UPSC Agriculture optional syllabus
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UPSC Agriculture Optional Syllabus: Official Format & Detailed Topic-Wise Breakdown

Choosing Agriculture as an optional subject for the UPSC Mains can be a game-changer for aspirants with a background in agricultural sciences or those passionate about the field. The subject offers a well-structured syllabus that focuses on key farming principles and practices. In this post, we’ll present the UPSC Agriculture Optional Syllabus 2025 in the official format provided by UPSC and follow it up with a detailed topic-wise division to aid your preparation.

UPSC Agriculture Optional Syllabus

Agriculture Optional Paper I Syllabus:

  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. 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).
  2. 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, fibers, sugar, commercial and fodder crops.
  3. 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.
  4. Weeds, their characteristics, dissemination, and association with various crops; their multiplications; cultural, biological, and chemical control of weeds.
  5. 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 fertilizer recommendations, integrated nutrient management Biofertilizers. Losses of nitrogen in soil, nitrogen-use efficiency in submerged rice soils, and nitrogen fixation in soils. Efficient phosphorus and potassium use. Problem soils and their reclamation. Soil factors affecting greenhouse gas emission.
  6. Soil conservation, integrated watershed management. Soil erosion and its management. Dry land agriculture and its problems. Technology for stabilizing agriculture production in rainfed areas.
  7. 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, the effect of industrial effluents on soil, and water pollution. Irrigation projects in India.
  8. 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 the agricultural economy; types and systems of farming and factors affecting them. Agricultural price policy. Crop Insurance.
  9. Agricultural extension, its importance, and role, methods of evaluation of extension programs, socio-economic survey and status of big, small, and marginal farmers and landless agricultural laborers; Training programs 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.

Agriculture Optional Paper II Syllabus:

  1. 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.
  2. History of plant breeding. Modes of reproduction, selfing, and crossing techniques. Origin, evolution, and domestication of crop plants, the center 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.
  3. 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.
  4. Principles of Plant Physiology with reference to plant nutrition, absorption, translocation, and metabolism of nutrients. Soil-water-plant relationship.
  5. 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—drought, salt, and water stress.
  6. 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.
  7. Diagnosis of pests and diseases of field crops, vegetables, orchards, 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.
  8. 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 food grains, 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.

Topic-Wise Division of UPSC Agriculture Optional Syllabus

UPSC Agriculture Optional Paper I Syllabus

Ecology and Natural Resources

  1. Ecology: Relevance to humans, sustainable management, and conservation of natural resources.
  2. Physical and Social Environment: Factors affecting crop distribution and production.
  3. Agroecology: Cropping patterns as environmental indicators.
  4. Environmental Pollution: Hazards to crops, animals, and humans.
  5. Climate Change: International conventions, global initiatives, greenhouse effect, and global warming.
  6. Advanced Ecosystem Analysis Tools: Remote Sensing (RS) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS).

Cropping Patterns and Systems

  1. Agro-climatic Zones: Cropping patterns in different regions of India.
  2. Impact of High-Yielding Varieties: Shifts in cropping patterns due to short-duration and high-yielding varieties.
  3. Farming Systems: Concepts of various cropping and farming systems, including Organic and Precision farming.

Forestry and Conservation

  1. Types of Forestry: Social forestry, agroforestry, and natural forests.
  2. Forest Propagation and Products: Conservation of forest flora and fauna, value addition in agroforestry.

Weed and Soil Management

  1. Weeds: Characteristics, dissemination, and control methods (cultural, biological, and chemical).
  2. Soil Science: Physical, chemical, and biological properties; soil formation processes, and the soils of India.
  3. Nutrient Management: Essential plant nutrients, soil fertility, biofertilizers, nitrogen-use efficiency, phosphorus and potassium use, and reclamation of problem soils.
  4. Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Soil factors affecting emissions.

Soil and Water Conservation

  1. Soil Conservation Techniques: Integrated watershed management, soil erosion control.
  2. Dryland Agriculture: Challenges and technologies for stabilizing production.
  3. Water Management: Efficiency in crop production, irrigation scheduling, runoff loss reduction, rainwater harvesting, drip and sprinkler irrigation, and drainage of waterlogged soils.

Farm Management and Marketing

  1. Farm Management: Scope, importance, and characteristics; resource use, budgeting, and farm planning.
  2. Agricultural Economics: Farm types, marketing management, price fluctuations, crop insurance, and the role of cooperatives.
  3. Agricultural Extension: Importance, role, evaluation methods, socio-economic surveys, training programs, and the role of Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) and NGOs.

UPSC Agriculture Optional Paper II Syllabus

Cell Biology and Genetics

  1. Cell Structure and Function: Cell cycle, synthesis, and function of genetic material.
  2. Laws of Heredity: Chromosome structure, aberrations, linkage, and their significance in recombination breeding.
  3. Genetic Concepts: Polyploidy, mutations, heritability, cytoplasmic inheritance, and their roles in crop improvement.

Plant Breeding and Biotechnology

  1. Plant Breeding History: Modes of reproduction, selfing, and crossing techniques, crop genetic resources conservation.
  2. Breeding Techniques: Pure-line selection, pedigree, mass and recurrent selections, combining ability, hybridization, and genetic engineering.
  3. Biotechnology: Molecular markers, genetic engineering, somatic hybridization, and genetically modified crops (GMOs).

Seed Technology

  1. Seed Production and Processing: Technologies, certification, testing, storage, DNA fingerprinting, and seed registration.
  2. IPR and WTO Issues: Role in agriculture and the impact on seed production and marketing.

Plant Physiology

  1. Plant Nutrition: Soil-water-plant relationships, nutrient absorption, translocation, and metabolism.
  2. Photosynthesis and Respiration: C3, C4, and CAM mechanisms, growth substances, and stress physiology.
  3. Growth and Development: Photoperiodism, vernalization, seed development, germination, and dormancy.

Horticulture and Post-Harvest Technology

  1. Horticultural Crops: Major fruits, vegetables, spices, and flower crops; package practices and protected cultivation.
  2. Post-Harvest Technology: Value addition, landscaping, commercial floriculture, and medicinal plants.

Pest and Disease Management

  1. Pest Identification and Control: Diagnosis of pests and diseases in crops, integrated pest management (IPM), biological control, and plant quarantine measures.

Food Security and Nutrition

  1. Food Production Trends: Food security, grain surplus, PDS, and dietary guidelines.
  2. Nutrition and Health: Micronutrient deficiencies, malnutrition, and their impact on human resource development.

Preparation Tips for UPSC Agriculture Optional

  1. Understand the Syllabus: Start by familiarizing yourself with both the official format and the detailed topic-wise breakdown.
  2. Use Standard Textbooks: Refer to authoritative sources like “Principles of Agronomy” by S.R. Reddy and “Introduction to Soil Science” by ICAR.
  3. Solve Previous Year Papers: Practice past papers to get a feel of the exam pattern and frequently asked questions.
  4. Prepare Notes: Create concise notes for each topic with key points, diagrams, and flowcharts.
  5. Stay Updated: Integrate current agricultural developments into your preparation, as they can add depth to your answers.

Related Resources

  1. Latest UPSC Prelims Syllabus
  2. Latest UPSC Mains Syllabus
  3. Complete List of the Latest UPSC Optional Subjects
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