ICAR-JRF SYLLABUS FOR PLANT SCIENCES
SYLLABI FOR ICAR’S ALL INDIA ENTRANCE EXAMINATION FOR ADMISSION TO MASTER DEGREE PROGRAMMES AND ICAR-PG SCHOLORSHIP
SUBJECT-PLANT SCIENCES
SUB SUBJECTS
2.1: Plant Breeding & Genetics,
2.2: Plant Pathology,
2.3: Agricultural Microbiology/Microbiology,
2.4: Seed Science & Technology,
2.5: Plant Genetic Resources
ICAR JRF Plant Science Syllabus is divided into four units:
UNIT-I
Importance of Agriculture in the national economy; basic crop production principles; cultivation of rice, wheat, chickpea, pigeon-pea, sugarcane, groundnut, tomato, potato, and mango. Major soils of India, the role of NPK and their deficiency symptoms.
UNIT-II
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.
UNIT-III
Characteristics of prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms, differences between fungi, bacteria, mycoplasma, and viruses; physical and chemical basis of heredity; chromosome structure; genes/operon concept; protein biosynthesis; transformation, recombination, heterosis; Elements of economic botany; integrated diseases management; sterilization, disinfection, and pasteurization; Koch’s postulates; etiological agents of rusts, smuts, powdery/downy mildew, wilts, yellows, mosaic, necrosis, enations, blights, and witches-broom; pH, buffer, vitamins, the role of plant hormones in seed germination and dormancy; pollination/fertilization in flowering plants; methods of seed testing; breeders, foundation and certified seeds; seed production in self and cross-pollinated crops, nitrate assimilation; biological nitrogen fixation and other uses of microorganisms in agriculture.
UNIT-IV
Food and industry; composting and biogas production. Important rural development programs in India; organizational set up of agricultural research, education, and extension in India.