Assistant Horticulture Officer Syllabus 2026 – Exam Pattern PDF

1. Written Examination — Based on the detailed syllabus provided

Assistant Horticulture Officer Syllabus 2026 Overview

Required Qualification

• Educational Qualification: A Graduation in Horticulture from a University established by law in India and accredited by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) is mandatory.

Detailed Syllabus Topics

Fruit Science

• Classification, distribution, nutritional importance, area, production, productivity, export, and import of fruit crops.
• Horticultural regions of India and Karnataka.
• Orchard establishment principles, planning, layout, and management.
• Nursery techniques, quality planting material production, soil and climatic requirements, planting systems, and high-density planting.
• Canopy architecture, orchard floor management, irrigation, fertigation, nutrient management, weed management, mulching, and soil health.
• Training and pruning, bearing habits, flowering, fruit set, crop regulation, rejuvenation of orchards, top working, and use of plant growth regulators.
• Precision horticulture, protected cultivation, mechanization, climate-resilient fruit production, and sustainable orchard management.

Plant Propagation and Nursery Management

• Sexual and asexual propagation, seed biology, dormancy, germination, and seed treatments.
• Apomixis, polyembryony, monoembryony, chimeras, and bud sports.
• Propagation methods: cuttings, layering, grafting, budding, division, runners, suckers, offsets, stolons, corms, and specialized vegetative structures.
• Physiological, anatomical, and biochemical basis of rooting and graft union formation.
• Stock-scion relationships and graft incompatibility.
• Propagation structures: mist chambers, greenhouses, polyhouses, glasshouses, hot beds, cold frames, and phytotrons.
• Nursery establishment, management, certification, accreditation, mother block establishment, budwood certification, micrografting, micropropagation, and tissue culture.
• Nursery tools, implements, mechanization, and the role of plant growth regulators in propagation.

Production Technology of Tropical and Subtropical Fruit Crops

• Origin, distribution, taxonomy, classification, varieties, rootstocks, climatic and soil requirements.
• Propagation, planting systems, orchard management, canopy management, flowering, fruiting behavior, and crop regulation.
• Irrigation, fertigation, nutrient and weed management, plant growth regulators, and physiological disorders.
• Integrated production technologies, harvesting, maturity indices, post-harvest handling, grading, packaging, storage, transportation, value addition, and export requirements for specific fruits like mango, banana, citrus, grape, guava, papaya, sapota, pineapple, pomegranate, jackfruit, avocado, litchi, mangosteen, passion fruit, rambutan, durian, carambola, bilimbi, loquat, breadfruit, and rose apple.
• Special production problems such as alternate bearing in mango and citrus, citrus decline, bud forecasting in grapes, seediness and Konkan disease of banana, sex expression and seed production in papaya, latex extraction, and papain production.

Production Technology of Temperate and Dryland Fruit Crops

• Origin, distribution, classification, varieties, rootstocks, climatic adaptation, and chilling requirements.
• Propagation, planting systems, training, pruning, pollination, pollinizers, and self-incompatibility.
• Canopy management, irrigation, nutrient management, physiological disorders, harvesting, and post-harvest management for fruits like apple, pear, peach, plum, apricot, cherry, strawberry, kiwi, persimmon, almond, walnut, pecan, hazelnut, and macadamia.
• Principles and practices of dryland horticulture, agro-climatic characterization, watershed management, rainwater harvesting, soil and water conservation, moisture conservation, runoff management, micro-irrigation, antitranspirants, mulching, shelterbelts, drought management, and climate-resilient production technologies.
• Special production techniques for ber, aonla, bael, custard apple, jamun, wood apple, pomegranate, carissa, date palm, tamarind, fig, phalsa, West Indian cherry, and other arid fruit crops.
• Management of replant problems, premature leaf fall, alternate bearing, and other physiological constraints.

Protected Cultivation and Precision Horticulture (Fruit Science)

• Precision technologies for protected cultivation, fertigation management, environmental control systems, and smart greenhouses.
• IoT devices, environmental, soil, and plant sensors, weather stations, automation in irrigation and fertigation, robotics, and autonomous farm machinery.
• Decision support systems, Global Positioning System (GPS), Geographic Information System (GIS), Remote Sensing (RS), drone technologies, field mapping, and spatial data analysis.

