TNPSC Agriculture Extension Officer Syllabus 2023 ~ Exam Pattern

TNPSC Agriculture Extension Officer Syllabus PDF: The syllabus and exam pattern for the written examination being issued by the Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission for the vacancies of Agricultural Officer (Extn), Agricultural Officer (Extn), Horticultural Officer, and Assistant Director of Agriculture (Extn) will be available on our website.

TNPSC Horticulture Officer Syllabus 2023

Name of the Board	Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission
Post Name	Agricultural Officer (Extn), Agricultural Officer (Extn), Horticultural Officer & Assistant Director of Agriculture (Extn), and Horticultural Officer
Vacancy	93
Exam Date	20.05.2023 & 21.05.2023
Selection Process	Written Exam & Interview

TNPSC Agriculture Officer Syllabus 2023:

Subject Paper: Agriculture (Degree Standard)

• UNIT- I: Importance of Agriculture
• UNIT – II: Fundamentals of Crop Production
• UNIT – III: Natural Resource Management
• UNIT – IV: Crop Management & Allied Agricultural Activities
• UNIT – V: Crop Improvement
• UNIT- VI: Seed Science and Technology.
• UNIT – VII: Crop Protection Principles and Practices.
• UNIT – VIII: Farm Business and Finance Management.
• UNIT – IX: Agricultural Marketing and Market Intelligence.
• UNIT – X: Agricultural Extension: Principles and Methods.

Horticulture Paper – I (Degree Standard)

Unit- I: Fundamentals of Horticulture

Scope and importance – State, National and Global scenario of horticultural crops – Area and production – Import and export – Nutritive value of horticultural crops – Horticultural zones of Tamil Nadu and India – National and regional agencies involved in promotion of horticultural Industry in India (NHB, APEDA and Commodity Boards) – Classification of horticultural crops – Factors limiting horticultural crop production – Role of season – Soil and climate requirements – Physical and chemical properties of soil – Climatic factors – Light, temperature, photoperiod, relative humidity, rainfall, altitude, microclimate – Kitchen gardening -Nutrition gardening – Truck gardening – Market gardening – Vegetable forcing – Protected and precision horticulture – Hydroponics, Aeroponics – Nutrient Film Technique – Horticulture therapy.

Unit – II: Growth and Development of Horticultural Crops:

Important phases of growth and development – Bearing habits – Classification of horticultural crops based on life cycle – Annual, biennial perennial (woody and herbaceous perennials) – Fruitfulness and unfruitfulness – External and internal factors associated with unfruitfulness – Physiology of flowering, fruit set, ripening and senescence – Fruitdrop – Causes and control measures – Plant growth regulators – Functions and role in horticultural crops – Bud dormancy – Dormancy breaking – Parthenocarpy – Parthenogenesis – Polyembryony – Stenospermocarpy – Vivipary- Apomixis.

Unit – III: Propagation of Horticultural Crops:

Propagation – Definition – Establishment of nursery – Site selection – Tools and implements propagation structures – Mist chamber, phytotron – Humidifiers – Greenhouse – Glasshouse – Polyhouse – Shade net, glass house, poly tunnels, cold frames and hotbeds, pit nursery – Media and containers – Soil sterilization – Sexual propagation – Merits and demerits – Crops propagated through seeds – Seed viability, longevity, dormancy, germination – Pre-sowing treatment – stratification, scarification, seed priming, seedling vigour – Raised seed bed and pro-tray nursery – Asexual propagation – Merits and demerits – Methods of vegetative propagation – Identification of plus trees – Mother block, scion bank – Clonal nursery – Cutting – Layering – Grafting, budding types – Anatomical and physiological basis of grafting – Stock scion relationship, graft compatibility – Budwood selection and certification – Propagation through specialized plant parts (bulbs, tubers, offsets, runners, suckers, slip, crown, rhizomes, corms) – Quality management and nursery certification – Micro propagation – Application – infrastructure requirements – Types of media – Stages of micro propagation – Micro grafting – in vitro propagation of important horticultural crops.

UNIT – IV: Management Techniques for Horticultural Crops

Planning – Layout and management of orchards – Fencing – Wind breaks and shelter beds – Spacing – Planting system – Physical and chemical properties – Soil reaction – acid, saline and alkaline soils – Soil fertility – Essential elements – Functions – Organic manures and inorganic fertilizers, bio-fertilizers, vermicomposting – Applications and management – Nutrient deficiencies and corrective measures – Physiological disorders and remedies – Irrigation – Critical stages of water requirement – Effect of water stress on crop yield – Anti-transpirants – management of irrigation water quality – Conventional and micro irrigation – Fertigation – Mulching – Sod culture – Weed management – Application growth regulators – Training and pruning principles and methods – Rejuvenation of senile and old orchards – Cropping systems – Cover cropping – Multitier cropping – Intercropping – Special horticultural techniques (pinching, thinning, disbudding, blanching, smudging, notching, ringing) – Principles of organic horticulture – GAP and GMP.

TNPSC Agriculture Officer Exam Pattern 2023:

Subject	Duration	Maximum Marks	Minimum qualifying marks for selection
			SCs, SC(A)s, STs, MBCs/ DCs, BC(OBCM)s & BCMs	Others
Paper I Subject Paper – 200 Questions For the post of Agricultural Officer(Extn) Agriculture (Degree Standard) (Code No:284) For the post of Horticultural Officer Horticulture (Degree Standard) (Code No.278) For the post of Assistant Director of Agriculture (Extn) Agriculture (PG Degree Standard) (Code No:285)	3 Hours	300	153	204
For all the three posts (ii) Paper II (Total 200 questions / 3 Hours) Part-A Tamil Eligibility Test (SSLC Std) (100 questions/ 150 marks)	1 ½ Hours	Note: Minimum qualifying marks –60 marks (40% of 150) Marks secured in Part-A of Paper-II will not be taken into account for ranking.
Part-B (General Studies) (Code No.003) (100 questions/ 150 marks) General Studies (Degree Std) -75 questions and Aptitude & Mental Ability Test (SSLC Std.) -25 questions	1 ½ Hours	150
(iii) Interview and Records		60
Total		510

Paper I

Subject Paper – 200 Questions For the post of Agricultural Officer(Extn) Agriculture (Degree Standard) (Code No:284) For the post of Horticultural Officer Horticulture (Degree Standard) (Code No.278) For the post of Assistant Director of Agriculture (Extn) Agriculture (PG Degree Standard) (Code No:285)

3 Hours300153204

For all the three posts

(ii) Paper II (Total 200 questions / 3 Hours)

Part-A Tamil Eligibility Test (SSLC Std) (100 questions/ 150 marks)

1 ½ Hours

Note:

Minimum qualifying marks –60 marks (40% of 150)

Marks secured in Part-A of Paper II will not be taken into account for the ranking.

Part-B (General Studies) (Code No.003) (100 questions/ 150 marks) General Studies (Degree Std) -75 questions and Aptitude & Mental Ability Test (SSLC Std.) -25 questions1 ½ Hours150

(iii) Interview and Records60  Total510

Note:

• Answer sheets of Paper-I and Part B of Paper II of the candidates will not be evaluated if the candidate does not secure minimum qualifying marks in Part-A of Paper II.
• Only marks secured in Paper-I and Part-B of Paper-II will be considered for the ranking.
• The question papers for Paper – I i.e. subject papers will be set in English and PART-B of Paper-II, will be set both in Tamil and English.

Download Syllabus 2022 PDF

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