The IAS Exam is administered annually by the Union Public Services Commission (UPSC) in order to recruit candidates for various Central and All India Services within the Government of India. The examination is administered in three phases: Prelims, Mains, and Interview. Candidates who are preparing for the IAS mains examination are obligated to select an optional subject of their preference.
The optional subject will be divided into two papers, each of which will be worth 250 marks, resulting in a total of 500 marks.
There are numerous advantages to studying agriculture as an optional subject. Having a solid understanding of the subject is extremely beneficial for addressing the social issues, economics, and geography in General Studies, as the learning is facilitated. This subject is available as an optional for any UPSC candidate who has a scholarly background in Botany, Life Sciences, Agriculture, or a related field.
Books For Agriculture Optional
| UPSC Agriculture Books |
| Fundamentals Of Agricultural Extension Education by U Barman |
| A Text Book of Agricultural Statistics R. Rangaswamy |
| Agronomy – Yellamanda Reddy |
| Entomology – Vasantha Raj & David |
| Genetics- B.D.Singh |
| Handbook Of Agriculture -ICAR |
| Introduction To Horticulture – Kumar |
| Physiology – Pandey & Singha |
| Plant Breeding -B.D. Singh |
| Soil Science – D.K Das Or Brady |
| Special Issue of Agriculture by The Hindu |
| The Hindu- Survey Of Indian Agriculture |
