SYLLABUS FOR THE RECURITMENT TO THE POST OF SERICULTURE OFFICERS IN A.P.

SERICULTURE SERVICE
PAPER-I: GENERAL STUDIES AND MENTAL ABILITY

1. Events of national and international importance.

2. Current affairs- international, national and regional.
3. General Science and it applications to the day to day life Contemporary developments in
Science & Technology and information Technology.
4. Social- economic and political history of modern India with emphasis on Andhra
Pradesh.
5. Indian polity and governance: constitutional issues, public policy, reforms and
e-governance initiatives with specific reference to Andhra Pradesh.
6. Economic development in India since independence with emphasis on
Andhra Pradesh.
7. Physical geography of Indian sub-continent and Andhra Pradesh.
8. Disaster management: vulnerability profile, prevention and mitigation strategies,
Application of Remote Sensing and GIS in the assessment of Disaster.
9. Sustainable Development and Environmental Protection
10. Logical reasoning, analytical ability and data interpretation.
11. Data Analysis:
a) Tabulation of data
b) Visual representation of data
c) Basic data analysis (Summary Statistics such as mean, median, mode, variance
and coefficient of variation) and Interpretation
12. Bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh and its Administrative, Economic, Social, Cultural,
Political, and Legal implications/problems.
 PAPER-2:
SERICULTURE - I
1. GENERAL INTRODUCTION TO SERICULTURE AND ITS DISTRIBUTION IN INDIA.
Types of silk produced in India- Status of mulberry and non-mulberry Sericulture in India and at
Global level- Economic importance - Scope of Sericulture in India- Employment potential and
income generation of sericulture industry- History of Sericulture

2. MULBERRY CULTIVATION
Taxonomy and morphology of mulberry - Mulberry classification -Varieties and their
distribution.
Mulberry cultivation practices under irrigated and rainfed conditions and schedule of
package of practices
Suitable soils- Location and climate for mulberry cultivation
Mulberry propagation: Sexual and Vegetative propagation
Cuttings: Preparation of Cuttings - Raising of nurseries
Grafting: Stem - Root - Bud grafting techniques
Layering: Ground- Air- Trench layering methods
Planting systems: Row system- Pit system -Paired row system
Fertilizer schedules for irrigated and raifed mulberry gardens
Pruning: Objectives and methods
Harvesting- Transportation - Preservation of mulberry leaves.

3. DISEASES AND PESTS OF MULBERRY

Diseases: General account of mulberry diseases - Foliar diseases - Root diseases - Stem
diseases –Causes – Symptoms-Preventive and control measures
Deficiency diseases – Causes – Symptoms-Preventive and control measures
Nematodes infesting mulberry- Occurrence- Distribution- Crop loss- Preventive and control
measures
Pests: Leaf hoppers- Scale insects- Mealy bugs- White flies- Hairy caterpillars- Leaf cutters-
Termites- Distribution- Signs of attack- Crop losses –Preventive and control measures -
Integrated pest management (IPM)

4. SILKWORM BIOLOGY AND PHYSIOLOGY

Systematic position of mulberry silkworm- External morphology of silkworm-Egg, Larva, Pupa
and Adult - Embryology-Structure of Egg-Fertilization-Cleavage-Blastoderm-Germ band
formation-Blastokinesis-Involution of the embryo
Physiology of Digestion-Respiration-Circulation-Excretion-Glandular system- Reproduction

5. PREPARATION FOR SILKWORM REARING

Number of cocoon crops per year – Silkworm races - Model rearing house – Different types
of rearing houses – Rearing appliances - Sanitation – Importance and methods of disinfection
– Different disinfectants – Bed disinfectants

6. REARING TECHNOLOGIES
Chawki Rearing Concept: Procurement silkworm eggs – Incubation – Black Boxing - Brushing
of silkworms – Young age silkworm rearing technology - Late age silkworm rearing technology
- Cleaning - Spacing -Objectives of spacing – Optimum spacing for different ages – Care
during molting - Feeding behavior –Frequency- Preservation and quantity of mulberry leaf –
Artificial diet - Environmental factors – Optimum conditions – Devices to control temperature
and humidity.
Mounting and spinning: Methods of mounting – Types of mountages – Population Density –
Care during mounting spinning process – Harvesting of Cocoons – Time of Harvest – Cocoon
sorting – Assessment – Transportation and Marketing.

