These 12 questions from UPSC Agriculture Optional papers (1995–2026) fall outside the present syllabus of their paper – mostly from papers set on the older syllabus. We keep them here for completeness.
Each question ends with a code such as [2024/15m/3b] – the year, the marks, the word limit (where UPSC set one) and the question number in the paper.
Paper I
2 questions
Crop biotechnology. [2007/20m/200w/5b]
Integrated Pest Management. [1999/20m/200w/1c]
Paper II
10 questions
Precision farming. [2009/15m/150w/8c]
What is vermiculture? How does it differ from clean-cultivation of crops? Give advantages of vermicompost application to crops. [1998/20m/200w/5a]
What are biofertilizers? Explain advantages of biofertilizers. Explain methods of using, and advantages of Azotobacter, Rhizobium and Algae in crop cultivation. [1998/20m/200w/5d]
Describe climate and soil requirements of wheat, sugarcane and rice (paddy). [1998/20m/200w/7c]
Eco-friendly farming. [1998/7.5m/8c]
Greenhouse effect. [1998/7.5m/8d]
What is Sustainable Agriculture? How does it differ from Modern Agriculture? [1997/20m/200w/5a]
Enumerate the agro-ecological zones of India. [1996/15m/7d]
What do you understand from organic farming? [1995/20m/7b]
Global warming. [1995/7.5m/8a]
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Last updated: 30 October 2026