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Unit 1: Systematics

• History and Development of Entomology

• Evolution of Insects

• Position of Insects in the Animal World

• Characteristics of Phylum Arthropoda

• Structural Features of Important Arthropod Groups Such as Trilobita, Chelicerata, and Mandibulata

• Structural Features of Important Classes of Phylum Arthropoda viz. Arachnida, Crustacea, Chilopoda, Diplopoda, and Hexapoda

• Classification of Insects up to Order Level

• Habits, Habitats, and Distinguishing Features of Different Orders and Important Families

• DNA Barcoding

• Phylogenetic Analysis

Unit 2: Morphology

• Body Wall, Its Structure, Outgrowths, Endoskeleton

• Body Regions, Segmentation, Sclerites, and Sutures

• Head and Head Appendages

• Types of Mouthparts

• Antennae, Their Structure and Types

• Thorax Structure, Thoracic Appendages and Their Modification

• Wings, Their Modification and Venation

• Abdomen, Structure, Abdominal Appendages Both in Pterygota and Apterygota

• External Genitalia, General Structure and Modification in Important Insect Orders

Unit 3: Embryology, Internal Anatomy, and Physiology

• Embryonic and Post-Embryonic Development

• Types of Metamorphosis

• Physiology of Ecdysis

• General Features and Types of Larvae and Pupae

• Structure, Function, and Physiology of Digestive, Circulatory, Respiratory, Reproductive, Nervous, and Excretory Systems

• Sense Organs, Structure and Types

• Insect Food and Nutrition, Minerals, Carbohydrates, Proteins and Amino Acids, Lipids, Vitamins, and Their Role in Growth and Development

• Artificial Diets

Unit 4: Ecology

• Concept of Ecology

• Environment and Its Components, Biotic and Abiotic Factors and Their Effects on Growth, Development, Population Dynamics, Distribution, and Dispersal

• Principle of Biogeography and Insect Biodiversity

• Biotic Potential and Environmental Resistance

• Ecosystems, Agroecosystem Analysis, Their Characteristics and Functioning

• Intra and Interspecific Relationships, Competition, Predator-Prey, and Host-Parasite Interactions, Ecological Niche

• Life Table Studies

• Population Models

• Food Chain and Food Web

• Arthropod Population Monitoring

• Pest Forecasting

• Diapause and Causes of Pest Outbreaks

Unit 5: Biological Control

• Importance and Scope of Biological Control

• History of Biological Control

• Biocontrol Agents, Parasites, Predators, and Insect Pathogens

• Important Entomophagous Insect Orders and Families

• Ecological, Biological, Taxonomic, Legal, and Economic Aspects of Biological Control

• Phenomena of Multiple Parasitism, Hyperparasitism, Superparasitism, and Their Applied Importance

• Principles and Procedures of Using Exotic Biocontrol Agents

• Utilization of Natural Biocontrol Agents, Conservation, Habitat Management, and Augmentation

• Mass Multiplication Techniques and Economics

• Effective Evaluation Techniques

• Biocontrol Organizations in the World and India

• Successful Cases of Biological Control of Pests

Unit 6: Chemical Control and Toxicology

• History, Scope, and Principles of Chemical Control

• Insecticides and Their Classification

• Formulations of Insecticides

• Susceptibility of Insects to the Entry of Insecticides

• Physical, Chemical, and Toxicological Properties of Different Groups of Insecticides: Chlorinated Hydrocarbons, Organophosphates, Carbamates, Synthetic Pyrethroids, Chlordimeform, Chitin Synthesis Inhibitors, Avermectins, Nitroguanidines, Phenylpyrazoles, Botanicals (Natural Pyrethroids, Rotenone, Neem Products, Nicotine, Pongamia Spp., Etc.)

