GATE Agriculture Engineering 2023 Syllabus: Exam Pattern, Marking Scheme, Weightage of Topics, Question Papers

GATE Agriculture Engineering Syllabus 2023

Candidates can check the syllabus for agriculture engineering below:

Section 1: Engineering Mathematics

Engineering Mathematics is one of the important and tough sections of the GATE exam. The section carries 15% weightage of questions in the question paper. Engineering Mathematics is the branch of applied mathematics concerning mathematical methods and techniques that are typically used in engineering and industry.

• Linear Algebra
• Calculus
• Vector Calculus
• Differential Equations
• Partial Differential Equations
• Probability and Statistics
• Numerical Methods

Section 2: Farm Machinery

Farm machinery is one of the most expensive and critical inputs when growing a rice crop. Machinery should be up to date and easy to use.

• Machine Design: Design and selection of machine elements – gears, pulleys, chains and sprockets and belts; overload safety devices used in farm machinery; measurement of force, stress, torque, speed, displacement and acceleration on machine elements - shafts, couplings, keys, bearings and knuckle joints.
• Farm Machinery: Soil tillage; forces acting on a tillage tool; hitch systems and hitching of tillage implements, functional requirements, principles of working, construction and operation of manual, animal and power operated equipment for tillage, sowing, planting, fertilizer application, inter-cultivation, spraying, mowing, chaff cutting, harvesting and threshing calculation of performance parameters - field capacity, efficiency, application rate and losses; cost analysis of implements and tractors.

Section 3: Farm Power

Humans, animals, and machines are all used as sources of power in agriculture production. When undertaking different operations on a farm, a certain amount of work is required to complete the task.

• Sources of Power: Sources of power on the farm - human, animal, mechanical, electrical, wind, solar and biomass; bio-fuels.
• Farm Power: Thermodynamic principles of I.C. engines; I.C. engine cycles; engine components; fuels and combustion; lubricants and their properties; I.C. engine systems – fuel, cooling, lubrication, ignition, electrical, intake and exhaust; selection, operation, maintenance and repair of I.C. engines; power efficiencies and measurement; calculation of power, torque, fuel consumption, heat load and power losses; performance index, cost analysis of implements and tractors.
• Tractors and Power tillers: Type, selection, maintenance and repair of tractors and power tillers; tractor clutches and brakes; power transmission systems – gear trains, differential, final drives and power take-off; mechanics of tractor chassis; traction theory; three point hitches - free link and restrained link operations; steering and hydraulic control systems used in tractors; tractor tests and performance; human engineering and safety considerations in design of tractor and agricultural implements.

Section 4: Soil and Water Conservation Engineering

Soil is the thin skin covering the land, clean water is becoming more valuable every day. Soil water relations, evapotranspiration, precipitation, runoff, erosion, flow in natural waterways and through reservoirs, wetland and groundwater hydrology, and water quality.

• Fluid Mechanics: Ideal and real fluids, properties of fluids; hydrostatic pressure and its measurement; continuity equation, kinematics and dynamics of flow; Bernoulli’s theorem; laminar and turbulent flow in pipes, Darcy- Weisbach and Hazen-Williams equations, Moody’s diagram; flow through orifices, weirs and notches; flow in open channels, dimensional analysis – concepts of geometric dimensionless numbers.
• Soil Mechanics: Engineering properties of soils; fundamental definitions and relationships; index properties of soils; permeability and seepage analysis; shear strength, Mohr’s circle of stress, active and passive earth pressures; stability of slopes, Terzaghi’s one dimensional soil consolidation theory. AG Agricultural Engineering
• Hydrology: Hydrological cycle and measurement of its components; meteorological parameters and their measurement; analysis of precipitation data; runoff estimation; hydrograph analysis, unit hydrograph theory and application; streamflow measurement; flood routing, hydrological reservoir and channel routing, Infiltration – indices and equations, drought and its classification.
• Surveying and Leveling: Measurement of distance and area; instruments for surveying and leveling; chain surveying, methods of traversing; measurement of angles and bearings, plane table surveying; types of leveling; theodolite traversing; contouring; total station, introduction to GPS survey, computation of areas and volume.
• Soil and Water Erosion: Mechanics of soil erosion - wind and water erosion: soil erosion types, factors affecting erosion; soil loss estimation; biological and engineering measures to control erosion; terraces and bunds; vegetative waterways; gully control structures, drop, drop inlet and chute spillways; earthen dams.
• Watershed Management: Watershed characterization and land use capability classification; water budgeting in watershed, rainwater harvesting, check dams and farm ponds.

