ICAR PG, Ph.D.

and ASRB NET

Chaudhary Kirpal V.
Ph.D. Scholar
Anand Agricultural University
 AIEEA ICAR PG (Master’s degree) (NTS/JRF)
ENTOMOLOGY AND NEMATOLOGY
• Total 120 MCQs
• There is one negative mark for each wrong answer.
• Each right answer will be awarded 4 mark (Max. 480 marks)
Pattern
• One mark will be deducted for each wrong answer.
• No marks will be deducted for unanswered questions.
• Time: 2 hours (120 minutes)

Unit I General Agriculture

1. Agricultural/ Horticultural Entomology

Sub-Subjects 2. Apiculture
Unit II 3. Sericulture
4. Plant Protection
5. Nematology
• Importance of Agriculture in national economy
• Basic principles of crop production
• Cultivation of rice, wheat, chickpea, pigeon-pea, sugarcane, groundnut,
tomato, Cole crops, mango, grapes, banana, oilseeds other than
groundnut, soybean and mustard
• Major soils of India
• Role of NPK and their deficiency symptoms
• Mendelian genetics
Unit I
• Elementary knowledge of photosynthesis, respiration, and transpiration
• Major cropping systems (crop rotations, mixed cropping)
• Soil degradation, soil salinity and acidity and management
• Some aspects of post-harvest technology
• Varietal improvement, importance of Heterosis in crop improvement
• Crop protection principles in field and storage
• Major insect pests and diseases of agricultural crops like rice, cotton,
pulses; oilseed crops like groundnut, soybean and mustard; vegetables

Chaudhary Kirpal V. 1
 like tomato, Cole crops; fruit crops like mango and banana and their
management principles
• Transgenic crops
• Important rural development programmes in India
• Organizational set up of agricultural research, education and extension
in India
• Elements of statistics
• Classification of animal kingdom up to class
• Distinguishing characters up to orders in class Insecta
• General organization of an insect external morphology with special
reference to lepidopteran larvae, coleopteran adults, and honeybee
• Metamorphosis and moulting
• Different physiological systems
• Insect- plant relationship
• Insect pests of agricultural and horticultural crops, and stored/processed
products, Insect vectors of plant diseases- identification, biology, nature
of damage, and their management tactics
Unit II
• Pests of household, medical and veterinary importance and their control
• Useful and beneficial insects like honeybee, lac insect, silkworm and
pollinators
• Nematode taxonomy, biology of important plant parasitic nematodes and
their control
• Entomopathogenic nematodes
• Basic principles of insect and nematode pest management- cultural,
biological, insecticidal, quarantine, and regulatory aspects
• Insecticide classification and insecticide resistance management
• Insect protective transgenic crops

Chaudhary Kirpal V. 2
 Important Reference Books for AIEEA ICAR PG (Master’s degree) (NTS/JRF)
Subject Name Author
1. A competitive book of Agriculture Nem Raj Sunda
General
2. Fundamentals of Agriculture Vol-1 & 2 Arun Katyayan
Agriculture
3. Objective Agriculture S. R. Kantwa
Subjective
1. INSECTA – an introduction Raghumoorthy et al.
2. Principles of Applied Entomology Raghumoorthy et al.
3. Applied Entomology D. S. Reddy
4. Handbook of Entomology T. V. Prasad
5. Entomology Refresher Phani and Viji
Entomology
6. Entomology Treatise T. V. Prasad
Objective
7. Objective Entomology T. V. Prasad
8. Entomology Questionnaire Anokhe and Chava
9. Question bank on Entomology Supriya Biswas
10. Objective Agricultural Entomology Thangavel et al.
Nematology Textbook of Introductory Plant Nematology Bajaj and Walia

Note: Before reading above mentioned reference books, must read your UG class notes of
respective subject.

Join telegram channel for more information.

Chaudhary Kirpal V. 3
 AICE ICAR Ph.D. (SRF)
Agricultural Entomology/Entomology
• Total 120 MCQs [Section A (20 MCQs), Section B (50 MCQs), Section C
(50 MCQs)]
• There is one negative mark for each wrong answer.
Pattern • Each right answer will be awarded 4 mark (Max. 480 marks)
• One mark will be deducted for each wrong answer.
• No marks will be deducted for unanswered questions.
• Time: 2 hours (120 minutes)
• Awareness about the environment and its
application to the society
• General knowledge in the domain of Agriculture,
Section A
General Agriculture Animal Husbandry, Dairying, Fisheries and Allied
(20 MCQs)
Sciences, etc.
• Current events and matters of everyday observation
and experience
1. Plant Pathology
Section B Core Group 2. Nematology
(50 MCQs) (Crop Sciences- II) 3. Sericulture
4. Agricultural Entomology/Entomology
Section C
Specialized Subject Agricultural Entomology/ Entomology
(50 MCQs)

