UPHESC Assistant Professor Botany Syllabus 2026

UPHESC Assistant Professor Botany Syllabus

The written exam has two parts: General Knowledge (30 questions, the same for all subjects) and Botany (90 questions). Both syllabi below are the official ones of the Uttar Pradesh Education Service Selection Commission, Prayagraj.

Part 1: General Knowledge (30 questions, 90 marks)

Compulsory for all disciplines. Download PDF (0.3 MB)

Unit 1: Current Affairs

• Major events and current affairs: national and international
• Personalities in news
• Sports news
• Current research in the field of science

Unit 2: Teaching and Research Aptitude

• Teaching: nature, objectives, need, methods, evaluation and factors affecting teaching
• Research: meaning and methods
• Data: source, collection and analysis
• Role of UGC in qualitative development in higher education

Unit 3: Information and Communication Technology (ICT)

• ICT: meaning, advantages and disadvantages
• Basics of internet and e-mailing
• General abbreviations and terminology

Unit 4: People and Environment

• People and environment interaction
• Environmental degradation: causes and solutions
• National and international efforts for a better environment
• Environmental control

Unit 5: Indian History and Geography

• Salient features of Indian culture
• Indian National Movement (1857–1950)
• Origin of the universe and the solar system
• Indian geography (general)

Unit 6: Indian Constitution and Economy

• Preamble, Fundamental Rights and Directive Principles
• Indian political system: legislature, executive and judiciary
• Election Commission and Public Service Commission
• Population, poverty, unemployment; planning and development; income tax
• Agriculture, industry, trade; money, currency, banking and capital market

Part 2: Botany (subject code 71) – 90 questions, 270 marks

The Botany paper is at post-graduate (Master's) level. The complete official syllabus is below. Download Botany syllabus PDF (1.3 MB)

Unit 1: Cell Biology

Cell as structural and functional unit of life; Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic cell's structural and functional details, structure and function of extra-cellular matrix, cell wall, cell membrane, cell-cell adhesion, membrane transport and vesicular transport, structure and function of cell organelles; Chloroplasts, Mitochondria, Nucleus, Endoplasmic Reticulum Dictyosomes, Ribosomes, Endosomes, Lysosomes, Peroxisomes, Cytoskeleton and Micro-tubules, Chromatin organization and packaging of chromosomes, structure, behavior and significance of Polytene chromosomes and B- chromosomes.

Unit 2: Microbiology and Plant Pathology

Structure and reproduction/ multiplication of viruses, bacteriophages, bacteria, fungi, mycoplasma and phytoplasma, endophytes and their significance, applications of microbes in agriculture, industry, medicine and in bioremediation; Important crop diseases caused by viruses, fungi bacteria, myco plasma, phytoplasma and nematodes; Mode of infection and disease resistance/ defense mechanism in plants, PR proteins, control measures and biological control, Mycotoxins.

Unit 3: Cryptogams

Algae, Fungi, Lichens, Bryophytes, Pteridophytes; structure and reproduction from evolutionary point of view; Distribution of cryptogams in India and their ecological as well as economic importance.

Unit 4: Phanerogams

Gymnosperms, concept of Pro-gymnosperms, classification and distribution of gymnosperms, Salient features of Cycadales Ginkgoales, Conferales and Gnetales, their structure and reproduction; General account of Cycadofilicales, Bennettitales and Cordaitales, Geological time scale, Types of fossils and techniques for their study.

Angiosperms: Systematics, Anatomy, Embryology, Palynology; International Code of Botanical Nomenclature, Numerical Taxonomy, Chemotaxonomy and molecular taxonomy, Evidences from embryology and palynology.

Comparative account of various systems of classification of angiosperms, study of angiospermic families, Mangnoliaceae, Ranunculaceae, Capparidaceae, Cucurbitaceae, Apiacae, Rubiaceae, Asteraceae, Apocynaceae, Solonaceae, Acanthaceae, Lamiaceae, Verbenaceae, Arecaeae, Liliaceae, Musaceae, Orchidaceae, Poaceae; Unusual secondary growth, Development of male and female gametophytes, fertilization, Development and function of endosperm, Development of embryo, Polyembryony and apomixis, Experimental Embryology including haploid/anther culture, embryo culture and test-tube fertilization.

