Syllabus for the ICAR JRF Exam in Plant Biotechnology

Syllabus for the ICAR JRF Exam in Plant Biotechnology

Code 01: Major Subject Group - Plant Biotechnology 

(Sub-Subjects: 1.1: Plant Biochemistry/Biochemistry 1.2: Plant Biotechnology & Molecular Biology/Biotechnology 1.3: Plant/Crop Physiology)

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Unit I:

• Importance of agriculture in national economy
• Basic principles of crop production
• Cultivation of rice, wheat, chickpea, pigeon-pea, sugarcane, groundnut, tomato, and mango
• Major soils of India
• Role of NPK and their deficiency symptoms
• General structure and function of cell organelles
• Mitosis and meiosis
• Mendelian genetics
• Elementary knowledge of growth, development, photosynthesis, respiration, and transpiration
• Elements of economic botany
• General structure and function of carbohydrates, proteins, nucleic acids, enzymes, and vitamins
• Major pests and diseases of rice, wheat, cotton, chickpea, sugarcane, and their management
• Organic farming
• Bio-fertilizers
• Bio-pesticides
• Recombinant DNA technology
• Transgenic crops
• Important rural development programmes in India
• Organizational set up of agricultural research, education, and extension in India
• Elements of statistics

Unit II:

• Importance of biochemistry in agriculture
• Acid-base concept and buffers
• pH
• Classification, structure, and metabolic functions of carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins
• Structure and function of nucleic acids
• Enzymes: structure, nomenclature, mechanism of action
• Vitamins and minerals as coenzymes and cofactors
• Metabolic pathways: glycolysis, TCA cycle, fatty acid oxidation, triglyceride biosynthesis
• Electron transport chain
• ATP formation
• Photosynthesis: C-3, C-4, and CAM pathways
• Nitrate assimilation
• Biological nitrogen fixation
• Colorimetric and chromatographic techniques

Unit III:

• Characteristics of prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms
• Differences between fungi, bacteria, mycoplasms, and viruses
• Physical and chemical basis of heredity
• Chromosome structure
• DNA replication, transcription, and translation
• Genetic code
• Operon concept
• Genetic engineering
• Restriction enzymes
• Vectors
• Gene cloning
• Gene transfer
• Plant cell and tissue culture
• Micro-propagation
• Somaclonal variation
• Transformation
• Recombination
• Heterosis
• General application of biotechnology
• Molecular and immunological techniques
• Concept of bioinformatics, genomics, and proteomics

Unit IV: Plant Physiology/Crop Physiology:

• Plant physiology – importance in agriculture
• Seed germination, viability, and vigor
• Photosynthesis – significance of C-3, C-4, and CAM pathways
• Photorespiration and its implications
• Translocation of assimilates
• Dry matter partitioning
• Harvest index of crops
• Growth and development
• Growth analysis
• Crop-water relationship
• Plant nutrients and their functions
• Phytohormones and their physiological role
• Photo-periodism, vernalization
• Pollination/fertilization in flowering plants
• Post-harvest physiology and its significance

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