• Combination Insecticides

• Problems of Pesticide Hazards and Environmental Pollution

• Safe Use of Pesticides, Precautions, and First Aid Treatments

• Insecticides Act 1968, Registration, and Quality Control of Insecticides

• Evaluation of Toxicity, Methods of Toxicity Testing, Determination of LD₅₀, LT₅₀, RL₅₀

• Pesticide Management Bill 2020

• Pesticide Residues in the Environment and Their Dynamics of Movements

• Methods of Residue Detection

• Codex, FSSAI, HACCP

• Pharmacology of Insect Poisons

• Mode of Action of Different Groups of Insecticides: Neuroactive (Axonal and Synaptic) Poisons, Respiratory Poisons, Chitin Synthesis Inhibitors

• Metabolism of Insecticides, Activative and Degradative Metabolism, Detoxification Enzymes and Their Role in Metabolism 

• Selectivity of Insecticidal Actions

• Insecticide Resistance, Mechanism, Genetics, and Management

Unit 7: Host Plant Resistance

• Chemical Ecology, Mechano and Chemo-Receptors

• Host Plant Selection by Phytophagous Insects

• Secondary Plant Substances and Their Defenses Against Phytophagous Insects

• Basis of Resistance: Antixenosis, Antibiosis, Tolerance

• Biotype Development and Its Remedial Measures

• Tritrophic Interactions

• Induced Resistance

• Breeding for Insect-Resistant Plant Varieties

• Resistance Development and Evaluation Techniques

• Genetics of Resistance: Vertical Resistance, Horizontal Resistance, Oligogenic Resistance, Polygenic Resistance

• Biotechnological Approaches and Development of Transgenic Insect-Resistant Plants, Its Advantages and Limitations

• Case Histories

• Insect Resistance to Transgenic Plants and Its Management

Unit 8: Innovative Approaches in Pest Control

• Behavioral Control, Pheromones, Types and Uses, Advantages and Limitations

• Hormonal Control, Types and Function of Insect Hormones, Insect Hormone Mimics, Advantages and Limitations

• Chemosterilants, Antifeedants, Attractants, Repellents, Their Types, Methods of Application, Advantages and Limitations

• Genetic Control, Concepts and Methods, Case Histories, Advantages and Limitations

• Potentialities of IPM

• Molecular Approaches for Developing Insect Pest Management Strategies, RNAi, CRISPR

Unit 9: Integrated Pest Management

• History, Concept, and Principles of IPM

• Components of IPM: Host Plant Resistance, Agronomic Manipulations, Mechanical and Physical Methods, Chemical Methods, Biocontrol Agents Utilization, Genetic and Behavioral Control Strategies

• IPM Strategies for Field and Horticultural Crops

• IPM Case Histories

• Concept of Damage Level: Economic Threshold Levels, Economic Injury Levels

• Determination of ETL and EIL

• System Approach

• Agroecosystem and Cropping System vs. IPM

• Constraints and Strategies of IPM Implementation

Unit 10: Pesticide Application Equipment

• Types of Appliances: Sprayers, Dusters, Fog Generators, Smoke Generators, Soil-Injecting Guns, Seed-Treating Drums, Flame Throwers

• Power-Operated Sprayers and Dusters

• Types of Nozzles and Their Uses

• Maintenance of Appliances

• Aerial Application of Pesticide:, Principles of Aerial Application, Factors Affecting the Effectiveness of Aerial Application, Equipment for Aerial Applications, Advantages and Disadvantages of Aerial Application

Unit 11: Pests of Field Crops and Their Management

• Distribution, Host Range, Biology and Bionomics

• Nature of Damage and Management of Arthropod Pests of Cereals, Oilseeds, Pulses, Fiber Crops, Sugarcane, and Tobacco

• Polyphagous Pests: Locusts, Termites, Hairy Caterpillars, Cutworms, White Grubs

Unit 12: Pests of Horticultural Crops and Their Management

• Distribution, Host Range, Biology and Bionomics

• Nature of Damage and Management of Arthropod Pests of Vegetables, Fruits, and Plantation Crops

• Pests of Spices, Condiments, and Ornamentals

Unit 13: Pests of Stored Products and Their Management

• Fundamentals of Storage of Grains and Grain Products

• Storage Losses, Sources of Infestation/Infection, Factors Influencing Losses

• Insect and Non-Insect Pests, Their Nature of Damage and Control

• Microflora in Storage Environment and Their Control

• Storage Structures: Bulk Storage, Bag Storage, Their Relative Efficacy and Demerits

