Agriculture Optional Syllabus
Paper I: PAPER—I
1. Ecology and its relevance to man
- Natural resources, their sustainable management and conservation
- Physical and social environment as factors of crop distribution and production
- Climatic elements as factors of crop growth
- Impact of changing environment on cropping pattern
- Environmental pollution and associated hazards to crops, animals, and humans
- Climate change—International conventions and global initiatives
- Greenhouse effect and global warming
- Advance tools for ecosystem analysis—Remote Sensing (RS) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
2. Cropping patterns in different agro-climatic zones of the country
- Impact of high-yielding and short-duration varieties on shifts in cropping pattern
- Technology associated with high-yielding varieties
- Constraints in production of pulses, oilseeds, fibres, and forage crops
Paper II: PAPER—II
1. Cell structure, function and cell cycle
- Cell theory and cell as the basic unit of life
- Structure and function of cell organelles
- Cell division—mitosis and meiosis
- Chromosomes structure and function
Study Resources
Essential Books
- Agriculture at a Glance by R.K. Sharma
- ICAR Agriculture Science Book
- Indian Agriculture by S.S. Johl
Online Resources
- UPSC Official Website
- Agriculture Today Magazine
- Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) Portal