Fruit Crop Improvement and Biotechnology

• Scope and objectives of fruit breeding, origin, evolution, centers of diversity, domestication, germplasm exploration, characterization, evaluation, conservation, and utilization.
• Breeding behavior, floral biology, pollination mechanisms, incompatibility systems, reproductive biology, introduction, selection, hybridization, mutation breeding, polyploidy, clonal selection, rootstock breeding, and exploitation of naturally occurring variants.
• Breeding strategies for yield, quality, shelf life, and resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses.
• Molecular breeding, marker-assisted selection, genomic selection, genome editing, transgenic approaches, tissue culture, embryo rescue, and somatic hybridization.
• DUS testing, varietal protection, intellectual property rights, and recent advances in fruit crop improvement.

Fundamentals of Vegetable Science

• Scope, importance, economic significance, classification, origin, centers of diversity, distribution, and nutritional importance of vegetable crops.
• Area, production, productivity, export potential, and value chain of vegetable crops.
• Agro-climatic requirements, principles of vegetable production, cropping systems, crop rotation, and intensive vegetable production.
• Nursery management, protected nursery production, quality seedling production, field preparation, planting methods, spacing, and crop establishment.
• Irrigation, fertigation, integrated nutrient management, weed management, mulching, canopy management, and use of plant growth regulators.
• Physiological disorders, their management, precision vegetable cultivation, protected cultivation, organic and natural farming, climate-resilient vegetable production, mechanization, and digital technologies in vegetable cultivation.

Production Technology of Tropical and Subtropical Vegetables

• Origin, distribution, taxonomy, varieties, hybrids, climatic and soil requirements.
• Nursery management, propagation, planting systems, crop establishment, irrigation, fertigation, nutrient management, weed management, crop regulation, and plant growth regulators.
• Physiological disorders, integrated production technologies, harvesting, maturity indices, post-harvest handling, grading, packaging, storage, transportation, value addition, processing, quality standards, export requirements, and economics of cultivation.
• Specific vegetables covered: tomato, brinjal, chilli, sweet pepper, okra, cluster bean, cowpea, dolichos bean, French bean, cucumber, muskmelon, watermelon, bottle gourd, ridge gourd, sponge gourd, bitter gourd, snake gourd, ash gourd, pumpkin, squash, drumstick, sweet corn, curry leaf, amaranthus, basella, spinach beet, methi, dill, portulaca, and other tropical and subtropical vegetable crops.

Production Technology of Temperate, Bulb, Root, Tuber and Perennial Vegetables

• Origin, distribution, varieties, hybrids, climatic adaptation, nursery management, and crop establishment.
• Production technologies, irrigation, fertigation, nutrient management, crop regulation, physiological disorders, harvesting, post-harvest management, and economics of cultivation.
• Specific vegetables covered: cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, knol-khol, Chinese cabbage, lettuce, spinach, onion, garlic, leek, radish, carrot, beetroot, turnip, peas, broad bean, celery, asparagus, globe artichoke, rhubarb, potato, sweet potato, cassava (tapioca), elephant foot yam, colocasia, dioscorea, arrowroot, horseradish, Jerusalem artichoke, xanthosoma, and other important root, tuber, bulb, and temperate vegetable crops.

Vegetable Crop Improvement and Seed Production

• Scope and objectives of vegetable breeding, origin, evolution, germplasm exploration, characterization, evaluation, conservation, and utilization.
• Reproductive biology, pollination mechanisms, breeding systems, genetics of qualitative and quantitative traits.
• Breeding methods for self- and cross-pollinated vegetables, heterosis breeding, hybrid seed production, mutation breeding, polyploidy breeding, and breeding for quality, yield, and resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses.
• Molecular breeding, marker-assisted selection, genomic selection, genome editing, transgenic approaches, maintenance breeding.
• Breeder, foundation, and certified seed production, seed certification standards, isolation distance, rouging, field and seed standards, seed processing, storage, testing, and quality assurance for major vegetable crops.

