ICAR AIEEA PG Agronomy Syllabus 2026: Comprehensive Unit-Wise Guide

Unit-I: General Agriculture: Importance of agriculture in the national economy; fundamental crop production principles; cultivation practices for rice, wheat, pulses, sugarcane, and oilseeds. Covers major Indian soil types, NPK management, and deficiency signs. Includes core concepts in plant biology (cell organelles, genetics, photosynthesis, respiration), biochemistry (carbohydrates, enzymes, vitamins), pest and disease management, rural development programs, agricultural extension, and basic statistical elements.

Unit-II: Principles of Agronomy, Crop Ecology, and Meteorology: Scope of agronomy, research institutes, agro-climatic zones, and tillage systems. Explores precision farming, organic agriculture, and integrated farming systems. Includes crop ecology, climate shift implications, GIS/GPS applications in agriculture, solar radiation, atmospheric temperature, global warming effects, and advanced weather forecasting techniques.

Unit-III: Field Crops: In-depth study of origin, economic importance, climate, and soil requirements for cereals, pulses, oilseeds, fiber crops, sugar crops, fodder/forage crops, medicinal/aromatic plants, and commercial crops like tobacco and potato.

Unit-IV: Weed Management: Principles, classification, and ecology of weeds. Focuses on integrated weed management (IWM), herbicide selectivity, resistance mechanisms, environmental persistence, application equipment, and managing problematic weeds in cropping systems.

Unit-V: Water Management: Irrigation principles, water resources in India, scheduling methods, and measurement techniques. Covers water-use efficiency, irrigation water quality, drainage, and specific water management strategies for major field crops like rice, wheat, and sugarcane.

Unit-VI: Soil Fertility and Fertilizer Use: Essential nutrients, deficiency identification, soil fertility indicators, and fertilizer materials. Covers slow-release fertilizers, nitrification inhibitors, integrated nutrient management (INM), and site-specific nutrient management.

Unit-VII: Dryland Agronomy: Characteristics and constraints of dryland farming. Includes drought types and management, contingency crop planning, weather-responsive strategies, and comprehensive watershed management.

Unit-VIII: Problem Soils: Classification and distribution of problem soils in India, reclamation techniques, and specialized crop production technologies for salt-affected and degraded soils.

Unit-IX: Sustainable Land Use Systems: Principles of sustainable agriculture, conservation tillage, agro-forestry, shifting cultivation, waste-to-wealth conversion, and remediation of wastelands for productive use.