🍃 BSc Agriculture Semester 5 Subjects, Syllabus & Notes — ICAR 6th Deans' Committee

BSc Agriculture Semester 5 - Subjects, Syllabus and Study Focus

Semester 5 is a major turning point in the B.Sc. Agriculture curriculum because it brings together crop function, crop health, weather, marketing, and system design. Students are no longer just learning what a subject means. They are expected to interpret why crops behave in certain ways, why losses happen, and how management decisions should be made.

Year: Third Year
Semester: V
Credits: 22 (13 Theory + 9 Practical)
Additional component: Mandatory 10-12 day study tour with non-gradial credits
Framework: ICAR Sixth Deans' Committee, NEP-2020 aligned

Semester 5 at a glance

Area	What you study
Markets and value chains	Agricultural marketing and trade
Weather and crop response	Introductory agrometeorology
Plant function	Crop physiology
Crop protection	Pest management, disease management, weed management
Crop improvement	Kharif crop improvement
Diversified production systems	Ornamental crops, MAPs, landscaping, agroforestry

All subjects in Semester 5

S.No	Subject	Credits	Theory	Practical	Content
1	Agricultural Marketing and Trade	3	2	1	Study Now →
2	Introduction to Agro-meteorology	2	1	1	Study Now →
3	Fundamentals of Crop Physiology	3	2	1	Study Now →
4	Pest Management in Crops and Stored Grains	3	2	1	Study Now →
5	Diseases of Field and Horticultural Crops and their Management	3	2	1	Study Now →
6	Crop Improvement (Kharif Crops) - I	2	1	1	Study Now →
7	Weed Management	2	1	1	Study Now →
8	Ornamental Crops, MAPs and Landscaping	2	1	1	Study Now →
9	Introductory Agroforestry	2	1	1	Study Now →
-	Study Tour	2	-	-	Mandatory field exposure

Total: 22 Credits + study tour component

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1. Agricultural Marketing and Trade

Credits: 3(2+1)
Study Now →

This subject explains what happens after production. Students learn that agriculture is not complete at harvest; it continues through grading, transport, pricing, market access, policy, and trade.

What this subject usually covers

• meaning and scope of agricultural marketing
• market channels, middlemen, costs, margins, and price spread
• MSP, procurement, regulation, and market reforms
• cooperative marketing, contract farming, and e-NAM
• export institutions and trade-related issues

Why it matters

Farmers do not benefit from yield alone. They benefit when production is linked to a workable marketing system. This paper helps students understand the economic side of agriculture beyond the farm gate.

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2. Introduction to Agro-meteorology

Credits: 2(1+1)
Study Now →

Agrometeorology teaches students how weather and climate affect crop growth, yield, risk, and planning. It is a highly practical subject because many farm decisions depend on rainfall, temperature, humidity, wind, and radiation.

What this subject usually covers

• atmosphere and weather elements
• weather instruments and observation
• crop-weather relationships
• monsoon, drought, and agro-climatic zones
• climate change, advisories, and weather-based planning

Why it matters

Students learn that weather is not background information. It is an active production factor that shapes sowing, irrigation, pest incidence, harvest timing, and contingency planning.

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3. Fundamentals of Crop Physiology

Credits: 3(2+1)
Study Now →

Crop physiology explains how plants function internally. This includes water relations, photosynthesis, respiration, mineral nutrition, growth regulators, flowering responses, and seed dormancy.

What this subject usually covers

• plant-water relations and nutrient uptake
• transpiration and translocation
• photosynthesis and respiration
• plant growth regulators
• germination, dormancy, photoperiodism, and vernalization

Why it matters

Physiology helps students interpret the "why" behind field observations. A visible crop response often reflects an internal process, and this subject connects those two levels clearly.

Example: A crop with delayed flowering or poor growth may be responding to day length, temperature, nutrient imbalance, or hormonal effects, not just management failure.

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4. Pest Management in Crops and Stored Grains

Credits: 3(2+1)
Study Now →

This course develops the logic of insect management in both standing crops and stored produce. It trains students to move from simple identification to threshold-based, integrated decision-making.

What this subject usually covers

• pest status, ETL, EIL, and IPM
• major insect pests of field crops, vegetables, and stored grains
• cultural, biological, physical, and chemical control methods
• pesticide groups, formulations, residues, and safe use

Why it matters

Good pest management is not equal to frequent pesticide use. The subject teaches selection, timing, threshold awareness, and integrated control strategy.