Protected Cultivation and Precision Horticulture (Vegetable Science)

• Precision technologies for protected cultivation, hydroponics, aeroponics, vertical farming, fertigation management, environmental control systems, and smart greenhouses.
• IoT devices, environmental, soil, and plant sensors, weather stations, automation in irrigation and fertigation, robotics, and autonomous farm machinery.
• Decision support systems, Global Positioning System (GPS), Geographic Information System (GIS), Remote Sensing (RS), satellite imagery, drone technologies, digital elevation models, field mapping, and spatial data analysis.

Protected Cultivation, Post-Harvest Management and Sustainable Vegetable Production

• Principles and technologies of protected cultivation: polyhouses, net houses, shade-net structures, low tunnels, and hydroponics.
• Nursery raising under protected conditions, precision irrigation, and fertigation.
• Integrated crop management, post-harvest physiology, maturity indices, harvesting techniques, grading, packaging, storage, cold chain management, processing, value addition, quality standards, food safety, traceability, and export requirements.
• Integrated management of physiological disorders, pests, diseases, and nematodes.
• Organic and natural vegetable production, Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), climate-smart vegetable production systems, resource-use efficiency, and sustainable vegetable production technologies.

Fundamentals of Floriculture and Landscape Architecture

• Scope, importance, economic significance, history, and development of floriculture in India and worldwide.
• Classification, origin, distribution, nutritional, aesthetic, and commercial importance of ornamental plants.
• Garden styles: English, Japanese, Mughal, Italian, French, and contemporary gardens.
• Principles and elements of garden design.
• Ornamental plant groups: annuals, biennials, perennials, bulbs, shrubs, trees, climbers, creepers, palms, cycads, ferns, orchids, cacti, succulents, indoor plants, foliage plants, and aquatic ornamentals.
• Lawn establishment and management, bonsai, topiary, floral art, flower arrangement (Ikebana), dry flowers, and floral decorations.
• Emerging trends in ornamental horticulture, urban greening, environmental landscaping, and sustainable floriculture.

Production Technology of Commercial Flower Crops

• Origin, distribution, varieties, hybrids, climatic and soil requirements, propagation, nursery management, planting systems, and crop establishment.
• Irrigation, fertigation, nutrient management, canopy management, plant growth regulators, physiological disorders, and integrated crop management.
• Protected cultivation, harvesting, post-harvest handling, grading, packaging, storage, value addition, quality standards, export requirements, and economics of cultivation.
• Specific flower crops: rose, chrysanthemum, carnation, gerbera, gladiolus, tuberose, orchids, anthurium, lilies, jasmine, crossandra, marigold, China aster, dahlia, gaillardia, heliconia, and bird of paradise.
• Extraction of essential oils from aromatic flower crops like rose, jasmine, and tuberose.

Protected Floriculture and Precision Production Technologies

• Principles and practices of greenhouse, polyhouse, shade-net house, and other protected cultivation systems for ornamental crops.
• Environmental control, microclimate management, irrigation, fertigation, automation, hydroponics, and precision nutrient management.
• Integrated management of pests, diseases, nematodes, and physiological disorders.
• Climate-smart floriculture, production scheduling for domestic and export markets, post-harvest quality management, cold chain, packaging, transportation, and marketing of cut flowers.
• Economic feasibility, project formulation, and enterprise management of protected floriculture.
• Precision technologies: IoT devices, environmental, soil, and plant sensors, weather stations, automation in irrigation and fertigation, robotics, autonomous farm machinery, and decision support systems.

Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning

• Scope, principles, and elements of landscape architecture.
• Functional, aesthetic, and ecological uses of landscape plants.
• Preparation of landscape plans and garden designs.
• Computer-aided landscape design using AutoCAD, ArchiCAD, GIS, and other digital tools.
• Bio-aesthetic planning, urban landscaping, green infrastructure, and landscape development for residential areas, institutional campuses, public parks, hospitals, industries, highways, avenues, airports, railway stations, tourism centers, historical monuments, religious places, waterfronts, cemeteries, and recreational parks.
• Special gardens: rock, water, bog, marsh, sunken, terrace, roof, vertical, xeriscape, butterfly, fragrance, herbal, sensory, Japanese, Mughal, indoor, and theme gardens.
• Environmental landscaping for pollution mitigation, carbon sequestration, biodiversity conservation, and climate resilience.