Chaudhary Kirpal V. 4
 1. Plant Pathology
Unit 1: History and Principles of Plant Pathology
• Milestones in phytopathology with particular reference to India.
• Major epidemics and their social impacts.
• Historical developments of chemicals, legislative, cultural and biological protection
measures including classification of plant diseases.
• Physiologic specialization, Koch’s postulates.
• Growth, reproduction, survival and dispersal of plant pathogens.
• Factors influencing infection, colonization and development of symptoms.
Unit 2: Laboratory and Analytical Techniques
• Preparation and sterilization of common media.
• Methods of isolation of pathogens and their identification.
• Preservation of microorganisms in pure culture.
• Methods of inoculation.
• Measurement of plant disease.
• Molecular detection of pathogens in seeds and other planting materials: Nucleic acid
probes, Southern, Northern and Western hybridization, ELISA, ISEM and PCR.
• Laboratory equipment and their use: autoclave, hot air oven, laminar flow,
spectrophotometer, electrophoresis, light and electron microscopy, incubator,
ultracentrifuge, ELISA Reader.
Unit 3: Physiological and Molecular Plant Pathology
• Altered metabolism of plants under biotic and abiotic stresses.
• Molecular mechanisms of pathogenesis: recognition phenomenon, penetration, invasion,
primary disease determinant.
• Enzymes and toxins in relation to plant disease.
• Mechanisms of resistance. Phytoalexins. PR proteins. Antiviral proteins. SAR. HR and
active oxygen radicals.
• Tissue culture. Somoclonal variation and somatic hybridization.
• Elementary genetic engineering.
• Management of pathogens through satellite, antisense - RNA.
• Ribozymes, coat protein, hypovirulence cross protection/useful genes and promoter
technology biosafety and bioethics.

Chaudhary Kirpal V. 5
Unit 4: Mycology
• Classification of fungi. Economic mycology, edible fungi and entomogenous fungi.
• Mycorrhizal associations.
• Cell organelles, their morphology, functions and chemical composition.
Unit 5: Plant Bacteriology
• Identification and classification of bacteria.
• Morphology, ultrastructure and chemical composition of prokaryotic cell in relation to
function. Growth curve, nutrition and auxotrophic mutants.
• Resting cells in prokaryotic, elementary bacterial genetics and variability:
transformation, conjugation, transduction.
• Biology of extra chromosomal elements: plasmid borne genes and their expression: avr,
her, vie and pat genes. Bacteriophages: lytic and lysogenic cycles.
• Prokaryotic inhibitors and their mode of action. Economic uses of prokaryotes.
• Morphology, biochemical characteristics, reproduction and life cycle of phytoplasma and
other fastidious prokaryotes.
Unit 6: Plant Virology
• Nature, composition and architecture of viruses and viroids. Properties of viruses.
Variability in viruses. Satellite viruses and satellite RNA.
• Assay of plant viruses including biological, physical, chemical, serological and
molecular methods.
• Conventional and biotechnological techniques used in detection and diagnosis.
• Behaviour of viruses in plants including infection, replication and movement.
• Histopathological changes induced by viruses in plants, inclusion bodies. Transmission
of viruses: virus - vector relationships.
• Nomenclature and classification of viruses.
Unit 7: Plant Disease Epidemiology
• Concepts in epidemiology. Development of disease in plant population. Monocyclic and
polycyclic pathogens.
• Role of meteorological factors in the development of plant disease epidemics.
• Survey, surveillance (including through remote sensing), and prediction and forecasting
of diseases. Epidemic analysis and prediction models. Crop loss assessment: critical and
multiple point models.

Chaudhary Kirpal V. 6
Unit 8: Phanerogamic parasites and Non-parasitic Diseases
• Diseases caused by Phanerogamic parasites and their management.
• Diseases due to unfavourable soil environment, drought and flooding stress etc.
Nutritional deficiencies. Primary /secondary air pollutants and acid rain.
Unit 9: Fungal Diseases of Crop Plants
• Fungal diseases of cereals, millets, oilseeds, pulses, fruits, vegetables, plantation, fiber,
spices and ornamental crops with special reference to etiology, disease cycle,
perpatuation, epidemiology and management.
• Post harvest diseases in transit and storage; aflatoxins and their integrated management.
Unit 10: Bacterial and Viral Diseases of Crop Plants
• Crop diseases of cereals, pulses, oilseeds, vegetables, fruits, plantation and fiber crops
caused by bacteria, viruses, viroids, phytoplasmas and other fastidious prokaryotes.
• Mode of transmission and pathogen vector relationships. Epidemiology and
management.
Unit 11: Management of Plant diseases
• General principles of plant quarantine. Exotic pathogens and pathogens introduced into
India. Sanitary and phytosanitary issues under WTO, TRIPS and PRA.
• Genetic basis of disease resistance and pathogenicity: gene for gene hyphothesis; parasite
mediated frequency -dependent selection concept of QTL mapping
• Production of disease free seeds and planting materials. Seed certification.
• Chemical nature and classification of fungicides and antibiotics: their bioassy and
compatibility with other agricultural chemicals; resistance to fungicides/ antibiotics;
effect on environment.
• Spraying and dusting equipments, their care and maintenances.
• Important cultural practices and their role in disease management, solarization,
integrated disease management.
• Microorganisms antagonistic to plant pathogens in soil, rhizosphere and phyllosphere
and their use in the control of plant diseases; soil fungistasis. Plant growth promoting
Rhizobacteria.

