IFS Exam 2012-Syllabus-Agriculture Paper 2

AGRICULTURE

PAPER-II

Cell Theory, cell structure, cell organelles and their function, cell division, nucleic acids-structure and function, gene structure and function. Laws of heredity, their significance in plant breeding. Chromosome structure, chromosomal aberrations, linkage and cross-over and their significance in recombination breeding. Polyploidy, euploids and an euploids. Mutation- micro and macro-and their role in crop improvement. Variation, components of variation. Heritability, sterility and incompatibility, classification and their application in crop improvement. Cytoplasm inheritance, sex-linked, sex influenced and sex-limited characters.

History of plant breeding. Modes of reproduction, selfing and crossing techniques. Origin and evolution of crop plants, centre of origin, law of homologous series, crop genetic resources conservation and utilization.  Application of  principles of plant breeding to the improvement of major field crops. Pure line selection, pedigree, mass and recurrent selections, combining ability, its significance in plant breeding. Hybrid vigor and its exploitation, backcross method of breeding, breeding for disease and pest resistance, role of interspecific and intergeneric hybridization. Role of biotechnology in plant breeding. Improved varieties, hybrids, composites of various crop plants.

Seed technology, its importance. Different kinds of seeds and their seed production and processing techniques. Role of public and private sectors in seed production, processing and marketing in India.

Physiology and its significance in agriculture, Imbibitions, surface tension, diffusion and osmosis. Absorption and translocation of water, transpiration and water economy. Enzymes and plant pigments; photosynthesis-modern concepts and factors affecting the process, aerobic and non aerobic respiration; c, c and CAM mechanisms. Carbohydrate, protein and fat metabolism.

Growth and development; photoperiodism and vernalization. Auxins, hormones and other plant regulators and their mechanism of action and importance in agriculture. Physiology of seed development and germination; dormancy. Climatic requirements and cultivation of major fruits, plants, vegetable crops and flower plants; the package of practices and their scientific basis. Handling and marketing problems of fruit and vegetables. Principal methods of preservation of important fruits and vegetable products, processing techniques and equipment. Role of fruits and vegetables in human nutrition. Raising of ornamental plants and design and layout of lawns and gardens.

Diseases and pests of field vegetables, orchard and plantation crops of India. Causes and classification of plant pests and diseases. Principles of control of plant pests and diseases. Biological control of pests and diseases. Integrated pest and disease management. Epidemiology and forecasting. Pesticides, their formulations and modes of action. Compatibility with rhizobial inoculants. Microbial Toxins. Storage pests and diseases of cereals and pulses and their control. 

Food production and consumption trends in India. National and International food policies. Production, procurement, distribution and processing constraints. Relation of food production to national  dietary pattern, major deficiencies of calorie and protein.