Ornamental Plant Improvement and Seed Technology

• Scope and objectives of ornamental plant breeding, origin, evolution, genetic resources, germplasm collection, characterization, evaluation, conservation, and utilization.
• Reproductive biology, floral biology, pollination mechanisms, breeding systems, selection, hybridization, mutation breeding, polyploidy breeding, heterosis breeding, and exploitation of male sterility.
• Breeding for novel flower color, form, fragrance, flowering behavior, vase life, and resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses.
• Molecular breeding, marker-assisted selection, tissue culture, micropropagation, doubled haploids, genome editing, and transgenic approaches in ornamentals.
• Breeder, foundation, and certified seed production, seed certification standards, harvesting, processing, storage, testing, and quality assurance for major flower crops.

Plantation, Spices, Medicinal and Aromatic Crops

Plantation Crops

• Principles and practices of production, propagation, nursery management, varietal improvement, planting systems, canopy management, nutrition, irrigation, weed management, cropping systems, intercropping, soil and moisture conservation.
• Harvesting, post-harvest management, processing, quality standards, value addition, economics, and marketing of crops like coconut, arecanut, cashew, coffee, tea, cocoa, rubber, palmyrah, and betel vine.
• Major physiological disorders, climate resilience, mechanization, precision production technologies, and sustainable plantation management.

Spice Crops

• Origin, distribution, economic importance, varieties, hybrids, propagation, nursery management, production technologies, integrated nutrient, water, and canopy management.
• Protected cultivation (where applicable), physiological disorders, harvesting, curing, processing, grading, quality standards, value addition, storage, export requirements, and economics of cultivation for black pepper, small and large cardamom, turmeric, chilli, ginger, garlic, coriander, fenugreek, cumin, fennel, ajwain, vanilla, nutmeg, clove, cinnamon, allspice, tamarind, and garcinia.
• Production constraints, organic cultivation, Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), geographical indications (GI), traceability, and spice export quality standards.

Medicinal Crops

• Scope, importance, biodiversity conservation, cultivation, collection, and sustainable utilization of medicinal plants.
• Production technologies, propagation, nursery management, crop improvement, agronomic practices, harvesting, post-harvest handling, drying, processing, quality standards, active principles, value addition, marketing, and regulatory aspects (AYUSH, Good Agricultural and Collection Practices).
• Specific crops: senna, periwinkle, medicinal coleus, ashwagandha, glory lily, sarpagandha, Aloe vera, amla, kalmegh, isabgol, opium poppy, safed musli, stevia, Mucuna, long pepper, Shatavari, guggul, cinchona, Dioscorea, steroid-bearing Solanum, chakramuni, madhunashini, sweet flag, foxglove, belladonna, Tinospora, annatto, noni, and other important medicinal crops of Karnataka.

Aromatic Crops

• Importance, classification, propagation, cultivation practices, harvesting, post-harvest management, extraction of essential oils, quality evaluation, storage, value addition, industrial applications, and economics of cultivation.
• Specific crops: palmarosa, lemongrass, citronella, vetiver, Mentha species, patchouli, geranium, Artemisia (davana), lavender, Ocimum species, sandalwood, rosemary, jasmine, rose, tuberose, and chamomile.
• Essential oil chemistry, distillation techniques, quality parameters, and utilization in pharmaceutical, cosmetic, perfumery, and food industries.

Breeding and Genetic Improvement (Plantation, Spices, Medicinal, Aromatic Crops)

• Germplasm conservation, centers of origin, floral biology, pollination mechanisms, breeding objectives, conventional and molecular breeding approaches, hybridization, mutation breeding, polyploidy, and biotechnology-assisted improvement.
• Selection of superior cultivars, development of varieties resistant to biotic and abiotic stresses, quality improvement, and breeding for export-oriented traits.

Propagation and Nursery Management (Plantation, Spices, Medicinal, Aromatic Crops)

• Sexual and vegetative propagation methods, nursery establishment and management, grafting, budding, layering, cutting, tissue culture, and micropropagation.
• Production of quality planting materials, certification standards, nursery accreditation, and entrepreneurship in nursery production.

Post-Harvest Management and Value Addition (Plantation, Spices, Medicinal, Aromatic Crops)

• Harvest maturity indices, harvesting methods, curing, drying, grading, packaging, storage, transportation, processing technologies, extraction of oils and phytochemicals.
• Quality assurance, value addition, branding, geographical indications, export standards, traceability, cold-chain management, and marketing systems.