Chaudhary Kirpal V. 7
 2. Nematology
Unit 1: History and Economic Importance
• History and economic importance of nematology.
• Diseases caused by plant-parasitic nematodes-symptomatology, biology, distribution and
management of plant parasitic nematodes of economic importance (Pratylenchus,
Radopholus, Hirschmanniella, Meloidogyne, Heterodera, Globodera, Rotylenchulus,
Tylenchulus, Ditylenchus, Anguina, Aphelenchoides, Tylenchorhynchus,
Helicotylenchus, Hoplolaimus, Scutellonema, Paratylenchus, etc.).
• Entomopathogenic nematodes.
Unit 2: Nematode Taxonomy and Morphology
• Principles and concepts of taxonomy. Rules of nomenclature. Nematode phylogeny and
systematics.
• Classification of soil and plant -parasitic nematodes and their relationships with other
related phyla.
• Detailed classification of plant - parasitic nematodes up to generic level with emphasis
on genera of economic importance.
• General morphology and anatomy of nematodes. Various systems: digestive, excretory,
nervous, reproductive etc., developmental biology of nematodes.
Unit 3: Nematological Techniques
• Methods of extraction of nematodes from soil and plant material.
• Microscopy - principles and types including electron microscopes.
• Methods of killing, fixing, preserving, staining, mounting and measuring of nematodes.
• Techniques for histopathology and culturing of nematodes - plant parasitic, entomophilic
and saprophytic including axenic methods.
• Experimental techniques for proving pathogenicity, estimation of crop losses, nematicide
screening, screening and evaluation for nematode resistance in crops.
• Molecular technique for nematode diagnostics. Techniques for mass culturing of
nematode antagonistic bioagents.
Unit 4: Nematode Ecology
• Ecological classification and distribution of nematodes.
• Mode of nematode dispersal. Adaptations to parasite mode of life. Soil as environment
for nematodes.

Chaudhary Kirpal V. 8
• Effect of biotic and abiotic factors on nematode survival, activity and reproduction.
• Nematode population dynamics. Nematode -induced plant damage and modeling.
Community analysis.
Unit 5: Plant Nematode Relationships
• Types of parasitism in nematodes.
• Nature of damage caused by various groups of plant parasitic nematodes and
mechanisms involved.
• Pathotypes in nematodes.
• Mechanism of nematode resistance and tolerance in plants and its assessment.
• Physiological, biochemical and molecular changes in plants due to nematode infections.
Unit 6: Nematode Physiology and Cytology
• Chemical composition of nematodes.
• Principles of nematode physiology. Physiological functions of cell; organelles.
• Physiology of respiration, digestion, excretion, reproduction, growth and development.
Physiology of muscular, nervous and sensory responses. Physiology of moulting,
hatching and nematode survival. Chemoreception in nematodes.
• Nematode as biological models - Caenorhabditis elegans. Cytological changes in plants
due to infection including syncytia, giant cell formation and their modification etc.
Unit 7: Nematode Management
• Principles and methods of nematode management - physical, cultural biological,
chemical and legislative, Nematicides (including those of biological origin) - history,
classification, formulations, application and mode of action.
• Host resistance for nematode management. Integrated nematode management. Role of
biotechnology in nematode management.
Unit 8: Interactions of Nematodes with Soil Organisms
• Importance of interactions (interrelationships) of nematodes with soil organisms.
• Interactions of nematodes with bacteria, fungi, viruses, mycorhizae and other nematodes.
• Nematodes as vectors of viruses and other microorganisms.

Chaudhary Kirpal V. 9
 3. Sericulture
• Silkworm species, salient features, systematic position.
• Production techniques of mulberry, muga, eri and tassar silkworms.
• Nutritional requirements of silkworms.
• Sericulture: rearing house and appliances, silkworm breeds, principles of voltinism and
moultinism, seed production and its economics.
• Different molecular approaches in developing silkworm breeds.
• Transgenic silkworm.
• Mulberry pests, diseases and their management.
• By products of sericulture and its value addition, uses in pharmaceutical industry.
• Enemies and diseases of silkworms and their management.
• Sericulture organization in India.

