• Definition of Agriculture, Brief history of Agriculture.
• Disciplines of Agriculture: Agronomy, Soil Science, Plant breeding and genetics, Horticulture, Entomology, Plant Pathology, Extension education, Agricultural Economics, Agricultural Engineering, Agricultural statistics ( One paragraph description on each discipline)
• National and International agricultural institutes in India.
• Agroclimatic Zones of India and Bihar.
• Elements of Weather-rainfall, temperature, humidity, wind velocity, sunshine, weather forecasting’ Climate change in relation to crop production.
• Tillage: Definition, Objective, and types of tillage.
• Tillage implements (primary, secondary, and inter tillage).
• Soil tilth, its importance, and its effect on soil properties.
• Tillage practices (conventional) vs. conservation and zero tillage).
• Methods of sowing/planting, Depth of sowing, transplanting, and harvesting.

• Soil as a natural three-dimensional resource.
• Soil classification, major soils of India/ Bihar.
• Soil profile, soil texture, and structure, Soil Organism, Soil reaction / pH.
• Soil water.
• Soil fertility & productivity and their indicators.
• Essential plant nutrients, their functions, and deficiency symptoms.
• Sufficiency and toxic levels of nutrients.
• Fertilizers, manure, bio-fertilizers, integrated nutrient management.
• Fertilizer placement, top dressing, and foliar application.

• Mendel’s Laws of inheritance and its exception and significance.
• Qualitative and quantitative traits and their inheritance.
• Plant Breeding: Definition, history, objective, and its achievements.
• Heterosis, its basis, and exploitation.
• Breeding methods for crop improvement:- Introduction, selection, hybridization, mutation, polyploidy, population improvement.
• Recent methods of crop improvement, plant biotechnology, and genetic engineering.
• Plant Genetic Resources: their collection, conservation, and utilization.
• Seed: Formation, classification, and multiplication.
• Intellectual Property Right: Definition, Classification, and its importance.

• Agricultural Implements:- cultivators, M.B. plow, Disc, Zero till seed drill, Rotavator, Power tiller, Tractor, Harvester – Engine- I.C. Engine: parts of the engine and their work. Working of I.C. Engine, Working of 2 and 4 stroke engines. Difference between 2 strokes and 4 stroke engines, Difference between diesel and petrol engine, problems, and troubleshooting of engine, Maintenance of engine, Maintenance after 100 hours and Maintenance after 500 hours.
• Electric motor: D.C. and A.C. 3 phase induction motor, single-phase induction motor, Types of the motor, Capacitor, Selection of electric motor.
• Sowing: Method of seeding or sowing, Seed-cum-fertilizer drill, Calibration of seed drill machine, thresher- its working and maintenance, winnower.
• Harvesting Equipment, working principle of mower, Problems, and maintenance of harvesting equipment.

• Importance of crop insect-pests, diseases, nematodes, rodents.
• Important insect-pest and diseases of field crops, vegetables, fruits, and stored grain pests and their management.
• Methods of control of insect-pest and disease:- Physical, Mechanical, Cultural, biological, chemical, anatomical, legal method and integrated pest management.
• Pesticides and their classification, symptoms of poisoning, First aids and antidotes.
• Harmful effects of insecticides.
• Effect of the environment (temperature, moisture, wind, light, soil pH) on pest development.

• Importance of livestock in agriculture & industry
• Important developmental programs by Central or State Government for improvement of livestock ( Operation Flood)
• Important indigenous and exotic breeds of Cattle, buffalo, sheep, goat & poultry.
• System of housing in cattle & poultry. – Principles of feeding. – Management of cattle at the time of
• calving (ii) newborn calf (iii) heifers (iv) milch animals (v) pregnant animals and poultry (vi) Bullocks (Chicks pullets, Layers, Broilers) – Principles of the feeding of different classes of animals, calves, pregnant animals, lactating animals, Bullocks and Poultry (Chicks, Pullets, Layers & Broilers)
• Methods of conservation of green fodder (haymaking & silage making)
• Sign of sick & healthy animals, etiology symptoms, prevention, and control of common diseases in cattle & poultry. (i) Rinderpest (ii) Foot & mouth disease (iii) Rabies (iv) Haemorrahagicsepticaemia (v) Black quarter (vi) Mastitis (Vii) Trypanosomiasis (viii) Basesiosis (ix) Coccidiosis (x) Ranikhet disease (xi) Fowl pox (xii) I.B.D. or Gumboro disease. – Artificial insemination (Definition, Benefits, Drawbacks). – Principle and methods of milking clean milk production.
• Modern methods of fish production.

• Cereals: Paddy, Wheat, maize.
• Pluses: pigeon pea, gram, lentil, pea mung bean, red bean.
• Oilseeds: Groundnut, rapeseed and mustard, Linseed, sunflower.
• Cash crops: Sugarcane, jute.
• Fooder and forage crops: Sorghum, maize, oat, Napier grass berseem

• Crop rotation, sequential cropping, mixed cropping, intercropping, parallel cropping multi-storied cropping, multiple cropping, cropping system/cropping pattern, cropping intensity.
• Important cropping system for the rainfed and irrigated ecosystem of Bihar.

• Water requirement, Irrigation requirement, the concept of irrigation scheduling.
• Field capacity, permanent wilting point, plant available water.
• Method of irrigation. – Importance of drainage, drainage methods.
• Problem soils and its management saline-alkaline, acid soil, and waterlogged (Diara and Tal)

• Definition of weeds, Characteristics of weeds, Harmful and beneficial effects of weeds.
• Crop-weed competition,
• Weed management: Principles, mechanical, cultural, chemical, biological, integrated weed management.

• Major economic problems in agriculture.
• Role and share of agriculture in the state economy.
• Land use classification.
• Land distribution and size of the holding.
• Area, production, and productivity of major crops in the state with reference to the country.
• Marketing of agricultural produce, cooperative farming, corporate farming, contract farming, integrated value chain

• Importance of fruits and vegetables in the human diet.
• Area & production of horticultural crops and their future prospects.
• Classification of horticultural crops according to climatic adaption and economic use.
• Planting system, high-density orchard, training, pruning, intercropping, and rejuvenation of fruit trees.
• Protection from frost and sunburn
• Plant propagation and nursery management.

• Establishment of new orchards and their layout.
• Cultivation of major fruit crops :
• Mango, Papaya, Banana, Guava, Citrus, Litchi, Strawberry, Coconut, Aonla, Ber, Jack fruit.

• Cultivation practices of major vegetables
• Radish, Carrot, Sugar beet, Potato, Onion, Garlic, Chillies, Cauliflower, Brinjal, Tomato, Spinach, Cabbage, Elephant foot yam, Colocasia, Corriender, Pointed gourd, Bottle gourd, Bitter gourd, Sponge gourd and Cucumber, Bhindi, Cowpea, French bean, Pea.
• Nutritional kitchen gardening.

• Cultivation of Chrysanthemums, Roses, Dahlia, Marigold, and Tuberose, Gladiolus.
• Cultivation of ornamental shrubs, avenue trees, and climbers.
• Cultivation of Menthe, Lemongrass, Citronella.
• Introduction of medicinal plants.

• Principles and Methods of Fruit and Vegetable Preservation.
• Preparation of Fruit Squash, Jellies, Jams, Ketchup, Chips, Pickles, And Their Packing.

Prospectus of BCECE-2023