The mains paper of Botany is a very interesting paper to attempt in UPSC civil service examination. It is one of the optional subjects among the list of optional provided for the main examination. It consists of two papers, paper 1 and paper 2, each of 250 marks. Each paper is for a duration of three hours.
Botany Syllabus for UPSC
UPSC Botany Optional Paper I
1. Microbiology and Plant Pathology: Structure and reproduction/multiplication of viruses, viroids, bacteria, fungi and mycoplasma; Applications of microbiology in agriculture, industry, medicine and in control of soil and water pollution; Prion and Prion hypothesis. Important crop diseases caused by viruses, bacteria, mycoplasma, fungi and nematodes; Modes of infection and dissemination; Molecular basis of infection and disease resistance/defence; Physiology of parasitism and control measures; Fungal toxins; Modelling and disease forecasting; Plant quarantine.
2. Cryptogams: Algae, fungi, lichens, bryophytes, pteridophytes – structure and reproduction from evolutionary viewpoint; Distribution of Cryptogams in India and their ecological and economic importance.
3. Phanerogams: Gymnosperms: Concept of Progymnosperms; Classification and distribution of gymnosperms; Salient features of Cycada-les, Ginkgoales, Coniferales and Gnetales, their structure and reproduction; General account of Cycadofilicales, Bennettitales and Cordaitales; Geological time scale; Type of fossils and their study techniques. Angiosperms: Systematics, anatomy, embryology, palynology and phylogeny. Taxonomic hierarchy; International Code of Botanical Nomenclature; Numerical taxonomy and chemotaxonomy; Evidence from anatomy, embryology and palynology. Origin and evolution of angiosperms; Comparative account of various systems of classification of angiosperms; Study of angiospermic families – Mangnoliaceae, Ranunculaceae, Brassicaceae, Rosaceae, Fabaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Malvaceae, Dipterocarpaceae, Apiaceae, Asclepiadaceae, Verbenaceae, Solanaceae, Rubiaceae, Cucurbitaceae, Astera-ceae, Poaceae, Arecaceae, Liliaceae, Musaceae and Orchidaceae. Stomata and their types; Glandular and non-glandular trichomes; Unusual secondary growth; Anatomy of C3 and C4 plants; Xylem and phloem differentiation; Wood anatomy. Development of male and female gametophytes, pollination, fertilization; Endosperm – its development and function; Patterns of embryo development; Polyembroyony and apomixes; Applications of palynology; Experimental embryology including pollen storage and test-tube fertilization.
4. Plant Resource Development: Domestication and introduction of plants; Origin of cultivated plants; Vavilov’s centres of origin; Plants as sources for food, fodder, fibre, spices, beverages, edible oils, drugs, narcotics, insecticides, timber, gums, resins and dyes, latex, cellulose, starch and its products; Perfumery; Importance of Ethnobotany in Indian context; Energy plantations; Botanical Gardens and Herbaria.
5. Morphogenesis: Totipotency, polarity, symmetry and dfferentiation; Cell, tissue, organ and protoplast culture; Somatic hybrids and Cybrids; Micropropagation; Somaclonal variation and its applications; Pollen haploids, embryo rescue methods and their applications.
UPSC Botany Optional Paper II
1. Cell Biology: Techniques of cell biology; Prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells – structural and ultrastructural details; Structure and function of extracellular matrix (cell wall), membranes-cell adhesion, membrane transport and vesicular transport; Structure and function of cell organelles (chloroplasts, mitochondria, ER, dictyosomes ribosomes, endosomes, lysosomes, peroxisomes); Cytoskelaton and microtubules; Nucleus, nucleolus, nuclear pore complex; Chromatin and nucleosome; Cell signalling and cell receptors; Signal transduction; Mitosis and meiosis; Molecular basis of cell cycle; Numerical and structural variations in chromosomes and their significance; Chromatin organization and packaging of genome; Polytene chromosomes; B-chromosomes – structure, behaviour and significance.
2. Genetics, Molecular Biology and Evolution: Development of genetics; Gene versus allele concepts (Pseudoalleles); Quantitative genetics and multiple factors; Incomplete dominance, polygenic inheritance, multiple alleles; Linkage and crossing over; Methods of gene mapping, including molecular maps (idea of mapping function); Sex chromosomes and sex-linked inheritance, sex determination and molecular basis of sex differentiation; Mutations (biochemical and molecular basis); Cytoplasmic inheritance and cytoplasmic genes (including genetics of male sterility). Structure and synthesis of nucleic acids and proteins; Genetic code and regulation of gene expression; Gene silencing; Multigene families; Organic evolution – evidences, mechanism and theories. Role of RNA in origin and evolution.
3. Plant Breeding, Biotechnology and Biostatistics: Methods of plant breeding – introduction, selection and hybridization (pedigree, backcross, mass selection, bulk method); Mutation, polyploidy, male sterility and heterosis breeding; Use of apomixes in plant breeding; DNA sequencing; Genetic engineering – methods of transfer of genes; Transgenic crops and biosafety aspects; Development and use of molecular markers in plant breeding; Tools and techniques – probe, southern blotting, DNA fingerprinting, PCR and FISH. Standard deviation and coefficient of variation (CV); Tests of significance (Z-test, ttest and chi-square test); Probability and distributions (normal, binomial and Poisson); Correlation and regression.