• Grain Drying Methods and Aeration

• Non-Insect Pests: Rodents, Birds, Mites of Stored Products and Their Control

• Integrated Management of Storage Pests

Unit 14: Arthropod Vectors of Plant Diseases

• Common Arthropod Vectors: Aphids, Leafhoppers, Planthoppers, Whiteflies, Thrips, Psyllids, Beetles, Weevils, Flies, Bees, Mites and Their Relationship with Plant Pathogenic Fungi, Bacteria, Viruses, Mycoplasma

• Mechanism of Pathogen Transmission: Active Mechanical Transmission, Biological Transmission

• Toxicogenic Insects, Mites and Phytotoxemia

• Important Arthropod Vector-Transmitted Diseases and Their Epidemiology in India

• Management of Vectors and Its Effect on Disease Control

Unit 15: Honey Bees and Beekeeping

• Honey Bees and Their Economic Importance

• Bee Species, Their Behavior, Habit and Habitats

• Beekeeping: Bee Pasturage, Hives and Equipment, Seasonal Management

• Bee Enemies Inducing Diseases and Their Control

Unit 16: Silkworms and Sericulture

• Silkworm Species, Their Systematic Position and Salient Features

• Rearing Techniques: Mulberry, Muga, Eri, Tassar Silkworms

• Nutritional Requirements of Silkworms

• Sericulture: Rearing House and Appliances, Silkworm Breeds, Principles of Voltinism and Nioultism, Seed Production and Its Economics

• Enemies and Diseases of Silkworms and Their Management

• Sericulture Organization in India

Unit 17: Lac Insect

• Lac Insect, Its Biology, Habit and Habitats

• Host Trees: Pruning, Inoculation, Lac Cropping Techniques, Harvesting

• Enemies of Lac Insect and Their Control

Unit 18: Other Useful Insects

• Pollinators, Biocontrol Agents of Weeds, Soil Fertility-Improving Agents, Scavengers

• Use of Insects and Insect Products in Medicines

• Usefulness of Insects in Scientific Investigations

• Insects as Food

Unit 19: Statistics and Computer Application

• Frequency Distribution, Mean, Mode and Median

• Standard, Normal, Binomial and Poisson’s Distribution

• Sampling Methods and Standard Errors

• Correlation and Regression: Partial and Multiple

• Tests of Significance: t, F, Chi-Square, Duncan’s Multiple Range Tests

• Design of Experiments: Principles of Randomized Block Design, Completely Randomized Block Design, Latin Square Design, Split-Plot Designs

• Probit Analysis

1. A Textbook of Agricultural Entomology by K.P. Srivastava

2. Principles of Insect Morphology by R.E. Snodgrass

3. Applied Entomology: ICAR JRF, ARS, SAUs Entrance Exams, UPSC Civil Services Prelims by D.S. Reddy

4. Objective Crop Protection: Entomology, Plant Pathology, and Nematology for ARS Prelims by T.V. Prasad

5. Objective Agricultural Entomology: Specially Based on ARS Pre NET Syllabus and Other Competitive Examinations by Usha et al.

6. Insecta: An Introduction by K.N. Ragumoorthi

7. Principles of Applied Entomology by K.N. Ragumoorthi

8. An Outline of Entomology by G.S. Dhaliwal

9. Elements of Economic Entomology by B.V. David and V.V. Ramamurthy

10. Integrated Pest Management by G.S. Dhaliwal and Ramesh Arora

11. Handbook of Entomology by T.V. Prasad

12. Entomology and Pest Management by L.P. Pedigo and M.E. Rice (Only Few Chapters)

13. Pests of Stored Grain and Their Management by M.C. Bhargava and K.C. Kumawat

14. Textbook of Applied Entomology by K.P. Srivastava (Chapters 12, 15, and 16)

15. A Textbook of Insect Toxicology by R.P. Saxena and R.C. Srivastava