Protected Cultivation and Precision Production (Plantation, Spices, Medicinal, Aromatic Crops)

• Application of protected cultivation, fertigation, precision irrigation, automation, sensors, digital agriculture, climate-smart technologies, mechanization, and resource-use efficiency in high-value medicinal, aromatic, and spice crops.

Production Economics and Agribusiness (Plantation, Spices, Medicinal, Aromatic Crops)

• Cost of cultivation, project preparation, entrepreneurship, contract farming, Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), processing enterprises, domestic and export marketing, commodity value chains, quality certification, organic production systems, and sustainability in plantation, spice, medicinal, and aromatic crop production.

Post-Harvest Technology

• Importance, scope, and economic significance of post-harvest management.
• Post-harvest losses, causes, and strategies for loss reduction.
• Quality concepts, quality attributes of fresh horticultural produce, pre-harvest factors influencing post-harvest quality.
• Maturity indices, harvesting standards, and harvesting methods.
• Physiological and biochemical changes during ripening and senescence, ethylene biosynthesis and action, climacteric and non-climacteric fruits.
• Ripening regulation, delay, and acceleration techniques.

Post-Harvest Handling, Packaging and Storage

• Harvesting, field handling, cleaning, washing, curing, trimming, grading, sorting, and standardization.
• Pre-cooling methods, packaging materials, package design, cushioning materials, modified atmosphere packaging (MAP), controlled atmosphere packaging (CAP), active and intelligent packaging, edible coatings, and biodegradable packaging.
• Cold chain management, transportation systems, storage principles and methods (ambient, evaporative, refrigerated, controlled atmosphere (CA), modified atmosphere (MA), hypobaric, and zero-energy cool chambers).
• Physiological disorders and storage diseases, quarantine treatments, and export protocols.

Processing of Fruits, Vegetables, Plantation and Spice Crops

• Principles and objectives of food preservation, unit operations in food processing, thermal processing, pasteurization, sterilization, blanching, and aseptic processing.
• Preservation by sugar, salt, acids, fermentation, freezing, dehydration, irradiation, and chemical preservatives.
• Drying and dehydration technologies, minimal processing, and fresh-cut produce.
• Value addition and processing of fruits, vegetables, spices, plantation crops, and medicinal plants.
• Beverage technology, processing of jams, jellies, marmalades, squashes, juices, RTS beverages, pickles, chutneys, sauces, ketchup, dehydrated products, frozen products, and spice products.
• Curing and processing of spices, tea, coffee, cocoa, and plantation products.

Food Chemistry, Quality Assurance and Food Safety

• Composition and nutritional quality of horticultural produce, food additives and preservatives, food spoilage, microorganisms associated with processed products, and methods of spoilage prevention.
• Quality evaluation of fresh and processed products, sensory evaluation, food standards, grading, and certification.
• HACCP, GMP, GHP, ISO systems, FSSAI regulations, AGMARK, BIS standards, Codex Alimentarius, and export quality standards.
• Residue limits, traceability, and food safety management systems.

Post-Harvest Engineering and Value Chain Management

• Post-harvest equipment and machinery for cleaning, grading, sorting, packaging, drying, pulping, and processing.
• Refrigeration and cold storage engineering, pack houses, and ripening chambers.
• Supply chain and cold chain logistics, marketing, export, and international trade of fresh and processed horticultural produce.
• Entrepreneurship, project formulation, techno-economic feasibility, establishment, and management of post-harvest and processing industries.
• Government policies, schemes, and support systems for post-harvest infrastructure and value addition.
• Biofortification and nutraceuticals.

Crop Improvement

Plant Breeding and Crop Improvement

• History and development of plant breeding in India, principles, objectives, scope, and limitations.
• Modes of reproduction in crop plants: self-pollination, cross-pollination, vegetative reproduction, and apomixis.
• Pollination mechanisms, self-incompatibility, and male sterility systems.
• Centers of origin and diversity of crop plants, plant genetic resources, germplasm conservation, and utilization.
• Breeding methods for self-, cross-, and clonally propagated crops: selection methods, hybridization, pedigree, bulk, and backcross breeding.
• Heterosis, inbreeding depression, combining ability, development and evaluation of inbred lines and hybrids.
• Quantitative genetics and biometrical approaches, mutation breeding, polyploidy breeding, and special breeding techniques.
• Breeding for resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses, participatory plant breeding, plant variety protection, intellectual property rights (IPR), plant breeders' rights, farmers' rights, and community rights.