4. Physiology and Biochemistry: Water relations, mineral nutrition and ion transport, mineral deficiencies; Photosynthesis – photochemical reactions; photophosphorylation and carbon fixation pathways; C3, C4 and CAM pathways; Mechanism of phloem transport; Respiration (anerobic and aerobic, including fermentation) – electron transport chain and oxidative phosphorylation; Photorespiration; Chemiosmotic theory and ATP synthesis; Lipid metabolism; Nitrogen fixation and nitrogen metabolism; Enzymes, coenzymes; Energy transfer and energy conservation; Importance of secondary metabolites; Pigments as photoreceptors (plastidial pigments and phytochrome); Plant movements; Photoperiodism and flowering, vernalization, senescence; Growth substances – their chemical nature, role and applications in agri-horticulture; Growth indices, growth movements; Stress physiology (heat, water, salinity, metal); Fruit and seed physiology; Dormancy, storage and germination of seed; Fruit ripening – its molecular basis and manipulation.
5. Ecology and Plant Geography: Concept of ecosystem; Ecological factors; Concepts and dynamics of community; Plant succession; Concept of biosphere; Ecosystems; Conservation; Pollution and its control (including phytoremediation); Plant indicators; Environment (Protection) Act. Forest types of India – Ecological and economic importance of forests, afforestation, deforestation and social forestry; Endangered plants, endemism, IUCN categories, Red Data Books; Biodiversity and its conservation; Protected Area Network; Convention on Biological Diversity; Farmers’ Rights and Intellectual Property Rights; Concept of Sustainable Development; Biogeochemical cycles; Global warming and climatic change; Invasive species; Environmental Impact Assessment; Phytogeographical regions of India.
Also, Check Other Optional Subject’s Syllabus
Preparation tips for Botany in UPSC CSE mains
Candidates with specialization in botany or agricultural sciences subject popularly opt for this subject. Others who have not specialized in the subject find it difficult to answer the paper in matters of relevant content and understanding. It is also quite suitable for biotechnology students as they will also preferably have sound knowledge and basic reference with the subject matter. Paper 1 presents a lot of theoretical questions to be explained clearly with the help of good diagrams. The part 2 of the paper is much more technical in nature and deals with the application part of the subject. Here are some good preparation tips to be followed while preparing for the subject:
- Follow the syllabus. Understand what the syllabus is expecting you to study, which area to be studied and in how much depth.
- Keep a strategic time table in place. For example, for botany, in three months, with around 9 hours of a study carried out every day, a candidate can finish his studies.
- Botany is a paper that consists of as many diagrams as the number of topics for study. Learn to draw good, meaningful, and well-labeled diagrams for quick reference to answers.
- Quote the technical name of plant species wherever answers are required in more detail. Apart from that, write the Indian name of the plant species, which can bring additional weight age to your answer.
- There are many essay type questions with a pre-specified word limit under the study of microbiology. Learn about the level of detailing required in these answers.
- Writing about the correct factors and explaining their live applications in terms of agriculture, farming, and research places are key to high scores.
- For those candidates who are pursuing the subject out of interest but haven’t specialized at it at their graduation level, here are some quick strategies to help you out. First, spend a day or two familiarizing yourself and noting down what you know in the subject, what you need to know, and further what you are unaware of. After the initial research work, quickly pick up two very important and foundation course books in botany and read them through. This should set the stage for your basic level understanding of the subject. Next, pick up at least five years of previous question papers and trace them with detail to find out what’s important to learn and what can be left out since you are familiarizing yourself with the basics now, its important to keep track of time. Do not spend too much time worrying about a single topic. It’s important to understand the key areas and the main concept.
- We suggest a minimum of 12 hours of preparation for the subject if you have a good time table in place for a time frame of 5 months. The paper is certainly not tough; you can complete the syllabus well in time, including revision. Be careful to avoid confusion amongst the provided facts and leave out unrelated data. Last but not least, it’s very helpful for students to keep their graduation level books for time reference. Among them, Botany by Dr. A C Dutta and NCERT eleventh and twelfth standard prescribed textbooks for botany shall help you identify the most minimum level understanding.
Some suggestive books to be referred to while preparing for botany are:
- Reference book on Cell Biology by authors De Robertis and Ambrose and Easy
- Study of Cryptograms in book written by B.R. Vasista
- Book explaining concepts of ‘Ecology, Microbiology, Animal Behaviour, Pollution and Toxicology’ written by Veer Bala Rastogi
- Book on Genetics by author Strickberger
- Book on Microbiology by Powar
- Book on Genetics by Dr. Veer Bala Rastogi
- Book on Physiology and Biochemistry written by three authors – Salisbury and Ross/Fritz and Noggle
- Book on Taxonomy by R Nair
- Book explaining Plant Anatomy, written by B.P. Pandey
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