1: Agricultural/ Horticultural Entomology,
2: Nematology,
3: Apiculture,
4: Sericulture,
5: Plant Protection.
UNIT-I: Importance of Agriculture in national economy; basic principles of crop production; cultivation of rice,wheat, chickpea, pigeon-pea, sugarcane, groundnut, tomato, cole crops, mango, grapes, banana, oil seeds other than groundnut, soybean and mustard. Major soils of India, role of NPK and their deficiency symptoms. Mendelian genetics; elementary knowledge of photosynthesis; respiration, and transpiration;Major cropping systems (rice-wheat cropping, crop rotations, mixed cropping); soil degradation-soil salinity and acidity and management; some aspects of post-harvest technology; varietal improvement; importance of Heterosis in crop production; crop protection principles in field and storage. Major insect pests and diseases of agricultural crops like rice, cotton, pulses, oilseed crops like groundnut, soybean and mustard,vegetables like tomato, cole crops; fruit crops like mango and banana and their management principles.Transgenic crops. Important rural development programmes in India; organizational set up of agricultural research, education and extension in India; Elements of statistics.
UNIT-II: Classification of animal kingdom up to class; distinguishing characters up to orders in class Insecta;general organization of an insect external morphology with special reference to lepidopteran larvae,coleopteran adults; and honeybee; metamorphosis and moulting; different physiological systems; insect plant relationship; insect pests of agricultural and horticultural crops, and their stored/processed products,insect vectors of plant diseases- identification, biology, nature of damage, and their management tactics; and pests of household, medical and veterinary importance and their control; useful and beneficial insects like honeybee, lac insect, silkworm and pollinators; Nematode taxonomy, biology of important plant parasitic nematodes and their control; entomopathogenic nematodes, basic principles of insect and nematode pest management-cultural, biological, insecticidal, quarantine, and regulatory aspects; insecticide classification and insecticide resistance management; and insect protective transgenic crops