Chaudhary Kirpal V. 10
 4. Agricultural Entomology/ Entomology
Unit 1: Systematics
• History and development of Entomology.
• Evolution of insects, position of insects in the animal kingdom.
• Characteristics of phylum Arthropoda
• Structural features of important arthropod groups such as Trilobita, Chelicerata and
Mandibulata
• Structural features of important classes of phylum Arthropoda viz. Arachnida, Crustacea,
Chilopoda, Diplopoda and Hexapoda.
• Classification of insects up to order level
• Habits, habitats and distinguishing features of different Order and important Families.
Unit 2: Morphology
• Body wall, its structure, outgrowths, endoskeleton
• Body regions, segmentation, sclerites and sutures
• Insect Colors
• Head and head appendages, types of mouth parts, antennae, their structure and types
• Thorax structure, thoracic appendages and their modification
• Wings, their modification and venation
• Abdomen; structure, abdominal appendages both in Pterygota and Apterygota
• External genitalia, general structure and modification in important insect orders.
Unit 3: Embryology, Internal Anatomy and Physiology
• Embryonic and post embryonic development, types of metamorphosis, physiology of
ecdysis
• General features and types of larvae and pupae
• Structure, function, physiology and modifications of Digestive, Circulatory, Respiratory,
Reproductive, Nervous, Excretory systems, Endocrine system and Sense Organs
• Insect food and nutrition; minerals, carbohydrates, proteins and amino acids, lipids,
vitamins and their role in growth and development, artificial diets.
Unit 4: Ecology
• Concept of ecology
• Environment and its components-biotic and abiotic factors and their effects on growth,
development, diapause, population structure and dynamics, distribution and dispersal

Chaudhary Kirpal V. 11
• Principles of biogeography and insects’ biodiversity
• Assessment of diversity indices
• Biotic potential and environmental resistance
• Climate change and adaptations
• Ecosystems, agroecosystem analyses, ecological niche, their characteristics and
functioning
• Intra and inter specific relationship; competition, predator-prey and host-parasitoid
interactions
• Food chain, food web and trophic relations
• Life table studies, population models
• Arthropod population monitoring, pest forecasting
• Causes of pest out breaks.
Unit 5: Biological Control
• Importance and scope of biological control, history of biological control
• Biocontrol agents: parasitoids, predators, insect pathogens and weed killers
• Important entomophagous insect Orders and Families
• Ecological, biological, taxonomic, legal and economic aspects of biological control
• Phenomena of multiple parasitism, hyperparasitism, superparasitism and their applied
importance
• Principles and procedures of using exotic biocontrol agents
• Utilization of natural biocontrol agents: conservation, habitat management and
augmentation
• Mass multiplication techniques and economics. Effective evaluation techniques
• Biocontrol organizations in world and India. Successful cases of biological control of
pests
• Use of biotechnological tools in enhancing the potentials of Bio-Control Agents.
Unit 6: Chemical Control and Toxicology
• History, scope and principles of chemical control.
• Insecticides, classification and mode of action - Conventional and IRAC.
• Formulations of insecticides. Penetration of insecticides.
• Physical, chemical and toxicological properties of different groups of insecticides.
rodenticides, insect growth hormones.

Chaudhary Kirpal V. 12
• Insecticide induced resurgence.
• Combination insecticides.
• Pesticide hazards and environmental pollution. Safe use of pesticides, precautions, first
aid treatments and antidotes.
• Insecticides Act 1968 and Rule 1971.
• Functions of CIB & RC, registration and quality control of insecticides.
• Evaluation of toxicity, methods of toxicity testing, determination of LD 50, LT 50, RL
50 etc.
• Pesticide residues in the environment and their dynamics of movements, methods of
residue analysis. Good laboratory practices.
• Pharmacology of insect poisons.
• Metabolism of insecticides; detoxification enzymes and their role in metabolism.
• Selectivity of insecticides insecticide resistance; mechanism, genetics and management
of insecticide resistance.
Unit 7: Host Plant Resistance
• Principles of HPR. Basis of resistance (Antixenosis, Antibiosis, Tolerance).
• Host plant selection by phytophagous insects. Biophysical and biochemical bases of
defense against phytophagous insects.
• Genetics of Resistance: vertical resistance, horizontal resistance, oligogenic resistance,
polygenic resistance.
• Biotype development and break down of resistance.
• Tritrophic interactions, induced resistance.
• Breeding for insect resistant crops and evaluation techniques.
• Biotechnological approaches and development of transgenic insect resistant plants, its
advantages and limitations.
• Case histories. Insect resistance to transgenic plants and its management.
Unit 8: Novel Approaches in Pest Control
• Behavioural control: semio-chemicals, pheromones-types and uses, advantages and
limitations.
• Hormonal control: types and function of insect hormones, insect hormone mimics,
advantages and limitations.

