UPSC Agriculture Syllabus for IAS Mains 2024: Download PDF Here

UPSC Agriculture Syllabus 2024: Agriculture is considered as one of the safest and scoring optional subjects in the UPSC Mains exam. Moreover, candidates need to have previous knowledge of the subject or have any background in this technical subject to score well in this section. Going by the previous 5 years’ statistics, approximately 100-200 candidates pick Agriculture as their optional subject for IAS Mains, and the success rate ranges between 12-18%. 

Many candidates choose UPSC Agriculture optional subject for IAS Mains as there are a plethora of books and resources available for adequate preparation. Hence, it is crucial to adhere to the Agriculture Syllabus for UPSC Mains as their optional paper to study only exam-relevant topics. As per the past yea’s UPSC exam analysis, it is observed that the questions asked in UPSC agriculture subject is of moderate level.

In this article, we have shared detailed insights into the UPSC Agriculture Syllabus PDF for Mains , along with question weightage, preparation tips, and best books.

UPSC Agriculture Syllabus 2024 PDF

The UPSC Agriculture optional syllabus is divided into two papers, i.e., Paper I and Paper II. The overall mark in this optional paper is 500 marks. Candidates should download the UPSC Agriculture Syllabus PDF for Paper 1 and 2 to know the types of topics generally asked in the exam. Download the topic-wise UPSC Agriculture Syllabus PDF for papers 1 and 2 shared below.

UPSC Agriculture Optional Syllabus For IAS Mains 2024

Below we have mentioned the detailed syllabus for UPSC Agriculture

UPSC Agriculture Syllabus for Paper I

The UPSC Agriculture Paper I syllabus covers topics like Ecology, Cropping patterns in different agro-climatic zones, the scope of various types of forestry plantations, Weeds, Soil, Soil conservation, Water-use efficiency in relation to crop production, Farm Management, Agricultural extension, etc. Check the topic-wise UPSC Agriculture Optional Syllabus for Paper I below.

Ecology and its relevance to man, natural resources, their sustainable management and conservation. Physical and social environment as factors of crop distribution and production. Agro ecology; cropping pattern as indicators of environments. 

Environmental pollution and associated hazards to crops, animals and humans. Climate change—International conventions and global initiatives. Greenhouse effect and global warming. Advanced tools for ecosystem analysis—Remote Sensing (RS) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS).

Cropping patterns in different agro-climatic zones of the country. Impact of high-yielding and short duration varieties on shifts in cropping patterns. Concepts of various cropping, and farming systems. Organic and Precision farming. Package of practices for production of important cereals, pulses, oil seeds, fibres, sugar, commercial and fodder crops.

Important features, and scope of various types of forestry plantations such as social forestry, agroforestry, and natural forests: Propagation of forest plants. Forest products. Agro-forestry and value addition. Conservation of forest flora and fauna.

Weeds, their characteristics, dissemination and association with various crops; their multiplications; cultural, biological, and chemical control of weeds.

Soil—physical, chemical and biological properties. Processes and factors of soil formation. soils of India. Mineral and organic constituents of soils and their role in maintaining soil productivity. Essential plant nutrients and other beneficial elements in soils and plants. Principles of soil fertility, soil testing and fertiliser recommendations, integrated nutrient management Biofertilizers. Losses of nitrogen in soil, nitrogen-use efficiency in submerged rice soils, and nitrogen fixation in soils. Efficient phosphorous and potassium use. Problem soils and their reclamation. Soil factors affecting greenhouse gas emission.

Soil conservation, integrated watershed management. Soil erosion and its management. Dry land agriculture and its problems. Technology for stabilising agriculture production in rainfed areas.

Water-use efficiency in relation to crop production, criteria for scheduling irrigations, ways and means of reducing run-off losses of irrigation water. Rainwater harvesting. Drip and sprinkler irrigation. Drainage of water-logged soils, quality of irrigation water, effect of industrial effluents on soil and water pollution. Irrigation projects in India.

Farm management, scope, importance and characteristics, farm planning. Optimum resource use and budgeting. Economics of different types of farming systems. Marketing management strategies for development, and market intelligence. price fluctuations and their cost; the role of co-operatives in agricultural economy; types and systems of farming and factors affecting them. Agricultural price policy. Crop Insurance.

Agricultural extension, its importance and role, methods of evaluation of extension programmes, socio-economic survey and status of big, small and marginal farmers and landless agricultural labourers; Training programmes for extension workers. Role of Krishi Vigyan Kendra’s (KVK) in the dissemination of Agricultural technologies. Non-Government Organisation (NGO) and self-help group approach for rural development.

UPSC Agriculture Syllabus for Paper II

The UPSC Agriculture Paper II Syllabus focuses on topics like Cell structure, History of plant breeding, Seed production and processing technologies, Principles of Plant Physiology, Enzymes and plant pigments, Diagnosis of pests and diseases of field crops, Food production and consumption trends in India. Check the topic-wise UPSC Agriculture Optional  Syllabus PDF for Paper II below.

