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MPSC Main - Botany Syllabus

Paper I

Standard : Degree	Total Marks : 200
Nature of Paper : Conventional Type	Duration : 3 Hours

Note:	1)	Answers to this paper must be written in English only.
	2)	This paper will test the candidate's ability to comprehend, to analyse, to criticise subject matter related to the topics/sub topics mentioned below.
	3)	It is expected from candidates to study the latest and recent developments and happenings pertaining to the topics/sub topics mentioned below.

Section - A( Marks : 50 )
1) Algae :
	.01)	Occurrence, distribution and classification of algae.
	.02)	Thallus organization in algae.
	.03)	Origin and evolution of sex in algae.
	.04)	Types of life cycles in algae.
	.05)	Important features and life history of Chlorophyceae - Volvox,Oedogonium, Coleochaete, Xanthophyceae - Vaucheria, Phaeophyceae -Ectocarpus, Sargassum, Rhodophyceae - Batrachospermum.
	.06)	Economic importance of algae.
2) Fungi :
	.01)	General characters, classification, reproduction and economicimportance of fungi.
	.02)	Important features of Mastigomycotina, Ascomycotina,Basidiomycotina and Deuteromycotina and Life histories of Pythium, Mucor,Saccharomyces, Puccinia, Colletotrichum.
	.03)	General account of lichens.
	.04)	Mushroom cultivation.
Section - B( Marks : 50 )
3) Bryophytes and Pteridophytes :
	.01)	Structure, classification, reproduction and alternation ofgenerations in bryophytes and pteridophytes.
	.02)	General characters of Hepaticopsida (e.g. Marchantia),Anthocerotopsida (e.g. Anthoceros) and Bryopsida (e.g. Funaria).
	.03)	General account of pteridophytes with reference to structure ofsporophyte, sori, sporangia and gametophytes.
	.04)	Alternation of generations in pteridophytes.
	.05)	Important characteristics of Psilopsida, Lycopsida, Sphenopsidaand Pteropsida.
4) Microbiology and Plant Pathology :
	.01)	Viruses, bacteria and plasmids - structure and reproduction.
	.02)	General account of infection and phytoimmunology.
	.03)	Applications of microbiology in agriculture, industry andmedicine.
	.04)	Role of microbes in controlling pollution of air, soil and water.
	.05)	Important plant diseases caused by viruses, bacteria,mycoplasmas, fungi and nematodes and their control measures.
	.06)	Molecular basis of infection and disease resistance/defencemechanisms.
Section - C( Marks : 50 )
5) Gymnosperms :
	.01)	General features of gymnosperms.
	.02)	Classification, diversity and evolution of gymnosperms.
	.03)	Salient features of living Cycadales, Coniferales and Gnetales,their structure and reproduction.
6) Angiosperms :
	.01)	A general account of the origin and evolution of angiosperms.Major contributions of cytology, phytochemistry and taximetrics to taxonomy.
	.02)	Comparative account of various systems of classification and thedetails of the systems proposed by Bentham and Hooker and Engler and Prantl.
	.03)	Study of angiospermic families - Magnoliaceae, Ranunculaceae,Brassicaceae, Rosaceae, Fabaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Malvaceae, Apiaceae,Asclepiadaceae, Verbenaceae, Solanaceae, Rubiaceae, Cucurbitaceae,Asteraceae, Poaceae, Arecaceae, Liliaceae, Musaceae, Orchidaceae,Dipterocarpaceae.
	.04)	Stomata and their types, anomalous secondary growth, anatomy ofC3 and C4 plants.
	.05)	Development of male and female gametophytes.
	.06)	Pollination, fertilization, endosperm, its development andfunction.
	.07)	Patterns of embryo development.
	.08)	Polyembryony and apomixis.
Section - D( Marks : 50 )
7) Palaeobotany :
	.01)	Carbon dating and applications of palaeobotany in oil and coalexploration
	.02)	General account of Cycadofilicales, Bennettitales andCordaitales.
8) Plant Utility and Exploitation :
	.01)	Origin of cultivated plants, Vavilov’s centres of origin.
	.02)	Plants as sources of food, fodder, fibers, drugs, beverages,narcotics, insecticides, timber, resins, dyes and gums.
	.03)	Latex, cellulose, starch and their products.
	.04)	Importance of Ethnobotany in Indian context.
	.05)	Energy plantation, Petrocrops and biofuels.
	.06)	Botanical Gardens and Herbaria.
	.07)	The structure of plant based industries in Maharashtra; the presentscenario and future prospects.

Paper II

Standard : Degree	Total Marks : 200
Nature of Paper : Conventional Type	Duration : 3 Hours

Note:	1)	Answers to this paper must be written in English only.
	2)	This paper will test the candidate's ability to comprehend, to analyse, to criticise subject matter related to the topics/sub topics mentioned below.
	3)	It is expected from candidates to study the latest and recent developments and happenings pertaining to the topics/sub topics mentioned below.

