About the Programme
M.Sc. (Agriculture) in Agronomy at IRDM, RKMVERI is a two-year (four semesters) programme that includes diverse facets of crop production. It includes, among others, courses like management practices for major field crops, crop growth, crop ecology, soil, water and crop productivity, soil environment, agronomic practices under different stress situations (i.e. practices for submerged soils, acidic, saline and alkaline soils etc.), irrigation management, weed management, cropping system, rain-fed agriculture, agro-forestry, agronomic factors affecting crop quality, etc.
Gaining both the theoretical and practical (lab and field based) hands-on knowledge is given importance. This 2-year programme adopts multi-disciplinary approach, and, as one among the important branches of agricultural sciences, it is expected to work together with other M.Sc. programmes of IRDM Faculty Centre to gather more experience about the agricultural systems, and to attain synergy between these cross-disciplinary work groups.
Apart from the classical subject matter of agronomy, the programme also covers some of the modern concepts of crop production like site-specific and integrated nutrient and weed management, farming system management, energy management, sustainable production system, intensification of the cropping systems, climate change, its impact on agriculture and possible mitigation / adaptation strategies, use of different simulation models in agriculture, etc. Apart from on-station field experiments, students will also get opportunity to work in the laboratories for further estimation of different qualitative parameters. Students have to do dissertation work on any topic of agronomy, and compulsorily present two seminars (one on the proposed plan of research work and another on final outcomes of the dissertation work).
After completion of study the student will be able to balance increased agricultural output with protection and preservation of soil, water and ecosystems. This two-year programme is focused on increasing the quantity as well as quality of food production.