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5. Diseases of Field and Horticultural Crops and their Management

Credits: 3(2+1)
Study Now →

This course focuses on major crop diseases and the principles used to manage them. It builds diagnostic ability through symptom recognition, pathogen understanding, and integrated disease management.

What this subject usually covers

• major diseases of cereals, pulses, oilseeds, cotton, fruits, and vegetables
• fungal, bacterial, and viral disease patterns
• principles of exclusion, protection, eradication, and resistance
• fungicides, biocontrol agents, and IDM

Why it matters

Students learn to distinguish disease causes and choose management strategies based on symptoms, epidemiology, and crop stage rather than guesswork.

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6. Crop Improvement (Kharif Crops) - I

Credits: 2(1+1)
Study Now →

This paper applies breeding principles to important kharif crops. It helps students see how breeding objectives differ across cereals, pulses, oilseeds, and fibre crops.

What this subject usually covers

• breeding objectives in kharif crops
• improved varieties and hybrids of rice, maize, sorghum, pearl millet, soybean, groundnut, and cotton
• institutional contributions to crop improvement
• biotechnology support for breeding

Why it matters

Students learn to connect variety traits with breeding goals such as yield, quality, stress tolerance, and resistance.

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7. Weed Management

Credits: 2(1+1)
Study Now →

Weed management is more than herbicide names. This subject helps students understand weed biology, competition, classification, and integrated control strategies.

What this subject usually covers

• weed classification and harmful effects
• critical period of weed competition
• preventive, cultural, mechanical, biological, and chemical control
• herbicide timing, selectivity, resistance, and crop-wise weed management

Why it matters

Weeds quietly reduce yield and efficiency. This subject sharpens observation and helps students plan weed control as part of the full crop-management program.

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8. Ornamental Crops, MAPs and Landscaping

Credits: 2(1+1)
Study Now →

This course widens the student's view of horticulture by including flowers, medicinal and aromatic plants, and designed landscapes.

What this subject usually covers

• ornamental crop types and production
• cut-flower handling and floriculture basics
• cultivation of key medicinal and aromatic plants
• principles of landscaping, garden elements, and turf management

Why it matters

This subject exposes students to high-value and specialized horticultural enterprises that often have strong urban, export, and entrepreneurship relevance.

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9. Introductory Agroforestry

Credits: 2(1+1)
Study Now →

Agroforestry introduces the idea that trees and crops can be managed together in productive systems. It expands the farm perspective from single-season output to long-term ecological and economic design.

What this subject usually covers

• concept, scope, and classification of agroforestry systems
• benefits of tree-crop-livestock integration
• social, farm, and community forestry relevance
• system examples suitable for Indian conditions

Why it matters

Agroforestry is increasingly important for diversification, soil protection, carbon benefits, and resilience under variable climate conditions.

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Study tour - Why it is included

The Semester 5 study tour is not a side activity. It is meant to expose students to real farms, institutions, markets, research stations, and regional production systems. This is where many classroom topics begin to make sense together.

Semester 5 - Key learning focus

Focus	Related subjects
Plant performance and crop response	Crop physiology, agrometeorology
Crop-health diagnosis and management	Pest management, disease management, weed management
Post-production and farm economics	Agricultural marketing and trade
Breeding perspective	Kharif crop improvement
Diversified and long-term systems	Ornamental crops, MAPs, landscaping, agroforestry

What students should be able to do after Semester 5

By the end of Semester 5, a student should be able to:

• explain how weather and physiology affect crop growth
• compare major pest, disease, and weed management approaches
• understand the basics of farm produce marketing and price spread
• describe breeding progress in major kharif crops
• appreciate diversified systems like floriculture and agroforestry

Quick summary

Semester 5 is where agricultural learning becomes more field-interpretable and professionally connected. It links plant function, crop health, weather, markets, and diversified production systems into one study block.

Source: ICAR Sixth Deans' Committee Report, 2024 | Programme: B.Sc. (Hons) Agriculture

Summary Cheat Sheet

Topic	Key takeaway
Main focus	BSc Agriculture Semester 5 complete subjects, syllabus and notes as per ICAR 6th Deans' Committee 2024. Crop Physiology, Pest Management, Disease Management, Weed Management, Agro-meteorology, Agroforestry, Agricultural Marketing. 22 credits (13 Theory + 9 Practical).
Section context	Revise this lesson with the rest of this course for stronger conceptual continuity.