SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION ENGINEERING/SOIL AND WATER ENGINEERING (SYLLABUS FOR ICAR’S JRF/SRF(PGS) )

SYLLABUS FOR THE ALL INDIA COMPETITIVE EXAMINATION FOR ADMISSION TO DOCTORAL DEGREE PROGRAMMES AND THE AWARD OF

JRF/SRF (PGS)

41 SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION ENGINEERING/SOIL AND WATER ENGINEERING 

Unit 1: Groundwater Development, Wells and Pumps 

Water resources of India. Present status of development and utilization of water resources of India and scope for additional use. Irrigation potential and contribution of groundwater, scope of groundwater development. Application of groundwater models for groundwater development and management. Aquifer types and parameters. Principles of groundwater flow, interaction between surface and groundwater, natural and artificial groundwater recharge. Salt water intrusion in inland and coastal aquifers. Groundwater exploration techniques. Hydraulics of fully and partially penetrating wells. Design, construction and development of irrigation wells. Water lifts, pumps and prime movers, well and pumps characteristics, performance evaluation and selection of pumps. Energy requirement in groundwater pumping. Design of centrifugal pumps. Groundwater pollution. Conjunctive use of surface and groundwater. 

Unit 2: Open Channel Hydraulics 

Hydraulics of open channel flow, energy and momentum principles, specific energy, Hydraulic jump, classification and its use as energy dissipater. Design of different types of irrigation channels. Irrigation water measurement: using velocity area method, water meters, weirs, notches, flumes, orifices etc. Water conveyance and control. Conveyance losses and lining of irrigation channels. Irrigation water delivery and distribution. 

Unit 3: Soil, Plant, Water and Atmosphere Relationship 

Soil physical characteristics influencing irrigation. Soil moisture characteristics, field capacity, permanent wilting point, plant available water and extractable water. Soil irrigability classifications, factors affecting water storage profile. Determination of soil water content, computation of soil water depletion, soil water potential and its components, hydraulic head. Field water budget: water gains and water losses from soil, deep percolation beyond root zone, capillary rise. Evapotranspiration (ET) and irrigation requirement, critical stages of crop growth in relation to irrigation. Irrigation scheduling. Plant water relations, concept of plant water potential. Water movement through soil plant atmosphere system. Uptake and transport of water by roots. Management strategies to improve crop productivity under limited water supplies. Contingent crop plans and other strategies for aberrant weather conditions. Cropping patterns, alternate land use and crop diversification in rainfed regions. 

Unit 4: Watershed Hydrology 

Hydrologic cycle, precipitation, infiltration and surface runoff. Measurement and analysis of hydrologic data. Intensity duration frequency analysis. Hortonian and saturation overland flow theories, partial source area concept of surface runoff generation. Rainfall and run off relationships, stream gauging and runoff measurement. Different methods of surface runoff estimation, hydrographs, S-hydrograph, IUH, Synthetic hydrograph, unit hydrograph theory and its application. Concept of hydrologic flood routing:channel and reservoir routing. 

Unit 5: Soil and Water Conservation 

Soil erosion and types of erosion. Quantitative soil loss estimation, universal soil loss equation and its subsequent modifications. In-situ measurement of soil loss. Field practices in controlling erosion by water and wind. Soil and Water conservation structures and their design. Gully control: vegetative measures, temporary, semi-permanent and permanent structures for gully control and reclamation and their design. Design and construction of farm pond and reservoir. Seepage theory. Design of earthen dams and retaining walls, stability analysis on slopes. Application of RS and GIS in soil and water conservation. 

Unit 6: Watershed Management 

Watershed concept, Identification and characterization of watersheds. Surveying: topographic, reconnaissance. Soil types and depth properties. Soil maps and their scales. Meteorological observations, monitoring, reclamation and conservation of agricultural and forest watersheds, hill slopes and ravines. Hydrological and geomorphological characteristics of watersheds. Land capability and irrigability classification and soil maps. Principles of watershed management. Development of watershed management plans, its feasibility and economic evaluation. Land levelling and grading, Criteria for land levelling, design methods. Machineries and equipments for land levelling. 

Unit 7: Irrigation Water Management 

History of irrigation in India. Management of irrigation water. Major irrigation projects in India. Crop water requirements. Soil water depletion, plant indices and climatic parameters. Methods of irrigation, surface methods, overhead methods, Pressurized irrigation system such as drip and sprinkler irrigation. Merits and demerits of various methods. Hydraulics of furrow, check basin and border irrigation, Hydraulics and design of pressurized irrigation systems. Irrigation efficiency and economics of different irrigation systems. Agronomic considerations in the design and operation of irrigation projects, characteristics of irrigation and farming systems affecting irrigation management. Irrigation strategies under different situation of water availability, optimum crop plans and cropping patterns in canal command areas. Quality of irrigation water and irrigation with poor quality water. On farm water management, socio-economic aspects of on farm water management. 

Unit 8: Management of Degraded, Waterlogged and Other Problematic Soils and Water 

Problem soils and their distribution in India. Excess salt and salt tolerant crops. Hydrological imbalances and their corrective measures. Concept of critical water table depths for crop growth. Contribution of shallow water table to crop water requirements. Management strategies for flood prone areas and crop calendar for flood affected areas. Crop production and alternate use of problematic soils. Agricultural field drainage, drainage techniques and theory of flow in saturated soil. Flow net theory and its application. Drainage investigations. Drainage characteristics of various type of soils. Water table contour maps and isobaths maps. Drainage coefficient. Steady state flow into drains. Hooghoudt Equation.Design and installation of surface and subsurface drainage system. Interceptor and relief drains and their design. Drain pipe and accessories. Drainage requirements of crops. Drainage in relation to salinity and water table control. Biodrainage. Reclamation of ravine, waterlogged, swampy areas and polders. Salt-affected soils and their reclamation. Command area development organizational structures and activities. Irrigation water users association concept and responsibilities. Environmental considerations in land and water resources management. 

Unit 9: Protected Cultivation 

Production technology for vegetables under Protected conditions in soil and soilless media - hydroponics and aeroponics. Types of Green house - orientation and layout. Construction of Green house. Solar radiation – Diffused radiation – Inside and Outside green house radiation. Naturally ventilated and forced ventilated system. Automation for climate control in protected structures. Thermal Modeling of greenhouse Environment for protected cultivation.