Plant Physiology, Biochemistry and Genetics

• Structure and function of plant cells, biomolecules (carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, nucleic acids, enzymes), plant pigments, and secondary metabolites.
• Metabolism and bioenergetics, water relations, mineral nutrition, and biological nitrogen fixation.
• Photosynthesis, respiration, photorespiration, and C3, C4, and CAM pathways.
• Plant growth and development, plant growth regulators and their applications.
• Flowering, photoperiodism, vernalization, pruning and training physiology.
• Physiology of seed development, dormancy, and germination.
• Fruit growth, development, ripening, and post-harvest physiology.
• Cell division, gametogenesis, and fertilization.
• Principles of inheritance, Mendelian and non-Mendelian genetics, mutation, chromosome behavior, gene interaction, linkage, and recombination.
• Molecular basis of heredity, DNA replication, transcription, translation, central dogma, and regulation of gene expression.

Seed Science and Technology

• Seed development, maturation, and physiology, seed structure, composition, and quality.
• Seed versus grain, history and development of the seed industry in India.
• Seed systems, seed policies, and national seed programmes.
• Classes and generation system of seed multiplication.
• Principles and methods of seed production in self-pollinated, cross-pollinated, and hybrid horticultural crops.
• Isolation requirements, rouging, and maintenance of genetic purity.
• Harvesting, drying, processing, grading, treatment, and packaging of seeds.
• Seed storage, seed deterioration, and storage management.
• Seed quality testing, germination, vigor, and viability assessment.
• Seed certification procedures, field inspection, field and seed standards, seed legislation (Seed Act, Seed Rules, Seed Control Order), and seed certification agencies.
• Seed enhancement technologies (priming, coating, pelleting, polymer treatment).
• Seed marketing, quality assurance, duties and responsibilities of seed inspectors and seed analysts.

Crop Protection

Diseases of Fruit, Plantation, Medicinal and Aromatic Crops

• Etiology, symptoms, disease cycle, epidemiology, diagnosis, and integrated management of diseases affecting mango, banana, citrus, grape, guava, sapota, papaya, pineapple, jackfruit, pomegranate, ber, aonla, fig, custard apple, apple, pear, peach, plum, strawberry, and other fruit crops.
• Diseases of plantation crops: coconut, arecanut, cocoa, coffee, tea, cashew, rubber, oil palm, and betel vine.
• Diseases of medicinal and aromatic crops: senna, neem, hemp, costus, datura, dioscorea, mint, opium poppy, patchouli, citronella, davana, Ocimum, sandalwood, Solanum viarum, and other economically important medicinal and aromatic plants.
• Post-harvest diseases of fruits, plantation, medicinal, and aromatic crops and their integrated management.

Diseases of Vegetable, Spice and Ornamental Crops

• Etiology, symptoms, disease cycle, epidemiology, diagnosis, and integrated management of diseases of tomato, brinjal, chilli, okra, cabbage, cauliflower, knol-khol, radish, carrot, beetroot, onion, garlic, potato, sweet potato, peas, beans, cucurbits, fenugreek, and other vegetable crops.
• Diseases of spice crops: black pepper, ginger, turmeric, coriander, cumin, cardamom, nutmeg, clove, cinnamon, vanilla, and other spice crops.
• Diseases of ornamental crops: rose, jasmine, chrysanthemum, marigold, crossandra, tuberose, gerbera, anthurium, carnation, gladiolus, geranium, and protected floriculture crops.
• Post-harvest diseases of vegetables, spices, and ornamental crops and their integrated management.

Insect Pest Management and Insecticides

• Economic classification of insects, definition and types of pests, nature and extent of crop losses.
• Pest population dynamics and outbreak factors, economic threshold level (ETL), and economic injury level (EIL).
• Pest surveillance, monitoring, and forecasting.
• Principles and components of Integrated Pest Management (IPM): cultural, mechanical, physical, biological, behavioral, legislative, and chemical methods.
• Biological control using predators, parasitoids, entomopathogens, and weed biocontrol agents.
• Mass production and field utilization of biological control agents.
• Classification, formulation, mode of action, application, compatibility, resistance management, and safe handling of insecticides.
• Pesticide residues, maximum residue limits (MRLs), pre-harvest interval (PHI), and environmental safety.