7. SILK WORM EGG PRODUCTION

Marketing of seed cocoons and price fixing- Silkworm seed organization and its significance
(bivoltine and multivoltine).
Grainage operations: Procurement and preservation of seed cocoons- Sex separation- Moth
emergence- Mating- Oviposition – Sheet and loose egg preparation - Packing and sale of
eggs - Mother moth examination- Surface sterilization of eggs- Acid treatment of
hibernating eggs - Embryonic growth - Hibernating (Diapausing) eggs - Techniques of cold
storage of eggs - Artificial hatching
8. SILKWORM DISEASES
Types of diseases – Etiology – Viral diseases : Nuclear polyhedrosis – Cytoplasmic polyhedrosis
– Infectious flacherie – Densonucleosis – Causative agents – Symptomology-Prophylactic
measures
Bacterial diseases: Bacterial diseases of digestive tract-Bacterial septicemia – Toxicosis –
Causative agents- Symptomology- Prophylactic measures
Fungal diseases: White muscardine – Types – Causative agents – Life Cycle – Symptomology-
Prophylactic measures
Protozoan diseases: Pebrine – History Causative agent – Life Cycle – Mode of Transmission –
Symptomology- Prophylactic measures

9. PESTS OF SILKWORM
Pests of Silkworm: Uzi fly – Classification - Morphology and life cycle of the parasitoid –Extent of
crop loss – Management of Uzi fly menace – Dermested beetles – Life Cycle and control

10. COCOON ASSESSMENT AND PROCESSING TECHNOLOGIES

Cocoon properties-Assessment –Types of defective cocoon - Shell percentage -Shell ratio -
Filament length - Denier - Renditta- Raw silk percentage.
Cocoon stifling /drying- Objectives - Cocoon storage and preservation of cocoon in silk
reeling units-Cocoon boiling/cooking- Different methods

11. SILK REELING TECHNOLOGY

Silk reeling: Country charakha- Improved charakha - Cottage basin – Multiend- Semi
automatic - Automatic reeling machines - Passage of thread in various reeling machines-
Functions of components of reeling machines- Reeling basin- Jettebout-Porcelein button-
Croissure- Chambon type and tavellette type- Guide pulley -Tension pulley- Traverse
mechanism- Reel- Swift- Reel stop motion- Denier control device-Re reeling

12. SILK TESTING AND SPUN SILK PROCESSING

Raw silk testing- Visual and mechanical tests - Winding test- Size test- Tenacity- Elongation
test-Evenness, cleanness and neatness tests- Cohesion, Testing and grading -Spun silk
industry- Raw materials- Processing at different stages of spun silk fibers

13. NON-MULBERRY SERICULTURE

Introduction to Eri, Tasar and Muga culture- Distribution – Classification and Life cycle of Eri,
Tasar and Muga- Primary and secondary food plants of Eri, Tasar and Muga silkworms-
Geographical distribution - Cocoon production technology – Disinfection – Incubation-Young
age silkworm rearing -Late age silkworm rearing– Spinning- Harvesting

14. VALUE ADDED PRODUCTS OF MULBERRY AND SILKWORM

Value-adding Potentials in mulberry: Chemical composition of mulberry leaf and fruit -
Nutritional and medicinal values of mulberry –Other uses- value-adding potentials in seed and
cocoon production –Nutritional value of Silkworm and silkmoth- Cocoon and silk art craft
application - Silkworm as biotechnological and laboratory tool.

15. VALUE ADDED PRODUCTS OF SILK

Types of silk wastes – Spun silk- Noil yarn and its utility - Silkworm pupae as food material and its
nutritional value - Pupal oil extraction and its uses-Defective and double cocoons for
production of dupion silk- Application of silk protein- Fibroin and sericin as biomaterials-
Pharmaceutical- Biomedical application- Cosmetic application
 SERICULTURE - II

AGRICULTURE AND BIOSCIENCES

1. PRINCIPLES OF AGRONOMY
Agriculture in India - Indian economy – National income – Per capita income –Agricultural
income in GDP -Different agro climatic Zones of India and Andhra Pradesh - Crops and major
soils - Classification – Economic and agricultural importance in India and Andhra Pradesh

2. PRINCIPLES OF SOIL SCIENCE

Soils of Andhra Pradesh - Major soil types- Characteristics and their distribution Problematic soils
and their management: Acid and saline soils and methods of reclamation

3. MANURES AND FERTILIZERS

Organic manures and their applications: Farm yard manure-Compost-Vermicompost-Oil
cakes, Methods of compost and vermicompost preparations.
Green manuring: Green manure crops and their relevance in soil productivity.
Chemical fertilizers: Classification- Composition - Properties of major Nitrogenous, Phosphatic
and potassic fertilizers, Secondary and micronutrient fertilizers, Complex fertilizers, Nano
fertilizers.
Foliar nutrition: Foliar nutrient formulations- Mode of applications- Merits and demerits.
Bio fertilizers: Types: Nitrogen- Phosphate -Cellulolytic- Biological nitrogen fixation Importance-
Applications and limitations

4. IRRIGATION AND WATER MANAGEMENT

Importance of water - Water resources in India-Water sources- Water quality- Area under
irrigation in Andhra Pradesh
Crop water requirements - Water management practices - Methods of irrigation- Suitability -
Limitations.