Section 5: Irrigation and Drainage Engineering

Irrigation is the artificial exploitation and distribution of water at the project level aiming at the application of water at field level to agricultural crops in dry areas or in periods of scarce rainfall to assure or improve crop production. 

• Soil-Water-Plant Relationship: Water requirement of crops; consumptive use and evapotranspiration; measurement of infiltration, soil moisture and irrigation water infiltration. Irrigation Water Conveyance and Application Methods: Design of irrigation channels and underground pipelines; irrigation scheduling; surface, sprinkler and micro irrigation methods, design and evaluation of irrigation methods; irrigation efficiencies.
• Agricultural Drainage: Drainage coefficient; planning, design and layout of surface and sub-surface drainage systems; leaching requirement and salinity control; irrigation and drainage water quality and reuse; non- conventional drainage system.
• Groundwater Hydrology: Groundwater occurrence; Darcy’s Law, steady and unsteady flow in confined and unconfined aquifers, groundwater exploration techniques; overview of groundwater recharge estimation and artificial recharge techniques.
• Wells and Pumps: Types of wells, steady flow through wells; design and construction of water wells; classification of pumps; pump characteristics; pump selection and installation.

Section 6: Agricultural Processing Engineering

Agricultural Engineering deals with the design of farm machinery, the location, and planning of farm structures, farm drainage, soil management, and erosion control, water supply and irrigation, rural electrification, and the processing of farm products. 

• Engineering properties of agriculture produce: Physical, thermal, frictional, rheological and electrical properties.
• Evaporation and Drying: Concentration and drying of liquid foods – evaporators, tray, drum and spray dryers; hydrothermal treatments; drying and milling of cereals, pulses and oilseeds; drying kinetics; psychrometry – properties of air-water vapor mixture.
• Size Reduction and Material Handling: Mechanics and energy requirement in size reduction of agriculture produce; particle size analysis for comminuted solids; size separation by screening; fluidization of granular solids-pneumatic, bucket, screw and belt conveying; cleaning and grading; effectiveness of separation; centrifugal separation of solids, liquids and gases; homogenization; filtration and membrane separation.
• Processing of Agriculture Produce: Processing of seeds, spices, fruits and vegetables; value addition of agriculture produce.
• Storage Systems: Controlled and modified atmosphere storage; perishable food storage, godowns, bins and grain silos, packaging material and machines.

Section 7: Dairy and Food Engineering

Food engineering is a multidisciplinary field that combines microbiology, applied physical sciences, chemistry, and engineering for food and related industries. Food engineers provide the technological knowledge transfer essential to the cost-effective production and commercialization of food products and services. 

• Heat and Mass Transfer: Steady state heat transfer in conduction, convection and radiation; transient heat transfer in simple geometry; working principles of heat exchangers; diffusive and convective mass transfer; simultaneous heat and mass transfer in agricultural processing operations; material and energy balances in food processing systems; water activity, sorption and desorption isotherms.
• Preservation of Food: Kinetics of microbial death – pasteurization and sterilization of milk and other liquid foods; preservation of food by cooling and freezing; refrigeration and cold storage basics and applications.

Direct Link to Download GATE Agriculture Engineering (AG) Syllabus PDF 

GATE Agriculture Engineering Syllabus 2023: Weightage of Important Topics