SYLLABI FOR ICAR’S ALL INDIA ENTRANCE EXAMINATION FOR ADMISSION TO MASTER DEGREE PROGRAMMES AND ICAR-PG SCHOLARSHIP/NTS (PGS)

Code 08: MAJOR SUBJECT GROUP - HORTICULTURE

• Sub-Subjects:

• 8.1: Horticulture
• 8.2: Vegetable Crops or Sci. / Olericulture
• 8.3: Pomology/ Fruit Sci., Fruit Sci. and Horticulture Technology
• 8.4: Post-Harvest Technology of Horticultural Crops
• 8.5: Floriculture & Landscaping Architecture
• 8.6: Plantation, Spices, Medicinal and Aromatic Crops

UNIT-I: Importance of Agriculture in the National Economy and Basic Principles of Crop Production

• Cultivation of various crops including rice, wheat, chickpea, pigeon-pea, sugarcane, groundnut, tomato, and mango.
• Major soils of India and the role of NPK (Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium) and deficiency symptoms.
• Structure and function of cell organelles.
• Mitosis and meiosis.
• Mendelian genetics.
• Elementary knowledge of photosynthesis, respiration, and transpiration.
• Structure and functions of carbohydrates, proteins, nucleic acids, enzymes, and vitamins.
• Major pests and diseases of rice, wheat, cotton, chickpea, sugarcane, and their management.
• Important rural development programs in India.
• Organizational setup of agricultural research, education, and extension in India.
• Elements of statistics.

UNIT-II: Horticultural Practices and Crop Cultivation

• Layout and establishment of orchards.
• Pruning and training of fruit trees.
• Propagation and climatic requirements for fruits like mango, banana, citrus, guava, grape, pineapple, papaya, apple, pear, peach, and plum.
• Cultivation of plantation crops like coconut and cashew nut.
• Cultivation of spices like black pepper, coriander, and turmeric.
• Physiological disorders in horticultural crops.
• Major vegetable crops of tropical, subtropical, and temperate regions.
• Techniques for raising nursery plants.
• Nutritive value of fruits and vegetables and their role in human nutrition.
• Basic physiology of ripening in fruits and vegetables.
• Types of fruits and vegetable products and control of fungal and bacterial diseases.
• Major floricultural crops grown in India for commercial purposes such as rose, carnation, chrysanthemum, marigold, tuberose, gladiolus, and orchids.
• Establishment and maintenance of lawns, trees, shrubs, creepers, hedges, and annuals.
• Types of gardens and methods of crop improvement.
• Concepts of male sterility and incompatibility.
• Plant breeding methods including pure line and pedigree selection, backcross, and mass selection.
• Heterosis (hybrid vigor).
• Plant nutrients, deficiency symptoms, manures, and fertilizers.
• Systems of irrigation.
• Management of important pests and diseases of fruits and vegetables.