Entomology of Vegetable, Spice and Protected Crops

• Identification, distribution, host range, biology, seasonal incidence, nature of damage, and integrated management of insect and mite pests of vegetable and spice crops (solanaceous, cucurbitaceous, cruciferous, leguminous, root and tuber vegetables, leafy vegetables, major spice crops).
• Pest surveillance and forecasting, insect pests of protected cultivation and nursery crops.
• Storage pests and processed-product pests of vegetables and spices.
• Residue management, MRLs, and export quality standards.

Entomology of Fruit, Plantation, Medicinal and Aromatic Crops

• Identification, distribution, host range, biology, seasonal incidence, nature of damage, and integrated management of insect and mite pests of tropical, subtropical, and temperate fruit crops (mango, banana, citrus, grape, guava, papaya, pomegranate, sapota, apple, and other fruit crops).
• Insect pests of plantation crops (coconut, arecanut, cocoa, coffee, tea, cashew, rubber, and oil palm).
• Insect pests of medicinal and aromatic crops.
• Pest surveillance and forecasting, storage pests of fruits, plantation, medicinal, and aromatic produce and processed products.
• Insecticide residue management, MRLs, PHI, and safe pest management practices for domestic and export markets.

Soil Science

Soil Physics, Chemistry and Soil Fertility

• Physical properties of soils: texture, structure, bulk density, porosity, aggregation, consistency, and soil-water relationships.
• Soil colloids, cation and anion exchange, soil reaction (pH), electrical conductivity (EC), salinity, sodicity, and calcareousness.
• Soil organic matter, humus formation, and C:N ratio.
• Essential plant nutrients: functions, deficiency symptoms, transformations, and availability in soils.
• Nutrient dynamics of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, sulphur, calcium, magnesium, and micronutrients.
• Soil fertility and productivity, integrated nutrient management (INM), soil health, and soil quality concepts.

Problem Soils and Soil Resource Management

• Characteristics, classification, and management of acid soils, saline soils, sodic soils, saline-sodic soils, calcareous soils, waterlogged soils, and degraded soils.
• Irrigation water quality (pH, EC, SAR, RSC) and management of poor-quality irrigation water.
• Soil amendments: lime, gypsum, and organic amendments.
• Sustainable soil management for horticultural crops under diverse agro-climatic conditions.

Soil, Plant and Water Analysis

• Principles and methods of soil, plant, and irrigation water sampling.
• Laboratory analytical techniques for estimation of soil pH, EC, organic carbon, available nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, sulphur, and micronutrients (Fe, Zn, Cu, Mn, B).
• Plant tissue analysis, irrigation water quality analysis.
• Working principles, operation, and applications of pH meter, conductivity meter, spectrophotometer, flame photometer, atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS), ICP, and other analytical instruments.
• Interpretation of analytical results for nutrient recommendations.

Fertilizers, Organic Manures and Agricultural Chemistry

• Classification, properties, manufacture, and quality standards of fertilizers (straight, complex, mixed, secondary, and micronutrient fertilizers).
• Characteristics and use of major fertilizers (urea, DAP, SSP, MOP, SOP, water-soluble fertilizers).
• Methods and timing of fertilizer application, fertilizer-use efficiency, Fertilizer Control Order (FCO).
• Organic manures (FYM, compost, vermicompost, green manures, enriched organics).
• Biofertilizers (Rhizobium, Azotobacter, Azospirillum, phosphate-solubilizing microorganisms, mycorrhizae).
• Integrated nutrient management, site-specific nutrient management, and precision nutrient management.

Microbial Transformations and Nutrient Cycling

• Role of microorganisms in carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulphur cycles.
• Decomposition of organic matter and humus formation.
• Biological nitrogen fixation (symbiotic, associative, free-living systems).
• Ammonification, nitrification, and denitrification.
• Phosphorus mineralization and solubilization, mechanisms of phosphate solubilization.
• Mycorrhizae (ectomycorrhizae and endomycorrhizae), their biology, ecology, and role in nutrient mobilization and plant growth promotion.
• Microbial transformations of essential nutrients and their significance in soil fertility.