5. WEED MANAGEMENT
Harmful effects of weeds - Herbicides - Advantages and limitations of herbicide usage in India
- Selectivity of herbicides - Herbicides and their interaction with fertilizer
Preventive and control methods: Physical-Chemical- Biological weed management
techniques, Integrated weed management

6. STRUCTURAL ORGANIZATION OF PLANT CELLS

Ultra structure of plant cell- Structure of cell organelles and function
Tissue systems in plants – Origin- Structure, and function of simple and complex tissues, Cell
cycle- Mitosis and Meiosis.

7. PHOTOSYNTHESIS
Structure and function of Chloroplast- Photosynthetic pigments and their characteristics -
Photosynthetic carbon assimilation in C3, C4 and CAM Plants- Photorespiration- Mechanism
and regulation.

8. RESPIRATION
Glycolysis- Tricarboxylic Acid Cycle (TCA cycle) - Electron transport- Pentose phosphate
pathway- Mechanism and Significance

9. PLANT DEVELOPMENT AND GROWTH REGULATORS

Pattern of plant growth and development- Growth kinetics- Morphogenesis- Principles of
differentiation
Natural and Synthetic growth regulators: Auxins- Gibberelins- Cytokinins- Abscisic acid-
Ethylene- Brassino steroids- Polyamines-Jasmonic acid -Salicylic acid.

10. PLANT TISSUE CULTURE

Preparatory techniques – Cleaning- Sterilization - Media –Types and Composition, Callus -
Growth pattern/characteristics, Organogenesis and plant regeneration, Acclimatization
 Somatic embryogenesis-Anther- Endosperm- Pollen cultures-Significance and advantages
of haploid plants- Production of virus-free plants.

11. STRUCTURAL ORGANIZATION OF ANIMAL CELLS

Cell Membrane structure and function - Structural organization and function of intracellular
organelles: Cytoplasm - Nucleus - Mitochondria- Endoplasmic reticulum - Golgi apparatus-
Ribosomes - Lysosomes - Peroxisomes -Vacuoles - Structure and function of cytoskeleton and
its role in motility
Cell division and cell cycle

12. ANIMAL PHYSIOLOGY

Digestion: Functional anatomy of digestive system - Digestion and digestive secretions -

Absorption – Assimilation

Respiratory system - Transport of gases- Exchange of gases - Respiratory quotient - Respiratory

Pigments - Waste elimination.

Nervous system – Neurons- Action potential - Gross neuroanatomy of the brain and spinal cord-
Central and peripheral nervous system- Neural control of muscle tone and posture - Sense
organs.

Circulatory System: Physiology of heartbeat- Blood and circulation - Blood corpuscles-

Haemopoiesis - Plasma function - Blood volume - Blood groups - Haemoglobin - Immunity -
Haemostasis.

Excretory system - Physiology of excretion - Formation of nitrogenous excretory products -

Ammonia - Urea - Uric acid - Waste elimination -Regulation of water balance

Endocrinology and reproduction - Endocrine glands and its secretion - Reproductive processes-
Gametogenesis- Ovulation- Neuro-endocrine regulation.

13. BIOMOLECULES
Carbohydrates: Structure- Properties - Classification - Pathways of metabolism of glucose-
Glycogenesis- Glycogenolysis- Glycolysis-Citric acid cycle- Gluconeogenesis- HMP pathway-
Uronic acid pathway
Proteins: Structure- Classification and properties -Aminoacids- Structure- Classification and
properties
Lipids: Structure-Chemical nature-Classification- Biological functions
Nucleic acids: Types - Functions - Structure of DNA and RNA - DNA synthesis RNA synthesis
(Transcription) - Protein synthesis (Translation)

14. ENVIRONMENTAL BIOLOGY

General account on biomes and their environment
Fresh water: Classification and characteristics of freshwater bodies-Eutrophication-Seasonal
changes
Marine: Classification and Characteristics- Shores and Estuaries
Terrestrial: Forests- Grasslands- Tundra- Mountains -Caves.
Ecology: Components of an Ecosystem - Tropic levels - Food chain and food web - Energy
flow in ecosystem.

15. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION

Kinds of pollution- Air pollution: Criteria and standards in India-Health hazards and toxicology-
Green house effect-Acid rains-International conventions on ozone-Climate-
Water pollution: Criteria and standards-Waste - Water treatment – Microbial ecology of
Activated Sludge-Modern methods of waste water treatment - Solid waste treatment -Noise
Pollution-Radiation Pollution - Global environmental change - Ecological effects of pollution-
Monitoring pollution - Remote Sensing as a tool for study and management of environment.