ICAR AICE-JRF/SRF Syllabus 2025: This year's ICAR AICE JRF/SRF 2025 Exam will be held on July 3, 2025, in 89 cities throughout India. Agricultural Universities (AU) provide doctoral degree programmes in 80 different subjects. Aside from the ICAR AICE JRF/SRF test pattern and marking system, the applicant should also be familiar with the ICAR AICE JRF/SRF syllabus for the course selected.
The ICAR AICE JRF/SRF 2025 program covers a wide range of agricultural and related fields. The ICAR AICE JRF/SRF Syllabus can assist candidates in understanding overall subject-specific topics, allowing them to concentrate on areas of agricultural study.
Candidates preparing for ICAR JRF 2025 should be aware of the exam structure and syllabus details. Check the table below for an overview of the ICAR JRF 2025 syllabus:
ICAR AICE JRF/SRF Syllabus 2025 Overview | |
Aspect | Details |
Name of exam | ICAR AICE-JRF/SRF (PhD) |
Full form of exam name | Indian Council of Agricultural Research All India Competitive Examinations Junior Research Fellowship, Senior Research Fellowship (Doctor of Philosophy) |
Official Body | NTA |
Full form of the organization | National Testing Agency |
Scope | National |
Exam Type | Agriculture Entrance Exam |
Courses for which the ICAR AICE-JRF/SRF (PhD) syllabus is to be studied | Doctoral degree programmes in AUs in different disciplines of Agriculture, Horticulture, Forestry, Veterinary, Animal Sciences, and Agril. Engineering, Community Science (erstwhile Home Science), Fisheries, Dairy Science, and other allied sciences |
Official website | icar.nta.nic.in |
The ICAR AICE JRF/SRF Syllabus is based on the postgraduate syllabus in agricultural and related sciences. It covers broad knowledge, core topic areas, and specialised disciplines relevant to the candidate's Master's program. The entire syllabus for each topic is accessible on the official ICAR website. The syllabus also helps create expectations for the types of questions that will be asked in each of the exam sections. Click on this link for the ICAR AICE JRF/SRF Syllabus PDF.
The AICE-JRF/SRF (PhD) Test will consist of a single paper of two hours. The ICAR AICE JRF/SRF test will take two hours and will provide a total score of 120. The test will have a maximum of 480 marks. The specific components of the test are as follows:
ICAR AICE JRF/SRF Exam Pattern | |
Basic | Description |
Mode of Examination | LAN-Based CBT (Computer-Based Test) (Annexure-VII) |
Duration | 2 Hours |
Number of Questions | 120 (20 + 50 + 50)
|
Type of Questions | Multiple Choice with 4 options |
Maximum Marks | 480 (80+200+200) |
Scoring |
|
Medium of Paper | English only |
The most crucial preparation for the ICAR AICE JRF/SRF is to understand the course content and specialty selected. The syllabus will serve as the basis for all questions on the national-level entrance test. Students must comprehend the syllabus and pattern stated, study diligently, and pass with flying colours. The exam would be divided into three sections:
The first 20 multiple-choice questions will be the same for all 72 specialized subjects. The questions test candidates' environmental knowledge and its impact on society. The questions include topics such as Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, Dairy, Fisheries, and Allied Sciences, as well as current events and personal experiences.
50 multiple-choice questions from the Core Group will cover the particular subject the applicant selected to pursue a Ph.D.
50 multiple-choice questions will be selected from one of the specific master's degree subjects that the applicant decided to study for their doctorate.
