Protected Cultivation Credit hours: 3(2+1)

Protected cultivation- importance and scope, Status of protected cultivation in India and World types of protected structure based on site and climate. Cladding material involved in greenhouse/ poly house. Greenhouse design, environment control, artificial lights, Automation. Soil preparation and management, Substrate management. Types of benches and containers. Irrigation and fertigation management. Propagation and production of quality planting material of horticultural crops. Greenhouse cultivation of important horticultural crops – rose, carnation, chrysanthemum, gerbera, orchid, anthurium, lilium, tulip, tomato, bell pepper, cucumber, strawberry, pot plants, etc. Cultivation of economically important medicinal and aromatic plants. Off-season production of flowers and vegetables. Insect pest and disease management.

Raising of seedlings and saplings under protected conditions, use of protrays in quality planting material production, Bed preparation and planting of crop for production, Inter cultural operations, Soil EC and pH measurement, Regulation of irrigation and fertilizers through drip, fogging ad misting.

10. 
    Micro propagation Technologies Credit hours: 3(1+2)
    

Meaning and concept of in vitro culture and micro-propagation; Historical milestones, advancement and future prospects of micro-propagation; totipotency, dedifferentiation; Tissue culture methodology: Sterile techniques, synthetic and natural media components, growth regulators, environmental requirement, genetic control of regeneration; Plant regeneration pathways - Organogenesis and Somatic embryogenesis;

Micro-propagation- Definition, methods, stages of micro-propagation and its significance; Axillary bud proliferation approach- Shoot tip and meristem culture; Organogenesis- Purpose, methods and requirements for organogenesis, indirect and direct organogenesis; Somatic embryogenesis- Procedures and requirements for organogenesis, indirect and direct embryogenesis; Differences between somatic and gametic embryogenesis, Synthetic seed- Concepts, necessity, procedure and requirements for production of synthetic seeds.

Practical

Laboratory organization, sterilization techniques for explants, glassware, plastic wares, lab wares and working platform. Preparation of stocks and working solution. Preparation and sterilization of growth regulators. Preparation of working medium and experimentation on determining optimum concentration of growth regulators. Callus induction and regeneration of whole plants from different parts of plants. Direct regeneration into whole plants using bud, node and other tissues. Induction of somatic embryos. Experiments of synthetic seeds production and testing storability and germination efficiency.

11. 
    Hi-tech. Horticulture Credit hours: 3(2+1)
    

Introduction & importance; Nursery management and mechanization; micro propagation of horticultural crops; Modern field preparation and planting methods, Protected cultivation: advantages, controlled conditions, method and techniques, Micro irrigation systems and its components; EC, pH based fertilizer scheduling, canopy management, high density orcharding, Components of precision farming: Remote sensing, Geographical Information System (GIS), Differential Geo-positioning System (DGPS), Variable Rate applicator (VRA), application of precision farming in horticultural crops (fruits, vegetables and ornamental crops); mechanized harvesting of produce.

Types of playhouses and shade net houses, Intercultural operations, tools and equipments identification and application, Micro propagation, Nursery-portrays, micro-irrigation, EC, pH based fertilizer scheduling, canopy management, visit to hi-tech orchard/nursery.

12. 
    Weed Management Credit hours: 3(2+1)
    

Introduction to weeds, characteristics of weeds their harmful and beneficial effects on ecosystem. Classification, reproduction and dissemination of weeds. Herbicide classification, concept of adjuvant, surfactant, herbicide formulation and their use. Introduction to mode of action of herbicides and selectivity. Allelopathy and its application for weed management. Bio-herbicides and their application in agriculture. Concept of herbicide mixture and utility in agriculture. Herbicide compatibility with nutrients and their application. Integration of herbicides with non chemical methods of weed management. Herbicide Resistance and its management.

Techniques of weed preservation. Weed identification and their losses study. Biology of important weeds. Study of herbicide formulations and mixture of herbicide. Herbicide and nutrient compatibility study. Shift of weed flora study in long term experiments. Study of methods of herbicide application, spraying equipments. Calculations of herbicide doses and weed control efficiency and weed index.

The present priorities, opportunities and threats of agriculture sector have changed. Accordingly, agricultural education has now to evolve in tune with fast changing national and international scenario. Future agriculture is dominated by looming dangers of food insecurity due to stagnating/declining productivity and profitability as well as degradation and depletion of natural resources. The agriculture is also confronted with the face of changing climate. Millions of Indian farmers own uneconomic land holdings and the fragmentation is increasing day by day. Another daunting concern is the post- harvest losses to the crops. Moreover, agriculture sector has to continuously sustain majority of Indian population in the future besides providing an economically lucrative employment alternative to the vast youth population of the country.

Looking into the requirement, there is the need to revisit the present perspective of higher agricultural education to cater to the present day local and global needs. The agricultural graduates need to be thoroughly equipped with knowledge, skills, ability to emerge as an entrepreneur in agriculture and allied sector as well as to become a solution-provider in rural areas to promote the much-required transformation of Indian villages with commercial propositions to traditional agriculture. Certain aspects on which more emphasis is required in agricultural education is linked to curricula, skill generation, employability traits and infrastructure which is essentially required in any agricultural institution, if they have to perform adequately according to global competitiveness.

All this requires setting up of minimum standards for higher education in agriculture in terms of infrastructure, manpower and other logistics so that students get required facilities to enhance their capabilities and deliver as per need.

The Indian Council of Agricultural Research took the task to frame Minimum Standards of Higher Agricultural Education and constituted committees for all subjects of Agricultural Sciences. Reports of all these committees have been taken into consideration while finalisiing the norms, standards and academic regulations for the respective disciplines.

1. 
   Name of the degree : B.Sc. Agriculture (Hons.)
   
2. 
   Eligibility:
   

1. 
   Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Biology
   
2. 
   Physics, Chemistry, Biology or
   
3. 
   Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics or
   
4. 
   Agriculture
   

3. 
   Medium of Instruction : English
   
4. 
   Minimum Admission Strength : 60 (Sixty)
   
5. 
   Divisions/Departments/Sections
   

1. 
   Agronomy
   
2. 
   Agricultural Economics
   
3. 
   Agricultural Extension & Communication
   
4. 
   Entomology
   
5. 
   Genetics and Plant Breeding
   
6. 
   Horticulture
   
7. 
   Food Science and Technology
   
8. 
   Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry
   
9. 
   Agro-meteorology
   
10. 
    Plant Pathology
    
11. 
    Animal Sciences
    
12. 
    Fisheries
    
13. 
    Biochemistry
    
14. 
    Crop Physiology
    
15. 
    Agricultural Engineering
    
16. 
    Agro-forestry
    
17. 
    Seed Science and Technology
    
18. 
    Environmental Sciences
    
19. 
    Microbiology
    
20. 
    Basic Sciences and Humanities
    

b) Sociology and Psychology

c) English

d) Mathematics

e) Computer Sciences

f) Statistics

21. 
    Non-credit course: NCC/NSS/Physical Education, etc.
    

6. 
   Model -Divisions/Departments/Sections proposed alongwith Cadre-wise teaching staff required.
   

7. 
   Administrative Staff requirement for Divisions/Departments/Sections
   

8. 
   Manpower Requirement of Dean’s Office