BCECE Agriculture Syllabus 2024 For Entrance Exam – Detailed Syllabus & Exam Pattern

• 100

Marks

• 400

• 100

Marks

• 400

• 100

Marks

• 400

Duration

• 90 Minutes

• 100

Marks

• 400

• 100

Marks

• 400

Introductory Agriculture and Agrometeorology

• 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 Medium Of Plant Growth

• 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.

Plant Breeding and Genetics

• 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 Engineering

• 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.

Cultivation of Crops

• Economic importance, origin, distribution, soil and climatic requirement, varieties, cultural practices (Seedbed preparation, seed treatment, time and method of sowing/ planting, seed rate; dose, method and time of fertilizer application, irrigation, inter-culture, and weed control; common pests and diseases caused by bacteria, fungi, virus and nematode, integrated pest management, harvesting, threshing, post-harvest technology, storage, processing and marketing, and major production constraints) of following crops: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 etc

Cropping system

• 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.

Soil and Water Management

• 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)