Chaudhary Kirpal V. 13
• Chemosterilants, antifeedants, attractants, repellents; their types, method of applications,
advantages and limitations.
• Genetic control: concepts and methods, case histories, advantages and limitations.
Genetic improvement and genetic engineering of bio control agents.
• Pest management in organic agriculture. Pest management in precision agriculture.
Unit 9: Integrated Pest Management
• History, concept and principles of IPM.
• Components of IPM: Host plant resistance, cultural, mechanical, physical, chemical,
biological, genetic and behavioural control etc.
• Agro ecosystem and cropping system vs. IPM.
• Concept of damage levels- Economic threshold levels (ETL), Economic injury levels
(EIL) and their determination.
• IPM strategies for field and horticultural crops. IPM case histories.
• Constraints and Strategies of IPM implementation.Plant quarantine laws and regulations.
Unit 10: Pesticide Application Equipment
• Types of appliances: sprayers, dusters, fog generators, smoke generators, soil injecting
guns, seed treating drums, flame throwers, etc.
• Types of nozzles, international classification, their uses, spray patterns, particle size,
measurement, drift and non-target effects of pesticides.
• Maintenance of appliances.
• Aerial application-principles, guidelines, factors affecting the effectiveness, systems,
advantages and disadvantages.
Unit 11: Pests of Field Crops and their Management
• Distribution, host range, biology and bionomics, nature of damage and management of
arthropod pests of cereals, millets, Nutri cereals, oilseeds, pulses, fibre crops, green
manures, sugarcane and tobacco.
• Pests of importance: locusts, termites, hairy caterpillars, cut worms, white grubs and
invasive alien pests. Vertebrate and molluscan pests.
Unit 12: Pests of Horticultural Crops and their Management
• Distribution, host range, biology and bionomics, nature of damage and management of
arthropod pests of vegetables, fruits, plantation crops, spices, condiments, medicinal and
aromatic crops, ornamentals, underutilized and exotic fruits.

Chaudhary Kirpal V. 14
• Pest management under protected cultivation. Pests of mushrooms. Vertebrate and
molluscan pests.
Unit 13: Pests of Stored Products and their Management
• Principles of grain storage.
• Storage structures, bulk storage and bag storage their merits and demerits.
• Grain drying methods and aeration.
• Storage losses, sources of infestation, factors influencing losses.
• Insect pests in storage, biology, and nature of damage.
• Non-insect pests (rodents, birds, mites) and their nature of damage.
• Management methods: Physical, Mechanical, Chemical, Biological, Behavioural, Legal
and special storage methods.
• Microflora in storage environment and their control.
• Regulated and quarantine pests. Integrated management of storage pests.
Unit 14: Insect and mite vectors of Plant Diseases
• History of vector pathogen interactions, important vectors of plant diseases, ecology of
vector pathogen interaction.
• Common insect and mite vectors viz., aphids, leaf hoppers, plant hoppers, whiteflies,
thrips, psylids, beetles, weevils, flies, and mites and their relationship with the plant
pathogenic fungi, bacteria, viruses, mycoplasma.
• Mechanism of pathogen transmission: Active mechanical transmission, biological
transmission.
• Toxicogenic insects, mites and phytotoxemia.
• Some important arthropod vector transmitted diseases and their epidemiology in India.
• Management of vector and its effect on control of diseases.
• Role of climate change in vector borne diseases.
Unit 15: Honey Bees and Bee-keeping
• History of bee-keeping. Honey bees and their economic importance.
• Bee products. Bee species, their behaviour, habit and habitats.
• Bee Keeping: bee pasturage, hives and equipments, seasonal management. Bee
poisoning.
• Bee enemies including diseases and their management. Quality analysis of honey.
• Pollinators and their role in production of various crops. Conservation of pollinators.