Section - A( Marks : 50 )
1) Cell Biology I :
	.01)	Techniques of Cell Biology. Ultrastructural details of Prokaryotic andEukaryotic cells.
	.02)	Structure and function of extracellularmatrix (Cell wall) and membranes, cell adhesion, membrane transport andvesicular transport.
	.03)	Structure and functions of cellorganelles (Chloroplasts, mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum, golgi complex,ribosomes, endosomes, lysosomes and peroxisomes.)
2) Cell Biology II :
	.01)	Ultrastructure and functions of nucleus,nucleolus, nuclear pore complex, nucleosome and chromatin.
	.02)	Cell signalling and cell receptors. Signal transduction (G-1 proteinsetc.). Mitosis and meiosis, molecularbasis of cell cycle.
	.03)	Numerical and structural variations inchromosomes and their significance.Study of polytene, lampbrush and B-chromosomes, their structure,behaviour and significance.
Section - B( Marks : 50 )
3) Genetics :
	.01)	Development of genetics, gene versusallele concepts (Pseudoalleles).Mendel’s laws of inheritance.
	.02)	Quantitative genetics and multiplefactors. Linkage and crossing over,methods of gene mapping including molecular maps (idea of mapping function).
	.03)	Sex chromosomes and sexlinkedinheritance, sex determination and molecular basis of sex differentiation.
	.04)	Mutation (biochemical and molecularbasis). Cytoplasmic inheritance and cytoplasmic genes.
4) Molecular biology and Evolution :
	.01)	Structure and synthesis of nucleic acidsand proteins.
	.02)	Genetic code and regulation of geneexpression. Multigene families.
	.03)	Organic evolution - evidences, mechanismand theories. Role of RNA in originand evolution.
Section - C( Marks : 50 )
5) Plant Breeding :
	.01)	Methods of plant breeding -Introduction, selection, hybridization (pedigree, backcross, mass selection,bulk method), polyploidy and induced mutations.
	.02)	Male sterility and heterosis breeding.
	.03)	Use of apomixis in plant breeding.
6) Biotechnology :
	.01)	Plant tissue culture - Micropropagation,production of haploids, somatic hybrids and cybrids, embryo rescue and somaclonalvariation and their applications.
	.02)	Genetic Engineering - Geneidentification, isolation and cloning. Methods of gene transfer andtransgenic crops. Development and useof molecular markers in plant breeding. Varietal characterization, varietaltesting and seed release. Structure ofseed industry in Maharashtra and IPR.
7) Biostatistics :
	Standard deviation, coefficient ofvariation (CV). Test of significance(Z-test, t-test, Chi-square test). Probability and distributions (normal,binomial and Poisson distributions).Correlation, regression and ANOVA.
Section - D( Marks : 50 )
8) Physiology and Biochemistry :
	.01)	Water relations, mineral nutrition, iontransport and mineral deficiencies.
	.02)	Photosynthesis - photochemical reactions,photophosphorylation, carbon pathways, photorespiration and CAM pathways.
	.03)	Respiration (anaerobic and aerobic),electron transport chain and oxidative phosphorylation.
	.04)	Nitrogen fixation and nitrogenmetabolism.
	.05)	Enzymes, co-enzymes, energy transfer andenergy conservation.
	.06)	Importance of secondary metabolites,pigments as photoreceptors (plastidal pigments and phytochromes).
	.07)	Photoperiodism and flowering,vernalization, senescence. Growthsubstances - their chemical nature, role and application in Agrihorticulture,growth indices, growth movements.
	.08)	Stress physiology (heat, water,salinity, metal). Fruit and seedphysiology, dormancy, storage and germination of seed.
	.09)	Fruit ripening - its molecular basis andmanipulation.
9) Ecology, Plant Geography and Computer Applications :
	.01)	Ecological factors, concepts anddynamics of community, plant succession.
	.02)	Concept of biosphere. Ecosystems and their conservation.
	.03)	Pollution and its control (includingphytoremediation), ecotoxicology.
	.04)	Forestry in India - afforestation, deforestation, social forestry and wastelanddevelopment.
	.05)	Endangered plants, endemism and Red DataBook. Biodiversity assessment and conservation.
	.06)	Sovereign Rights and IntellectualProperty Rights.
	.07)	Global warming : Causes, impacts and preventive measures.
	.08)	Computer Applications: Computer operation, DOS, WINDOWS, UNIX,Networking, Collection of course material and generation of data base.Genomic information. Biostatistical analysis of data. Use of EXCEL, PowerPoint operation. Archiving andupdating.