Cell structure, function and cell cycle. Synthesis, structure and function of genetic material. Laws of heredity. Chromosome structure, chromosomal aberrations, linkage and cross-over, and their significance in recombination breeding. Polyploidy, euploids and aneuploids. Mutation—and their role in crop improvement. Heritability, sterility and incompatibility, classification and their application in crop improvement. Cytoplasmic inheritance, sex-linked, sex-influenced and sex-limited characters.  

History of plant breeding. Modes of reproduction, selfing and crossing techniques. Origin, evolution and domestication of crop plants, centre of origin, law of homologous series, crop genetic resources— conservation and utilization. Application of principles of plant breeding, improvement of crop plants. Molecular markers and their application in plant improvement. Pure-line selection, pedigree, mass and recurrent selections, combining ability, and its significance in plant breeding. Heterosis and its exploitation. Somatic hybridization. Breeding for disease and pest resistance. Role of interspecific and intergeneric hybridization. Role of genetic engineering and biotechnology in crop improvement Genetically modified crop plants.

Seed production and processing technologies. Seed certification, Seed testing and storage. DNA finger printing and seed registration. Role of public and private sectors in seed production, and marketing. Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) issues, WTO issues and its impact on Agriculture.

Principles of Plant Physiology with reference to plant nutrition, absorption, translocation and metabolism of nutrients. Soil-water-plant relationship.

Enzymes and plant pigments; photosynthesis—modern concepts and factors affecting the process, aerobic and anaerobic respiration; C3, C4 and CAM mechanisms. Carbohydrate, protein and fat metabolism. Growth and development; photoperiodism and vernalization. Plant growth substances and their role in crop production. Physiology of seed development and germination; dormancy. Stress physiology—draught, salt and water stress.

Major fruits, plantation crops, vegetables, spices and flower crops. package practices of major horticultural crops. Protected cultivation and high-tech horticulture. Post-harvest technology and value addition of fruits and vegetables. Landscaping and commercial floriculture. Medicinal and aromatic plants. Role of fruits and vegetables in human nutrition. 

Diagnosis of pests and diseases of field crops, vegetables, orchard and plantation crops and their economic importance. Classification of pests and diseases and their management. Integrated pest and disease management. Storage pests and their management. Biological control of pests and diseases. Epidemiology and forecasting of major crop pests and diseases. Plant quarantine measures. Pesticides, their formulation and modes of action. 

Food production and consumption trends in India. Food security and growing population—vision 2020. Reasons for grain surplus. National and International food policies. Production, procurement, and distribution constraints. Availability of foodgrains, per capita expenditure on food. Trends in poverty, Public Distribution System and Below Poverty Line population, Targeted Public Distribution System (PDS), policy implementation in context to globalization. Processing constraints. Relation of food production to National Dietary Guidelines and food consumption pattern. Food-based dietary approaches to eliminate hunger. Nutrient deficiency—Micro nutrient deficiency: Protein Energy Malnutrition or Protein Calorie Malnutrition (PEM or PCM), Micro nutrient deficiency and HRD in the context of the work capacity of women and children. Food grain productivity and food security.

How to Prepare the UPSC Agriculture Syllabus 2024?

Agriculture is one of the prevalent and safe optional subjects in the UPSC mains exam who have previous knowledge of this subject. Aspirants should download the UPSC Agriculture syllabus to understand the exam requirements. Here are the quick tips and tricks to excel in the UPSC Agriculture subject with flying colors.

• Analyze the UPSC Agriculture optional subject carefully before starting the preparation so that they know the topics and sub-topics that are important for the exam.
• Learn the basic fundamentals from reliable books and resources in order to understand the core and advanced topics easily.
• They should rely on the mock tests based on the latest pattern and format. This will help them to revise all the topics covered so far and improve their overall preparation level.
• Download the UPSC Agriculture previous year’s question paper from the official website and solve it regularly to get an idea of the topics asked previously in the exam.
• Create short notes of all the important UPSC Agriculture topics in a separate notebook, as it would be helpful in last-minute revision.

Booklist for UPSC Agriculture Optional Syllabus

There are a plethora of UPSC Agriculture books and resources available in local stores and online platforms. However, candidates must pick the right resources to cover all the aspects of the UPSC Agriculture Optional Syllabus. Some of the important books for the UPSC Agriculture Optional subject are as follows.

• Fundamentals Of Agricultural Extension Education by U Barman
• Introduction To Horticulture by Kumar
• Physiology by Pandey & Singha
• Entomology by Vasantha Raj & David
• Genetics by B.D.Singh
• A Text Book of Agricultural Statistics by R. Rangaswamy
• Agronomy by Yellamanda Reddy
• Handbook Of Agriculture by ICAR
• Soil Science by D.K Das Or Brady
• Special Issue of Agriculture by The Hindu
• Plant Breeding by B.D. Singh
• The Hindu by Survey Of Indian Agriculture

Also Read Related Articles,