Botany Optional Syllabus for Civil Service Examination

Botany is one of the 48 optional subjects for the UPSC Civil Service Examination. The UPSC Botany Syllabus in the Civil Service Examination aims to test the ability of the aspirants to understand the subject as science and how they apply botanical knowledge to solve ecological problems. In this UPSC optional subject, the topics included are related to theoretical and applied Botany. As it is a highly specialised subject, the candidates who have studied Botany as part of their curriculum or have a strong background in plant biology are the ideal group for taking it as their optional in the UPSC Civil Service Examination. 

Botany Syllabus for Civil Service Examination

Like other optional subjects in the UPSC CSE Examination, Botany Optional Subject has two papers (Paper 1 and Paper 2). Each paper carries 250 marks with a total of 500 marks. 

UPSC Syllabus for Botany Optional: Paper I

1. Microbiology and Plant Pathology:

• Structure and reproduction/ multiplication of viruses, viroids, bacteria, fungi and mycoplasma
• Use of microbiology in agriculture, industry, medicine 
• Application of Microbiology to control of soil and water pollution
• Prion and Prion hypothesis
• Major crop diseases caused by viruses, bacteria, mycoplasma, fungi and nematodes
• Types of infection and dissemination
• Molecular basis of infection and disease resistance/ defence
• Physiology of parasitism and measures for controlling
• Modelling and disease forecasting
• Plant Quarantine

2. Cryptogams

• Structure and reproduction from the evolutionary viewpoint of:
  • Algae
  • Fungi
  • Lichens
  • Bryophytes
  • Pteridophytes
• 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
    • Cycadales
    • Ginkgoales
    • Coniferales
    • Gnetales

Their Structure and Reproduction

• General account of 
  • Cycadofilicales
  • Bennettitales
  • Cordiaitailes

• Geological time Scale

• Types of fossils and their study techniques

• Angiosperms
  • Systematic, 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
    • Asteraceae
    • Poaceae
    • Arecaceae
    • Liliaceae
    • Musaceae
    • 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 and fertilisation
  • Endosperm, Its development and function
  • Types of embryo development
  • Polyembroyony
  • Apomixes
  • Use od palynology
  • Experimental embryology
    • Pollen storage
    • Test-tube fertilisation

4. Plant Resource Development

• Domestication and introduction of plants
• Origin of cultivated plants
• Vavilov’s centres of origin
• Plants as sources for
  • Food, fodder, fibres, spices, beverages, edible oils, drugs, narcotics, insecticides, timber, gums, resins and dyes
• Latex, cellulose, starch and its products
• Perfumery
• Relevance of Ethnobotany in Indian context
• Energy plantations
• Botanical gardens and herbaria

5. Morphogenesis

• Totipotency, polarity, symmetry and differentiation
• 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 Syllabus for 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
  • Cytoskeleton 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 organisation and packaging of the 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 of gene mapping including molecular maps
  • the 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, mechanisms 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
  • Mutations
  • Polyploidy
  • Male sterility
  • Heterosis breeding
• Application of apomixes in plant breeding
• DNA sequencing
• Genetic engineering methods of transfer of genes
• Transgenic crops and biosafety aspects
• Development and Application of molecular markers in plant breeding
  • Tools and techniques
  • Southern blotting
  • DNA fingerprinting
  •  PCR and FISH
• Standard deviation and coefficient of variation (CV)
• Tests of significance
  • Z-test
  • T-test
  • Chi-square tests
• 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
  • Carbon fixation pathways
  • C3, C4 and CAM pathways
• Mechanism of phloem transport
• Respiration
  • anaerobic 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
  • Phytochrome
• Plant movements
  • Photoperiodism and flowering
  • Vernalisation
  • Senescence
• Growth substances
  • their chemical nature, function and use 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
  • Concepts of biosphere
  • Ecosystems
  • Conservation
  • Pollution and its control (including phytoremediation)
  • Plant indicators
  • Environment (Protection) Act
• Forest types of India
  • Ecological and economic relevance of forests
  • Afforestation
  • Deforestation
  • social forestry
  • Endangered plants
  • Endemism IUCN categories
  • Red Data Books
  • Biodiversity and its conservation
  • Protected Area Network
  • Convention of 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

Civil service aspirants must consider that the Botany optional for the UPSC CSE Examination would potentially increase their chances for selection.  Thus, thorough preparation would help the candidate to score well in this UPSC optional paper. In addition, the candidate should focus on practising more questions from previous years’ UPSC question papers. Along with this, the mock test also helps them to crack the UPSC botany optional easily.