definition, concepts and techniques, brief introduction about nanoscale effects, nano-particles, nano-pesticides, nano-fertilizers, nano-sensors, Use of nanotechnology in tillage, seed, water, fertilizer, plant protection for scaling-up farm productivity.

Livestock and Poultry Management II:

Digestion in livestock and poultry.Classification of feedstuffs.Proximate principles of feed.Nutrients
and their functions. Feed ingredients for ration for livestock and poultry. Feed supplements and feed
additives. Feeding of livestock and poultry.
Introduction of livestock and poultry diseases.Prevention (including vaccination schedule) and
control of important diseases of livestock and poultry. 

Soil Fertility and Nutrient management:

Introduction and importance of organic manures, properties and methods of preparation of bulky and
concentrated manures.Green/leaf manuring. Fertilizer recommendation approaches. Integrated nutrient management.
Chemical fertilizers: classification, composition and properties of major nitrogenous, phosphatic,potassic fertilizers, secondary & micronutrient fertilizers, Complex fertilizers, nano fertilizers, customized fertilizers, nutrient based subsidy (NBS).Soil amendments, Fertilizer Storage, Fertilizer Control Order. History of soil fertility and plant nutrition.criteria of essentiality. role, deficiency and toxicity symptoms of essential plant nutrients, Mechanisms of nutrient transport to plants, factors affecting nutrient availability to plants. Chemistry of soil nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, sulphur and micronutrients. Soil organic matter: composition, properties and its influence on soil properties; humic substances - nature and properties; Soil fertility evaluation, Soil testing. Critical levels of different nutrients in soil. Forms of nutrients in soil, plant analysis, rapid plant tissue tests. Indicator plants.Methods of fertilizer recommendations to crops.Use efficiency of nutrients.Factor influencing nutrient use efficiency (NUE), methods of application of fertilizers under rainfed and irrigated conditions.

Diseases of Field & Horticultural Crops & their Management:

Symptoms, etiology, disease cycle, epidemiology and management of major diseases of following
crops:
Field Crops:
Rice: blast, brown spot, bacterial blight, sheath blight, false smut, khaira and tungro; Maize: stalk rots, downy mildew, leaf spots, blights; Sorghum: smuts, grain mold, Bajra :downy mildew and ergot; Mustard: club root, white rust, Alternaria leaf spot, Sclerotinia stem rot; Groundnut: early and late leaf spots,rust; Soybean: bacterial spot, seed and seedling rot and mosaic; Pigeonpea: wilt and sterility mosaic; Black & green gram: Cercospora leaf spot and anthracnose, web blight and yellow mosaic;Tobacco: black shank, black root rot and mosaic.
Horticultural Crops:
Guava: wilt and anthracnose; Banana: Panama wilt, bacterial wilt, Sigatoka and bunchy top; Papaya: foot rot, leaf curl and mosaic; Cruciferous vegetables: Damping off, Club root, Alternaria leaf spot and black rot; downy mildew, powdery mildew Potato: early and late blight, bacterial wilt, black scurf, scab, mosaic, leaf roll; Brinjal: Damping off, bacterial wilt, Phomopsis blight and fruit rot and Sclerotinia blight, little leaf; Tomato: damping off, bacterial wilt, early and late blight, buck eye rot and leaf curl; Okra: Yellow Vein Mosaic; Cercospora leaf spot; Beans: anthracnose and bacterial blight; Ginger: soft rot; Colocasia: Phytophthora blight; Coconut: wilt and bud rot; Tea: blister blight; Coffee: rust.

Diseases of Field & Horticultural Crops & their Management-II:

Symptoms, etiology, disease cycle and management of following diseases:
Field Crops:
Wheat: rusts, loose smut, karnal bunt, alternaria blight, spot blotch, blast and ear cockle; Sugarcane: red rot, smut, wilt, grassy shoot, ratoon stunting and PokkahBoeng; Sunflower: Sclerotinia stem rot and Alternaria blight; Gram: wilt, grey mould and Ascochyta blight; Lentil: rust and wilt; Jute: Macrophomina disease complex, Cotton: anthracnose, vascular wilt, and black arm; Pea: downy mildew, powdery mildew and rust.
Horticultural Crops:
Mango: anthracnose, malformation, bacterial blight and powdery mildew; Citrus: canker and gummosis, tristeza, citrus decline; Grape vine: downy mildew, Powdery mildew and anthracnose; Apple: scab, powdery mildew, fire blight and crown gall;,Jackfruit: Rhizopus rot; Pineapple: Head rot, Betel vine: leaf spots, foot rot; Cucurbits: damping off, downy mildew, powdery mildew, wilt,; Onion and garlic: purple blotch, and Stemphylium blight; Chilli: anthracnose and fruit rot,leaf spot, 

Principles of Integrated Pest and Disease Management:

Categories of insect pests and diseases, IPM: Introduction, history, importance, concepts, principles and tools of IPM. Economic importance of insect pests, diseases and pest risk analysis.Methods of detection and diagnosis of insect pest and diseases.Calculation and dynamics of economic injury level and importance of Economic threshold level.Ecological management of crop environment.Introduction to conventional pesticides for the insect pests and disease management.Survey surveillance and forecasting of Insect pest and diseases.Development and validation of IPM module.Implementation and impact of IPM (IPM module for Insect pest and disease. Safety issues in pesticide uses. Political, social and legal implication of IPM.Case histories of important IPM programmes.Case histories of important IPM programmes.

Crop Improvement – II (Rabi):

Centers of origin, distribution of species, wild relatives in different cereals; pulses; oilseeds; fodder crops and cash crops; vegetable and horticultural crops - Wheat, Oat, Barley, Chickpea, Lentil, Field pea, Lathyrus, Rapeseed, Mustard, Sunflower, Potato, Cowpea, Brinjal and Tomato; study of genetics of qualitative and quantitative characters. Important concepts of breeding self pollinated, cross pollinated and vegetatively propagated crops (rabi). Major breeding objectives and procedures including conventional and modern innovative approaches for development of hybrids and varieties for yield, adaptability, stability, abiotic and biotic stress tolerance and quality (physical, chemical, nutritional) in rabi crops.Ideotype concept and climate resilient crop varieties for future. 

Management of Beneficial Insects:

Importance of beneficial Insects, Beekeeping and pollinators, bee biology, commercial methods of
rearing, equipment used, seasonal management, bee enemies and disease. Bee pasturage, bee foraging
and communication.Insect pests and diseases of honey bee. Role of pollinators in cross pollinated plants.
Types of silkworm, voltinism and biology of silkworm.Mulberry cultivation, mulberry varieties and methods of harvesting and preservation of leaves. Rearing, mounting and harvesting of cocoons. Pest and diseases of silkworm, management, rearing appliances of mulberry silkworm and methods of disinfection.
Species of lac insect, morphology, biology, host plant, lac production – seed lac, button lac, shellac, lac- products. Identification of major parasitoids and predators commonly being used in biological control.
Insect orders bearing predators and parasitoids used in pest control and their mass multiplication techniques. Important species of pollinator, weed killers and scavengers with their importance.

Apiculture, Sericulture and Lac culture:

Introduction to beneficial insects.Importance and History of apiculture.Species of honey bees, Rock bee, Littlebee, Indian bee, European bee, Italian bee and Dammar bee, lifecycle and caste determination. Bee colony maintenance, bee colony activities, starting of new colony, location site, transferring colony, replacement of queen, combiningcolonies, swarm prevention, colony management in different seasons, Equipment for apiary, types of bee hives and their description. Bee pasturage.Honey extraction, honey composition and value, bee wax and tissues.. Importance, History and development in India, silkworms kinds and their hosts, systematic position, distribution, lifecycles in brief, Silk glands. Mulberry silkworm-morphological features, races, rearing house and equipment, disinfection and hygiene.Grainage acid treatment, packing and transportation of eggs, Incubation, black boxing, hatching of eggs.Silkworm rearing young age /chawkirearing and old age rearing of silkworms.Feeding, spacing, environmental conditions and sanitation.Cocoon characters colour, shape, hardiness and shell ratio. Defective cocoons and stifling of cocoons.Uses of silk and byproducts.Economics of silk production.Moriculture-Mulberry varieties, package of practices, Pests and diseases and their management. Lac growing areas in India, Lac insects, biology, behaviour, lac cultivation, food plants, pruning, inoculation, cropping, kinds of lac. Enemies of lac-insects. 

