Published on Mar 09, 2021
Gate 2021 Agricultural Engineering Syllabus AG : https://gate.iitb.ac.in : Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) is a national examination, conducted jointly by Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore and seven Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) at Bombay, Delhi, Guwahati, Kanpur, Kharagpur, Madras and Roorkee on behalf of National Coordination Board (NCB)-GATE, Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education (MoE), Government of India. GATE examination is a Computer Based Test (CBT).
GATE 2021 will be conducted for 27 Subjects (also referred to as “papers”).
GATE 2021 examination will be conducted over six days and twelve sessions on Friday 5th, Saturday 6th, Sunday 7th, Friday 12th, Saturday 13th and Sunday 14th of February 2021.
Linear Algebra: Matrices and determinants, linear and orthogonal transformations, Caley Hamilton theorem; Eigenvalues and Eigenvectors, solutions of linear equations.
Calculus: Limit, continuity and differentiability; partial derivatives; homogeneous function – Euler’s theorem on homogeneous functions, total differentiation; maxima and minima of function with several independent variables; sequences and series – infinite series, tests for convergence; Fourier, Taylor and MacLaurin series.
Vector Calculus: Vector differentiation, scalar and vector point functions, vector differential operators – del, gradient; divergence and curl; physical interpretations-line, surface and volume integrals;Stokes, Gauss and Green’s theorems.
Differential Equations: Linear and non-linear first order Ordinary Differential Equations (ODE); homogeneous differential equations, higher order linear ODEs with constant coefficients; Laplace transforms and their inverse; Partial Differential Equations - Laplace, heat and wave equations.
Probability and Statistics: Mean, median, mode and standard deviation; random variables; Poisson, normal and binomial distributions; correlation and regression analysis.
Numerical Methods: Solutions of linear and non-linear algebraic equations; numerical integration - trapezoidal and Simpson’s rule; numerical solutions of ODEs.
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.
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.
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.
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 inletand chute spillways; earthen dams.
Watershed Management: Watershed characterization and land use capability classification; water budgeting in watershed, rainwater harvesting, check dams and farm ponds.
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.
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.
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.
A candidate may appear either in ONE or TWO subject papers. For candidates who choose TWO papers, the combination must be from the approved list of combinations and subject to the availability of infrastructure and date.
Environmental Science and Engineering (ES) and Humanities and Social Sciences (XH) are two new papers introduced in GATE-2021.
Particulars |
Details |
Examination Mode |
Computer Based Test (CBT) |
Duration |
3 Hours |
Number of Subjects (Papers) |
27 |
Sections |
General Aptitude (GA) + Candidate’s Selected Subject |
Type of Questions |
|
Questions test these abilities |
|
Number of Questions |
10 (GA) + 55 (subject) = 65 Questions |
Distribution of Marks in all Papers EXCEPT papers AR, CY, EY, GG, MA, PH, XH and XL |
General Aptitude: 15 Marks + Engineering Mathematics: 13 Marks + Subject Questions: 72 Marks = Total: 100 Marks |
Distribution of Marks in papers AR, CY, EY, GG, MA, PH, XH and XL |
General Aptitude: 15 Marks + Subject Questions: 85 Marks = Total: 100 Marks |
Marking Scheme |
All of the questions will be of 1 mark or 2 marks |
Paper Code |
General Aptitude (GA) Marks |
Subject Marks |
Total Marks |
Total Time (Minutes) |
AE, AR, AG, BT, CE, CH, CS, CY, EC, EE, ES, EY, IN, MA, ME, MN, MT, PE, PH, PI, TF, ST and BM |
15 |
85 |
100 |
180 |
GG [Part A + Part B (Section 1 Geology OR Section 2 Geophysics)] |
15 |
25 + 60 |
100 |
180 |
XE (Section A + Any TWO Sections) |
15 |
15 + (2 x 35) |
100 |
180 |
XH (Section B1 + Any ONE Section) |
15 |
25 + (1 x 60) |
100 |
180 |
XL (Section P + Any TWO Sections) |
15 |
25 + (2 x 30) |
100 |
180 |
Candidates opting to appear in TWO subject papers must have a primary choice of paper, which will be their default choice and second choice of paper, which has to be chosen from the allowed combinations. Combinations other than the listed ones are NOT allowed. Under unforeseen circumstances, GATE 2021 committee has the rights to remove certain combinations at a later date. In such case, the fee paid towards the second paper will be refunded to the candidates. Also note that the examination centre for candidate to appear for the second paper may be different (but in same city) from that for the first paper due to the infrastructure and scheduling constraints. GATE committee is NOT liable for any legal obligations related to this issue.