Chaudhary Kirpal V. 15
Unit 16: Silkworms and Sericulture
• Silkworm species, salient features, systematic position.
• Production techniques of mulberry, muga, eri and tassar silkworms.
• Nutritional requirements of silkworms.
• Sericulture: rearing house and appliances, silkworm breeds, principles of voltinism and
moultinism, seed production and its economics.
• Different molecular approaches in developing silkworm breeds.
• Transgenic silkworm.
• Mulberry pests, diseases and their management.
• By products of sericulture and its value addition, uses in pharmaceutical industry.
• Enemies and diseases of silkworms and their management.
• Sericulture organization in India.
Unit 17: Lac Insect
• Lac insect, its biology, habit and habitats.
• Lac products, uses.
• Host Trees: pruning, inoculation, lac cropping techniques, and harvesting.
• Enemies of lac insect and their control.
Unit 18: Helpful and Useful Insects
• Pollinators, insects as food, soil fertility improving agents, scavengers.
• Use of insects and insect products in medicines.
• Insects as bio-indicators. Usefulness of insects in scientific investigation.
Unit 19: Statistics and Computer Application
• Frequency distribution, mean, mode and median.
• Standard, normal, bionomial and Poisson’s distribution.
• Sampling methods and standard errors.
• Correlation and regression: Partial and multiple.
• Tests of significance; t, F, chi- square, Duncan’s multiple range tests.
• Design of experiments: Principles of Randomized block design, completely randomized
block design, Latin square design, Split-plot designs. Probit analysis.
• Use of software packages like SPSS, SAS, etc. for the above tests and designs of
experiments for analysis.

Chaudhary Kirpal V. 16
 Important Reference Books for AICE ICAR Ph.D. (SRF)
Subject Name Author
1. A competitive book of Agriculture Nem Raj Sunda
General
2. Fundamentals of Agriculture Vol-1 & 2 Arun Katyayan
Agriculture
3. Objective Agriculture S. R. Kantwa
1. Modern Plant Pathology H. C. Dube
Plant
2. Plant Diseases R. S. Singh
Pathology
3. Plant pathology at a glance U. K. Bhattacharyya
Nematology Textbook of Introductory Plant Nematology Bajaj and Walia
Subjective
1. INSECTA – an introduction Raghumoorthy et al.
2. Principles of Applied Entomology Raghumoorthy et al.
3. Applied Entomology D. S. Reddy
4. Handbook of Entomology T. V. Prasad
5. Entomology Refresher Phani and Viji
Entomology
6. Entomology Treatise T. V. Prasad
Objective
7. Objective Entomology T. V. Prasad
8. Entomology Questionnaire Anokhe and Chava
9. Question bank on Entomology Supriya Biswas
10. Objective Agricultural Entomology Thangavel et al.
Statistical Methods Bhatt and Ramkumar
Statistics Elementary Statistics IASRI, New Delhi
Agricultural statistics portion from Nem Raj Sunda

Note: Before reading above mentioned reference books, must read your UG class notes of
respective subject.

Join telegram channel for more information.

Chaudhary Kirpal V. 17
 ASRB NET
Agricultural Entomology/Entomology
• Total 150 MCQs [Agricultural Entomology/Entomology (140/145
MCQs) + Statistics (10/5 MCQs)]
• Each right answer will be awarded 1 mark (Max. 150 marks)
Pattern
• 0.33 mark will be deducted for each wrong answer.
• No marks will be deducted for unanswered questions.
• Time: 2 hours (120 minutes)
• 50% (75 marks for UR/EWS)
Qualification • 45% (67.5 marks for OBC)
• 40% (60 marks for SC/ST/PwBD)

Chaudhary Kirpal V. 18
 Agricultural Entomology/Entomology
Unit 1: Systematics
• History and development of Entomology.
• Evolution of insects, position of insects in the animal kingdom.
• Characteristics of phylum Arthropoda
• Structural features of important arthropod groups such as Trilobita, Chelicerata and
Mandibulata
• Structural features of important classes of phylum Arthropoda viz. Arachnida, Crustacea,
Chilopoda, Diplopoda and Hexapoda.
• Classification of insects up to order level
• Habits, habitats and distinguishing features of different Order and important Families.
Unit 2: Morphology
• Body wall, its structure, outgrowths, endoskeleton
• Body regions, segmentation, sclerites and sutures
• Insect Colors
• Head and head appendages, types of mouth parts, antennae, their structure and types
• Thorax structure, thoracic appendages and their modification
• Wings, their modification and venation
• Abdomen; structure, abdominal appendages both in Pterygota and Apterygota
• External genitalia, general structure and modification in important insect orders.
Unit 3: Embryology, Internal Anatomy and Physiology
• Embryonic and post embryonic development, types of metamorphosis, physiology of
ecdysis
• General features and types of larvae and pupae
• Structure, function, physiology and modifications of Digestive, Circulatory, Respiratory,
Reproductive, Nervous, Excretory systems, Endocrine system and Sense Organs
• Insect food and nutrition; minerals, carbohydrates, proteins and amino acids, lipids,
vitamins and their role in growth and development, artificial diets.
Unit 4: Ecology
• Concept of ecology
• Environment and its components-biotic and abiotic factors and their effects on growth,
development, diapause, population structure and dynamics, distribution and dispersal

