Organisation : Meghalaya Public Service Commission
Announcement : Syllabus
Name Of the Exam: Grade III Agricultural Service

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Home Page : http://www.mpsc.nic.in/mpsc/index.jsp

Agricultural Service Exam Syllabus :
Paper – I : ( 100 marks )
1. Agronomy : (Descriptive - 80 marks)
Green Revolution; Major Farming Systems; Farming Systems approach - value addition - requirements in new technology; Seed – definition - characteristics of good quality seed - vegetative propagation in field crops; Integrated Nutrient Management; Role of water in soil and plants; Irrigated agriculture vs. Rain fed agriculture, dry farming and dry land farming;

Water management of different crops; Weeds – introduction, harmful and beneficial effects, classification, propagation and dissemination; Origin, geographical distribution, economic importance, soil and climatic requirement, varieties, cultural practices, harvest and post harvest handling of two main crops – Rice and Maize;

Rice-crop planning -Nursery raising (land preparation, seed treatment, sowing, water management, nutrient management, and plant protection) – Main field preparation (transplanting, water management, nutrient management and plant protection); Cropping Systems – Rice based cropping system; Crop cafeteria for multiple cropping; Organic farming and food security – Principles of organic farming – tools and practices of organic farming and Current status of organic farming.
‘OR’

Horticulture : (Descriptive - 80 marks)
Fundamentals of Horticulture : Orchard planning, techniques of training and pruning, Plant growth regulators –natural and synthetic regulators – preparation and methods of application, Plant propagation, potting and re-potting objectives and uses, containers and potting media/mixture – kinds, qualities, pre-planting treatments;

Principles of landscaping – designing and preparation of landscape and garden plans – application of the outdoor room concept; Specialized gardening techniques – rock gardening – water gardening – bonsai – roof gardens – terrace gardens, Indoor gardening; Introduction to Commercial horticulture – problems and prospects of commercial horticulture in India;

Principles of flower arrangement – styles and designs – tools, containers and accessories, collection and preparation of flowers and foliage, judging of flowers, flower arrangements and flowering and foliage plants in shows and exhibition; Types of vegetable farming – kitchen garden, market garden, truck garden, vegetable garden for processing, vegetable garden for seed production; Glasshouse cultivation and other protected systems;

Factors affecting vegetable production; Basic principles in vegetable production – nursery, sowing and transplanting, care and management ; Vegetable seed production – general principles, breeding system, isolation distance, rouging, cultural operations, seed standards, packing and storage;

Classification of fruits; Definition, classification and importance of Spices and medicinal plants in the State; Post harvest management techniques for fruits and vegetables – storage of fruits and vegetables ambient low temperature and controlled temperature storage systems, packaging of fresh and processed products.

2. Plant Physiology : (Objective - 20 marks)
Crop physiology – introduction and importance in Agriculture; Transpiration, significance transpiration in relation to crop productivity and water use efficiency; Photosynthesis - Energy synthesis, relationship of photosynthesis and crop productivity, methods of measuring photosynthesis, photosynthetic efficiency;

Translocation of assimilates and apoplastic and symplastic transport of assimilates; Respiration and its significance – measurement of respiration; Post harvest physiology – seed dormancy – definition – types of seed dormancy – advantages and disadvantages of seed dormancy – causes and remedial measures for breaking seed dormancy.

Paper – II : ( 100 marks )
1. Plant Breeding & Genetics : (Descriptive - 80 marks)
Classification of plants – different systems of classification; Mendel’s laws of inheritance and exceptions to the laws; Mutation and its features – methods of inducing mutations; Aims, objectives and importance of Plant Breeding; Methods of breeding – introduction and acclimatization, Selection, Mass selection, Johansson’s pure line theory, genetic basis, pure line selection; Hybridization – aims and objectives – types of hybridization;

Breeding objectives and concepts of breeding in self pollinated, cross pollinated and vegetatively propagated crops; Breeding procedures for development of hybrids, varieties of various crops; Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) – definition, concepts and components – plant breeders’ rights and farmers’ rights; Maintenance of genetic purity during seed production; Seed quality – definition, characters of good quality seed – different classes of seed; Production of nucleus & breeder’s seed, Foundation and certified seed production; Seed testing procedures for quality assessment.
‘OR’

Soil Science & Agricultural Chemistry : (Descriptive - 80 marks)
Soil physical properties – soil texture – textural classes – particle size analysis, soil structure classification – soil aggregates – significance; Elementary knowledge of soil classification; Concept of pH – soil acidity – brief overview of saline, sodic and calcareous soils, soil organic matter – composition – decomposability – humus – fractional of organic matter;

Enzymes – factors affecting the activity, classification, immobilization and other industrial applications; Quality parameters of organic manures and specifications, Recycling of organic residue – industrial effluents concept and assessment – soil health card; Integrated Nutrient Management (INM) and Integrated Plant Nutrient Supply system (IPNS); Fertilizers – classification – manufacturing processes and properties of major nitrogenous – phosphatic – potassic and complex fertilizers – their fate and reactions in soil;

Soil as a source of plant nutrients – essential and beneficial elements – mechanisms of nutrient transport to plants – factors affecting nutrient availability to plants; Soil fertility – different approaches for soil fertility evaluation; Methods of soil testing – chemical methods – critical levels of different nutrients in soil; Environmental pollution – causes, effects and control of air, water, soil, thermal, noise and marine pollution.