Tamil Nadu HSE Second Year Agricultural Science study plan

List and define the core agronomic terms (tillage, cropping system, crop rotation, sole and mixed cropping, relay and sequence cropping) and write a one-line definition for each in your own words

Classify the major field crops of Tamil Nadu into cereals, pulses, oilseeds, fibre and sugar crops, and state the season (Kharif, Rabi, summer) and approximate duration for each

Describe the steps in land preparation and seedbed preparation for rice, groundnut and sugarcane, and explain why puddling is done only for lowland rice

Explain the soil profile horizons and the physical properties of soil (texture, structure, porosity, bulk density, water-holding capacity) with a labelled sketch you draw yourself

Distinguish between macro- and micro-nutrients, list the 16 essential elements, and state the primary function and one deficiency symptom for each of N, P and K

Work out a crop rotation for a two-year cycle on a 1-hectare dryland plot and justify it on the basis of nutrient balance, pest break and income

Explain the principles and methods of weed control (cultural, mechanical, chemical) and name two herbicides used in rice and two in groundnut with their mode of action groups

Identify and describe the damage symptoms of five major insect pests of Tamil Nadu field crops (stem borer, brown planthopper, leaf folder, aphid, whitefly) and match each to its host crop

Describe the symptoms, causal organism and one management practice each for five major field-crop diseases (blast, bacterial leaf blight, sheath blight, groundnut leaf spot, red rot of sugarcane)

Prepare a pest-and-disease identification table with columns for pest or pathogen, host crop, symptom, and control measure

Explain integrated pest management (IPM) and integrated disease management (IDM) and give one example each of mechanical, biological, cultural and chemical control in a rice ecosystem

Classify pesticides by mode of entry (stomach, contact, systemic, fumigant) and state the safety precautions and waiting period rules for harvested produce

Describe photosynthesis (C3, C4 and CAM pathways), respiration and transpiration, and explain why C4 crops such as maize and sugarcane yield more under high light and temperature

Explain the role of water in the plant, define field capacity, permanent wilting point and available water, and describe the four methods of irrigation (flood, furrow, sprinkler, drip) with one crop suited to each

Calculate the irrigation interval for a given crop from field capacity, wilting point and daily water use, and show your working

Explain soil fertility versus soil productivity, and describe how organic matter, cation exchange capacity and soil pH affect nutrient availability

List the major fertilisers used in Tamil Nadu (urea, DAP, superphosphate, muriate of potash, complex fertilisers) with their N-P-K content, and compute the quantity needed for a given recommended dose

Describe the methods of fertiliser application (broadcasting, band placement, placement, fertigation, foliar spray) and when each is preferred

Explain biofertilisers (Rhizobium, Azospirillum, Azotobacter, phosphobacteria, mycorrhiza) and green manure crops, and state the benefits of each

Diagnose nutrient deficiency from described leaf symptoms for N, P, K, Fe, Zn and B, and state the corrective measure for each

Classify horticultural crops into fruits, vegetables, flowers, spices and plantation crops, and give three Tamil Nadu examples of each

Describe propagation methods (seed, cutting, layering, grafting, budding, tissue culture) and select the appropriate method for five named crops with a reason

Explain the package of practices for one vegetable and one flower crop, covering nursery raising, spacing, manuring, irrigation and harvest stage

Describe the parts and functions of the tractor, mouldboard plough, disc plough, cultivator and seed drill, and explain the difference between primary and secondary tillage implements

Explain post-harvest operations (cleaning, grading, drying, storage) and state the safe moisture content for storing paddy and pulses and the purpose of a cold store

List the common cattle and buffalo breeds of Tamil Nadu and India (Kangayam, Umblachery, Kankrej, Murrah) and state one distinguishing feature and use of each

Describe the housing, feeding and health-care practices for dairy cattle, and explain the composition and nutritive value of green fodder, dry fodder and concentrate

Explain clean milk production, the steps in milking, and the composition of cow and buffalo milk, and define pasteurisation and its methods

Describe poultry rearing: layers versus broilers, housing, incubation, and the common diseases of poultry with one control measure each

Explain sericulture (mulberry cultivation, silkworm rearing stages, reeling) and the basics of inland and brackish-water fish culture and farm forestry in Tamil Nadu

Explain the branches of agricultural economics and define farm management, and distinguish between fixed and variable costs with three farm examples of each

Compute gross income, total cost, net income, benefit-cost ratio and break-even point for a described 1-hectare crop enterprise, showing all steps

Describe the role of extension in technology transfer and name the extension methods (individual, group, mass) with one example of each

Explain the steps in planning and executing a school or village-level crop project: selecting the crop, recording observations, and writing the report

Describe the layout and recording practices for a field experiment (randomisation, replication, plot size, yield recording) and state why replications are needed

Revise all ten domains using your own summary sheets, and write a one-page condensed formula and definition sheet per domain group

Complete at least two full-length timed practice papers under exam conditions and mark them yourself against the textbook

Re-study every question you answered incorrectly, and record the reason for each error (concept gap, calculation slip, misreading)

Recite from memory the key lists: 16 essential elements, IPM components, irrigation methods, cattle breeds, extension methods, and farm-machinery parts

Prepare a final one-page 'weak points' sheet and re-test yourself on it until you score correctly twice in a row