Unit 5: Plant Resource Development

Domestication and introduction of plants, Plants as sources for food, fodder, fibers, spices, beverages, edible oils, essential oils, drugs, narcotics, insecticides/pesticides, timber, gums, resins, dyes, latex, cellulose, starch and its products, perfumery, Importance of Ethnobotany in Indian context; Energy plantation; Herbal drugs; Botanical gardens and Herbaria.

Unit 6: Morphogenesis

Totipotency, polarity, symmetry and differentiation; cell, tissue, organ and protoplast culture, Somatic hybrids and Cybrids, Micro-propagation, Somaclonal variation. Applications of Plant Tissue culture and Synthetic Seed.

Unit 7: Genetics and Evolution

Gene versus allele concept, Pseudo-alleles, Quantitative genetics and multiple factors, incomplete dominance, Polygenic inheritance, Linkage and Crossing over, Methods of genemapping including molecular maps; 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, Back-cross structure of nucleic acids and proteins; Double helical structure of DNA, Genetic code, Concept of gene, Regulation of gene expression; Gene silencing, Multi-gene families, Structure of protein, protein folding, Organic evolution-evidences, Theories of evolution, Role of RNA in origin and evolution, Phylogeny, Construction of Phylogenetic tree.

Unit 8: Biotechnology

DNA sequencing and its various strategies, Genetic engineering; methods of transfer of genes, Cre-lox system and its application, transgenic crops and bio-safety, Plant genome sequencing, development and use of molecular markers in plant breading, Southern blotting, DNA fingerprinting, PCR-its variations and applications, FISH, Edible vaccines, Plantibodies.

DNA/gene manipulating enzymes: Endonucleases, Exonucleases, Ligases, Polymerases, Phosphatases, Transcriptases, Transferases; DNA damage and repair, Gene cloning.

Standard deviation and coefficient of variation, Tests of significance- Z-test, t-test and chi-square test, Probability and distribution, (Normal, binomial and Poison), Co-relation and regression, application of statistics and biology.

Unit 9: Physiology and Biochemistry

Water relation, mineral nutrition and ion transport, mineral deficiencies and their impact on plants; Photosynthesis-photochemical reactions, photophosphorylation, Z-Scheme, Carbon fixation pathways – C₃, C₄ and CAM pathways; Oxidative phosphorylation, Chemiosmotic theory and ATP synthesis, glycolytic pathway, Kreb's cycle;

Lipid metabolism; classification and nomenclature of lipids, synthesis and oxidation of fatty acids.

Nitrogen fixation and nitrogen metabolism

Enzymes; Nomenclature, classification, mechanism of action, Enzyme regulation and inhibition, Applications of enzymes, Ribozymes.

Importance of secondary metabolites, pigments as photo receptor plant movements, Photoperiodism, flowering in plants, Vernalization, senescence; Growth hormones-chemical nature and application in agriculture; Growth indices, growth movements, stress physiology (heat, water, salinity, heavy metals), stress tolerance in plants. Fruit and seed physiology; Seed dormancy, seed germination, fruit ripening – its molecular basis and manipulation

Unit 10: Ecology and Plant Geography

Concept of ecosystem, Ecological factors, concept and dynamics of community, Plant succession, concept of biosphere, Ecosystem conservation, Pollution and its sources, effects and control, Phytoremediation, plant indicators of pollution, environmental protection acts.

Forest types of India- Ecological and economic importance of forests, afforestation, deforestation, reforestation, social forestry; endangered plants, endemism, biodiversity and its hotspots, biodiversity conservation, IUCN categories, red data books, protected area network, conventions on biological diversity; farmer's right and intellectual property rights; bio geo chemical cycles; global warming and climatic change, acid rain, eutrophication, Ozone depletion, invasive species, environmental impact assessment, phytogeographical regions of India.

How to prepare

• Match the official Botany syllabus unit by unit with your Master's notes and mark weak units first.
• Solve previous UPHESC/UPESSC Assistant Professor Botany papers (Advt 51 re-exam of April 2026 is the most recent).
• Do not leave GK for the end: Teaching and Research Aptitude and ICT are scoring units of the GK paper.
• Practise MCQs under time limits because of negative marking (-1 per wrong answer).

Syllabus PDFs of all 43 subjects are on UPHESC Assistant Professor.