The ICAR AICE JRF/SRF examination includes a separate syllabus for each field of specialization. The syllabus covers everything from genetics and plant breeding to animal sciences, with special emphasis on plant pathology, entomology, biochemistry, and other fields. The Syllabus overview for specialized subjects is as follows:
Genetics and Plant Breeding | |
Unit 1: General Genetics and Plant Breeding | Unit 2: Economics, Botany, and Plant Breeding Methods |
Unit 3: Genome Organisation and Cytogenetics of Crop Plants | Unit 4: Quantitative and Biometrical Genetics |
Unit 5: Genetic Engineering and Biotechnological Tools in Plant Breeding | Unit 6: Plant Breeding for Stress Resistance and Nutritional Quality |
Unit 7: Plant Genetic Resources and their Regulatory System; Varietal Release and Seed Production | Unit 8: Statistical Methods and Field Plot Techniques |
Seed Science & Technology | |
Unit 1: Seed Biology | Unit 2: Seed Production |
Unit 3: Seed Processing | Unit 4: Seed Quality Control |
Unit 5: Seed Storage | Unit 6: Seed Health |
Unit 7: Seed Industry Development and Marketing | Unit 8: Protection of Plant Varieties |
Economic Botany & Plant Genetic Resources | |
Unit 1: Biodiversity and Plant Genetic Resources | Unit 2: Exploration and Germplasm Collecting |
Unit 3: Germplasm Exchange and Plant Quarantine | Unit 4: Principles and Methods of Germplasm Conservation |
Unit 5: Principles and Practices of Germplasm Regeneration and Evaluation | Unit 6: Biotechnology in Plant Genetic Resource Management |
Unit 7: Economic Botany | Unit 8: Information Management in Plant Genetic Resources |
Unit 9: Plant Taxonomy | Unit 10: Plant Biosecurity |
Unit 11: Fundamentals of Molecular Biology for PGR Management | |
Plant Pathology | |
Unit 1: History and Principles of Plant Pathology | Unit 2: Laboratory and Analytical Technique |
Unit 3: Physiological and Molecular Plant Pathology | Unit 4: Mycology |
Unit 5: Plant Bacteriology | Unit 6: Plant Virology |
Unit 7: Plant Disease Epidemiology | Unit 8: Phanerogamic Parasites and Non-parasitic Diseases |
Unit 9: Fungal Diseases of Crop Plants | Unit 10: Bacterial and Viral Diseases of Crop Plant |
Unit 11: Management of Plant diseases | |
Nematology | |
Unit 1: History and Economic Importance | Unit 2: Nematode Taxonomy and Morphology |
Unit 3: Nematological Techniques | Unit 4: Nematode Ecology |
Unit 5: Plant Nematode Relationship | Unit 6: Nematode Physiology and Cytology |
Unit 7: Nematode pests of crops | Unit 8: Nematode Management |
Unit 9: Interactions of Nematodes with Soil Organisms | Unit 10: Statistics |
Agricultural Entomology | |
Unit 1: Systematics | Unit 2: Morphology |
Unit 3: Embryology, Internal Anatomy, and Physiology | Unit 4: Ecology |
Unit 5: Biological Control | Unit 6: Chemical Control and Toxicology |
Unit 7: Host Plant Resistance | Unit 8: Novel Approaches in Pest Control |
Unit 9: Integrated Pest Management | Unit 10: Pesticide Application Equipment |
Unit 11: Pests of Field Crops and their Management | Unit 12: Pests of Horticultural Crops and their Management |
Unit 13: Pests of Stored Products and their Management | Unit 14: Insect and mite vectors of Plant Diseases |
Unit 15: Honey Bees and Bee-keeping | Unit 16: Silkworms and Sericulture |
Unit 17: Lac Insect | Unit 18: Helpful and Useful Insects |
Unit 19: Statistics and Computer Application | |
Sericulture | |
Unit 1: Mulberry Crop Production | Unit 2: Mulberry and Silkworm Breeding |
Unit 3: Silkworm Biology | Unit 4: Silkworm Protection |
Unit 5: Silkworm Nutrition | Unit 6: Non-Mulberry Sericulture |
Unit 7: Silk Reeling Technology | Unit 8: Silkworm Seed Cocoon and Egg Production |
Plant Biochemistry | |
Unit 1: Basic Biochemistry and Biomolecules | Unit 2: Intermediary Metabolism |
Unit 3: Enzymes, Vitamins and Hormones | Unit 4: Molecular Biology |
Unit 5: Techniques in Biochemistry | Unit 6: Biochemistry of Food-grains, Fruits, and Vegetables |
Unit 7: Photosynthesis | Unit 8: Plant Metabolic Processes |
Unit 9: Plant Molecular Biology | Unit 10: Plant Biotechnology/Genetic Engineering |
Plant Physiology | |
Unit 1: Cell Organelles and Water Relations | Unit 2: Metabolic Processes and Growth Regulation |
Unit 3: Crop Productivity and Modelling | Unit 4: Abiotic Stress Responses in Plants |
Unit 5: Plant Growth Regulators and Plant Development | Unit 6: Mineral Nutrition |
Unit 7: Climate and Climate Change | Unit 8: Seed Physiology |
Unit 9: Physiology of Flowering and Reproduction | Unit 10: Physiology of Horticultural and Plantation Crop Species |
Unit 11: Post-Harvest Physiology | Unit 12: Morphogenesis, Tissue Culture, and Plant Transformation |
Unit 13: Phenomics | |
Agricultural Biotechnology | |
Unit 1: Cell Structure and Function | Unit 2: Biomolecules and Metabolism |
Unit 3: Enzymology | Unit 4: Molecular Genetics |
Unit 5: Gene Expression | Unit 6: Molecular Biology Techniques |
Unit 7: Gene Cloning | Unit 8: Molecular Biology |
Unit 9: Plant Molecular Biology | Unit 10: Tissue Culture |
Unit 11: Plant Genetic Engineering | Unit 12: Molecular Markers and Genomics |
To effectively study for the ICAR AICE JRF/SRF exam, students need first understand the exam format, syllabus, and marking system. A well-structured plan of study that focuses on both strengths and weaknesses is crucial. Here are some of the important tips related to ICAR AICE JRF/SRF Preparation.