Chaudhary Kirpal V. 19
• Principles of biogeography and insects’ biodiversity
• Assessment of diversity indices
• Biotic potential and environmental resistance
• Climate change and adaptations
• Ecosystems, agroecosystem analyses, ecological niche, their characteristics and
functioning
• Intra and inter specific relationship; competition, predator-prey and host-parasitoid
interactions
• Food chain, food web and trophic relations
• Life table studies, population models
• Arthropod population monitoring, pest forecasting
• Causes of pest out breaks.
Unit 5: Biological Control
• Importance and scope of biological control, history of biological control
• Biocontrol agents: parasitoids, predators, insect pathogens and weed killers
• Important entomophagous insect Orders and Families
• Ecological, biological, taxonomic, legal and economic aspects of biological control
• Phenomena of multiple parasitism, hyperparasitism, superparasitism and their applied
importance
• Principles and procedures of using exotic biocontrol agents
• Utilization of natural biocontrol agents: conservation, habitat management and
augmentation
• Mass multiplication techniques and economics. Effective evaluation techniques
• Biocontrol organizations in world and India. Successful cases of biological control of
pests
• Use of biotechnological tools in enhancing the potentials of Bio-Control Agents.
Unit 6: Chemical Control and Toxicology
• History, scope and principles of chemical control.
• Insecticides, classification and mode of action - Conventional and IRAC.
• Formulations of insecticides. Penetration of insecticides.
• Physical, chemical and toxicological properties of different groups of insecticides.
rodenticides, insect growth hormones.

Chaudhary Kirpal V. 20
• Insecticide induced resurgence.
• Combination insecticides.
• Pesticide hazards and environmental pollution. Safe use of pesticides, precautions, first
aid treatments and antidotes.
• Insecticides Act 1968 and Rule 1971.
• Functions of CIB & RC, registration and quality control of insecticides.
• Evaluation of toxicity, methods of toxicity testing, determination of LD 50, LT 50, RL
50 etc.
• Pesticide residues in the environment and their dynamics of movements, methods of
residue analysis. Good laboratory practices.
• Pharmacology of insect poisons.
• Metabolism of insecticides; detoxification enzymes and their role in metabolism.
• Selectivity of insecticides insecticide resistance; mechanism, genetics and management
of insecticide resistance.
Unit 7: Host Plant Resistance
• Principles of HPR. Basis of resistance (Antixenosis, Antibiosis, Tolerance).
• Host plant selection by phytophagous insects. Biophysical and biochemical bases of
defense against phytophagous insects.
• Genetics of Resistance: vertical resistance, horizontal resistance, oligogenic resistance,
polygenic resistance.
• Biotype development and break down of resistance.
• Tritrophic interactions, induced resistance.
• Breeding for insect resistant crops and evaluation techniques.
• Biotechnological approaches and development of transgenic insect resistant plants, its
advantages and limitations.
• Case histories. Insect resistance to transgenic plants and its management.
Unit 8: Novel Approaches in Pest Control
• Behavioural control: semio-chemicals, pheromones-types and uses, advantages and
limitations.
• Hormonal control: types and function of insect hormones, insect hormone mimics,
advantages and limitations.

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• Chemosterilants, antifeedants, attractants, repellents; their types, method of applications,
advantages and limitations.
• Genetic control: concepts and methods, case histories, advantages and limitations.
Genetic improvement and genetic engineering of bio control agents.
• Pest management in organic agriculture. Pest management in precision agriculture.
Unit 9: Integrated Pest Management
• History, concept and principles of IPM.
• Components of IPM: Host plant resistance, cultural, mechanical, physical, chemical,
biological, genetic and behavioural control etc.
• Agro ecosystem and cropping system vs. IPM.
• Concept of damage levels- Economic threshold levels (ETL), Economic injury levels
(EIL) and their determination.
• IPM strategies for field and horticultural crops. IPM case histories.
• Constraints and Strategies of IPM implementation.Plant quarantine laws and regulations.
Unit 10: Pesticide Application Equipment
• Types of appliances: sprayers, dusters, fog generators, smoke generators, soil injecting
guns, seed treating drums, flame throwers, etc.
• Types of nozzles, international classification, their uses, spray patterns, particle size,
measurement, drift and non-target effects of pesticides.
• Maintenance of appliances.
• Aerial application-principles, guidelines, factors affecting the effectiveness, systems,
advantages and disadvantages.
Unit 11: Pests of Field Crops and their Management
• Distribution, host range, biology and bionomics, nature of damage and management of
arthropod pests of cereals, millets, Nutri cereals, oilseeds, pulses, fibre crops, green
manures, sugarcane and tobacco.
• Pests of importance: locusts, termites, hairy caterpillars, cut worms, white grubs and
invasive alien pests. Vertebrate and molluscan pests.
Unit 12: Pests of Horticultural Crops and their Management
• Distribution, host range, biology and bionomics, nature of damage and management of
arthropod pests of vegetables, fruits, plantation crops, spices, condiments, medicinal and
aromatic crops, ornamentals, underutilized and exotic fruits.