Agricultural Microbiology and Bio-inputs

• Biofertilizers (Rhizobium, Azotobacter, Azospirillum, phosphate-solubilizing microorganisms, potassium-solubilizing microorganisms, cyanobacteria, mycorrhizae): production technology, quality standards, and field application.
• Biopesticides based on bacteria, fungi, viruses, and beneficial microorganisms.
• Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), microbial consortia, microbial inoculants for sustainable horticulture.
• Role of microorganisms in composting, vermicomposting, waste recycling, biodegradation, and bioremediation.
• Microbial management of agricultural and horticultural wastes.

Agricultural Engineering

Farm Power and Agricultural Machinery

• Forms and sources of energy in agriculture, units and dimensions of force, work, energy, and power, energy calculations and efficiency.
• Internal combustion (IC) engines: principles of operation of spark ignition and compression ignition engines, two-stroke and four-stroke engines, engine components, terminology, performance, and maintenance.
• Tractors: classification, selection, power transmission systems, operation, maintenance, and applications in horticulture.
• Farm machinery management and economics.

Tillage, Planting and Intercultural Equipment

• Objectives and principles of tillage, primary and secondary tillage operations.
• Construction, working principles, adjustment, calibration, field capacity, and maintenance of tillage implements (indigenous ploughs, improved ploughs, mouldboard ploughs, disc ploughs, rotary tillers, cultivators, harrows, levellers, ridgers, bund formers).
• Sowing, planting, and transplanting equipment (seed drills, precision planters, potato planters, vegetable transplanters).
• Intercultural implements (hoes, weeders, sweep cultivators, power weeders).
• Mechanization of horticultural crop production systems.

Soil and Water Engineering

• Soil-water-plant relationships.
• Irrigation methods: surface, sprinkler, drip, and micro-irrigation systems.
• Irrigation scheduling, water-use efficiency, and fertigation.
• Pumps, pipelines, and irrigation accessories.
• Rainwater harvesting, watershed management, and groundwater recharge.
• Soil and water conservation measures, land development, and drainage systems.
• Precision irrigation technologies for horticultural crops.

Social and Allied Sciences

Agricultural Extension Education

• Extension education systems in India, extension approaches and methodologies, technology assessment, refinement, and transfer.
• ICAR extension programmes, extension programme planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation.
• Communication process, models, barriers, and feedback.
• Extension teaching methods and audio-visual aids.
• Information and communication technologies (ICT), digital agriculture, e-extension, and mobile-based advisory services.
• Diffusion and adoption of innovations, innovation-decision process.
• Leadership development, group dynamics, human resource development, capacity building.
• Management principles and functions, monitoring and evaluation.
• Entrepreneurship development, agripreneurship, startup ecosystem, government policies, schemes, incentives for entrepreneurship promotion.
• Extension reforms and public-private partnerships.

Computer Science and Information Technology

• Fundamentals of computers: hardware and software, operating systems, input, output, and storage devices.
• Computer networks, internet, web technologies, and cloud computing.
• MS Office applications, database management, cybersecurity basics, digital communication tools.
• Applications of information technology in horticulture, agriculture, research, extension, precision farming, GIS, remote sensing, and decision support systems.
• Emerging technologies: artificial intelligence, machine learning, Internet of Things (IoT), drones, and big data in agriculture.

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Management

• Principles of micro and macroeconomics, consumer behavior, demand, supply, and price determination, elasticity of demand and supply.
• Production economics and production functions, laws of returns.
• Cost concepts, cost analysis, and break-even analysis.
• Farm management, farm planning, and budgeting.
• Agricultural finance, credit, and financial institutions.
• Project formulation and appraisal, investment analysis (BCR, NPV, IRR, payback period).
• Agricultural marketing systems, market structure, marketing functions, channels, and price spread.
• Value chain and supply chain management, grading, standardization, and quality assurance.
• SWOT analysis, agribusiness management, contract farming, Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs).
• Agricultural insurance and risk management.
• NABARD and other institutional support systems.
• WTO, international trade, export-import policies, and agricultural marketing reforms.

How to Access the Assistant Horticulture Officer Syllabus