Insect Pests of Vegetable, Ornamental and Spice Crop:

Economic importance of insects in vegetable, ornamental and spice crops -ecology and pest
management with reference to these crops. Pest surveillance in important vegetable, ornamental and
spice crops. Distribution, host range, bio-ecology, injury, integrated management of important insectpests affecting vegetable, ornamental and spice crops. Important storage insect-pests of vegetable,
ornamental and spice crops, their host range, bio-ecology, injury and integrated management. Insectpests of processed vegetables and ornamental crops, their host range, bio-ecology, injury and
integrated management. Insecticidal residue problems in vegetables and ornamental crops, tolerance
limits etc.

Practical:

Study of symptoms, damage, collection, identification, preservation, assessment of
damage/population of important insect-pests affecting vegetable, ornamental and spice crops in field
and during storage.

Farm Management, Production and Resource Economics:

Meaning and concept of farm management, objectives and relationship with other sciences. Meaning
and definition of farms, its types and characteristics, factor determining types and size of farms. Principles of farm management: concept of production function and its type, use of production function in decision-making on a farm, laws of return, factor-product, factor-factor and productproduct relationship, law of equi-marginal/or principles of opportunity cost and law of comparative advantage. Meaning and concept of cost, types of costs and their interrelationship, importance of cost in managing farm business and estimation of gross farm income, net farm income, family labor income and farm business income. Farm business analysis: meaning and concept of farm income and profitability, technical and economic efficiency measures in crop and livestock enterprises.
Importance of farm records and accounts in managing a farm, various types of farm records needed to
maintain on farm, farm inventory, balance sheet, profit and loss accounts. Meaning and importance of
farm planning and budgeting, partial and complete budgeting, steps in farm planning and budgetinglinear programming, appraisal of farm resources, selection of crops and livestock’s enterprises. Concept of risk and uncertainty occurs in agriculture production, nature and sources of risks and its management strategies, Crop/livestock/machinery insurance – weather based crop insurance, features, determinants of compensation. Concepts of resource economics, differences between NRE and agricultural economics, unique properties of natural resources. Positive and negative externalities in agriculture, Important issues in economics and management of common property resources of land, water, pasture and forest resources etc. 

Practical:

Preparation of farm layout.Determination of cost of fencing of a farm. Computation of depreciation
cost of farm assets. Application of equi-marginal returns/opportunity cost principle in allocation of
farm resources. Determination of most profitable level of inputs use in a farm production process.
Determination of least cost combination of inputs. Selection of most profitable enterprise
combination.Application of cost principles including CACP concepts in the estimation of cost of crop and livestock enterprises. Preparation of farm plan and budget, farm records and accounts and profit
& loss accounts. Collection and analysis of data on various resources in India. 

Horti-Business Management (Horticulture):

Farm management - definition, nature, characteristics and scope. Farm management principles and
decision making, production function, technical relationships, factors, product, relationship – factors relationship, product relationship, optimum conditions, principles of opportunity cost-equi-marginal returns and comparative advantages, time value of money, economic of scale, returns to scale, cost of cultivation and production, break even analysis, decision making under risk and uncertainty. Farming systems and types. Management Planning – meaning, steps and methods of planning, types of plan, characteristics of effective plans. Organizations – forms of business organizations, organizational principles, division of labour. Unity of command, scalar pattern, job design, span of control responsibility, power authority and accountability. Direction – guiding, leading, motivating, supervising, coordination – meaning, types and methods of controlling – evaluation, control systems and devices. Budgeting as a tool for planning and control.Record keeping as a tool of control.Functional areas of management – operations management – physical facilities, implementing the plan, scheduling the work, controlling production in terms of quantity and quality.Materials management – types of inventories, inventory costs, managing the inventories, economic order quantity (EOQ).Personnel management – recruitment, selection and training, job specialization. Marketing management – definitions, planning the marketing programmes, marketing mix and four P’s. Financial management – financial statements and rations, capital budgeting. Project management – project preparation evaluation measures.