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• Pest management under protected cultivation. Pests of mushrooms. Vertebrate and
molluscan pests.
Unit 13: Pests of Stored Products and their Management
• Principles of grain storage.
• Storage structures, bulk storage and bag storage their merits and demerits.
• Grain drying methods and aeration.
• Storage losses, sources of infestation, factors influencing losses.
• Insect pests in storage, biology, and nature of damage.
• Non-insect pests (rodents, birds, mites) and their nature of damage.
• Management methods: Physical, Mechanical, Chemical, Biological, Behavioural, Legal
and special storage methods.
• Microflora in storage environment and their control.
• Regulated and quarantine pests. Integrated management of storage pests.
Unit 14: Insect and mite vectors of Plant Diseases
• History of vector pathogen interactions, important vectors of plant diseases, ecology of
vector pathogen interaction.
• Common insect and mite vectors viz., aphids, leaf hoppers, plant hoppers, whiteflies,
thrips, psylids, beetles, weevils, flies, and mites and their relationship with the plant
pathogenic fungi, bacteria, viruses, mycoplasma.
• Mechanism of pathogen transmission: Active mechanical transmission, biological
transmission.
• Toxicogenic insects, mites and phytotoxemia.
• Some important arthropod vector transmitted diseases and their epidemiology in India.
• Management of vector and its effect on control of diseases.
• Role of climate change in vector borne diseases.
Unit 15: Honey Bees and Bee-keeping
• History of bee-keeping. Honey bees and their economic importance.
• Bee products. Bee species, their behaviour, habit and habitats.
• Bee Keeping: bee pasturage, hives and equipments, seasonal management. Bee
poisoning.
• Bee enemies including diseases and their management. Quality analysis of honey.
• Pollinators and their role in production of various crops. Conservation of pollinators.

Chaudhary Kirpal V. 23
Unit 16: Silkworms and Sericulture
• Silkworm species, salient features, systematic position.
• Production techniques of mulberry, muga, eri and tassar silkworms.
• Nutritional requirements of silkworms.
• Sericulture: rearing house and appliances, silkworm breeds, principles of voltinism and
moultinism, seed production and its economics.
• Different molecular approaches in developing silkworm breeds.
• Transgenic silkworm.
• Mulberry pests, diseases and their management.
• By products of sericulture and its value addition, uses in pharmaceutical industry.
• Enemies and diseases of silkworms and their management.
• Sericulture organization in India.
Unit 17: Lac Insect
• Lac insect, its biology, habit and habitats.
• Lac products, uses.
• Host Trees: pruning, inoculation, lac cropping techniques, and harvesting.
• Enemies of lac insect and their control.
Unit 18: Helpful and Useful Insects
• Pollinators, insects as food, soil fertility improving agents, scavengers.
• Use of insects and insect products in medicines.
• Insects as bio-indicators. Usefulness of insects in scientific investigation.
Statistics and Computer Application
• Frequency distribution, mean, mode and median.
• Standard, normal, bionomial and Poisson’s distribution.
• Sampling methods and standard errors.
• Correlation and regression: Partial and multiple.
• Tests of significance; t, F, chi- square, Duncan’s multiple range tests.
• Design of experiments: Principles of Randomized block design, completely randomized
block design, Latin square design, Split-plot designs. Probit analysis.
• Use of software packages like SPSS, SAS, etc. for the above tests and designs of
experiments for analysis.

Chaudhary Kirpal V. 24
 Important Reference Books for ASRB NET
Subject Name Author
Subjective
1. INSECTA – an introduction Raghumoorthy et al.
2. Principles of Applied Entomology Raghumoorthy et al.
3. Applied Entomology D. S. Reddy
4. Handbook of Entomology T. V. Prasad
5. Entomology Refresher Phani and Viji
Entomology
6. Entomology Treatise T. V. Prasad
Objective
7. Objective Entomology T. V. Prasad
8. Entomology Questionnaire Anokhe and Chava
9. Question bank on Entomology Supriya Biswas
10. Objective Agricultural Entomology Thangavel et al.
Statistical Methods Bhatt and Ramkumar
Statistics Elementary Statistics IASRI, New Delhi
Agricultural statistics portion from Nem Raj Sunda

Note: Before reading above mentioned reference books, must read your UG class notes of
respective subject.

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Chaudhary Kirpal V. 25
All the Best

Chaudhary Kirpal V. 26