The CUET PG Horticulture question paper (code SCQP16) has 75 multiple-choice questions in 90 minutes, +4 for a right answer, -1 for a wrong one, 0 if left out. NTA sets it on the graduation-level syllabus of the subject, as NTA published it. Every unit of the official syllabus PDF is below with its topics (1 unit, 2 topics).
CUET PG Horticulture at a glance
| Paper code | SCQP16 |
|---|---|
| Group | Science (SCQP) |
| Questions | 75, all compulsory |
| Marks | 300 (4 per question) |
| Duration | 90 minutes |
| Marking | +4 for a right answer, -1 for a wrong one, 0 if left out |
| Medium | English and Hindi (bilingual) |
| Based on | The graduation-level syllabus of the subject, as NTA published it |
| Official syllabus PDF | Download the official PDFPDF |
CUET PG Horticulture syllabus: units and topics
Unit 1
Horticulture, Forestry, Seed Science, Rural Technology,
Basic Biology: Spontaneous generation theory, prokaryotes vs eukaryotes, functional anatomy, structure and organization of bacteria, fungi and algae – economic importance, methods of sterilization, rhizosphere microorganisms and importance, plant-microbe interactions in soil, microbial transformation of nutrients in soil. Carbohydrates, lipids, proteins and amino acids – occurrence and classification, carbohydrate and lipid metabolism, glycolysis, TCA cycle, pentose phosphate pathway, ETC and oxidative phosphorylation, secondary metabolites – occurrence, classification, functions and applications Ecology: Physical environment; biotic environment; biotic and abiotic interactions. Concept of habitat and niche; niche width and overlap; fundamental and realized niche; resource partitioning; character displacement. Characteristics of a population; population growth curves; population regulation; life history strategies; concept of metapopulation – demes and dispersal, intergenic extinctions, age structured populations. Types of interactions, interspecific competition, herbivory, carnivory, pollination, symbiosis Nature of communities; community structure and attributes; levels of species diversity and its measurement; edges and ecotones. Types; mechanisms; changes involved in succession; concept of climax. Structure and function; energy flow and mineral cycling; primary production and decomposition; structure and function of some Indian ecosystems: terrestrial and aquatic. Major terrestrial biomes; theory of island biogeography; biogeographical zones of India Plant Biology: Photosynthesis: Light harvesting complexes; mechanisms of electron transport; photo protective mechanisms; CO2 fixation-C3, C4 and CAM pathways. Citric acid cycle; plant mitochondrial electron transport and ATP synthesis; alternate oxidase; photo respiratory pathway. Nitrate and ammonium assimilation; amino acid biosynthesis. Plant hormones: Biosynthesis, storage, breakdown and transport; physiological effects and mechanisms of action. Structure, function and mechanisms of action of phytochromes, cryptochromes and phytotropins; stomatal movement; photoperiodism and biological clocks Solute transport and photo assimilate translocation: Uptake, transport and translocation of water, ions, solutes and macromolecules from soil, through cells, across membranes, through xylem and phloem; transpiration; mechanisms of loading and unloading of photo assimilates. Secondary metabolites - Biosynthesis of terpenes, phenols and nitrogenous compounds and their roles. Responses of plants to biotic and abiotic stresses; mechanisms of resistance to biotic stress and tolerance to abiotic stress. Plant tissue culture and applications, molecular marker technology, transgenic technology – GMOs, transgenic plants for biotic and abiotic stress resistance and quality improvement, molecular pharming – production of vaccines, therapeutic proteins, industrial enzymes and bioplastics Horticulture, Forestry, Seed Science, Rural Technology, Agronomy,Plant Breeding, Genetics (SCQP16) Microscopic Techniques: Visualization of cells and subcellular components by light microscopy, resolving powers of different microscopes, microscopy of living cells, scanning and transmission microscopes, different fixation and staining techniques for EM, freeze-etch and freeze-fracture methods for EM, image processing methods in microscopy Methods in Field Biology: Methods of estimating population density of animals and plants, ranging patterns through direct, indirect and remote observations, sampling methods in the study of behavior, habitat characterization-ground and remote sensing methods Horticulture: Scope and importance; global scenario of horticultural crops, classification of horticultural crops – nutritive value of horticultural crops, horticulture zones of India. Systematic botany – terminology, morphology description and classification of root, stem, leaf, inflorescence, Flower and fruits – flowering mechanism – modes of pollination – asexual/ vegetative reproduction floral biology – fertilization and fruit set, Principles involved in nomenclature Landscaping and Gardening: Importance and scope of gardening, gardens in India – concepts of landscape gardening – styles and types of gardens – Hindu, Mughal, English, Italian, Persian and Japanese gardens, ornamental landscaping in environmental protection Food Technology: Food processing industries/institutions/food scientists of importance in India, causes of food spoilage, methods of food preservation, post-harvest and storage of fresh fruits and vegetables, preparations of fruits and vegetables for processing, technology of foods of animal origin
Read from the official PDF on 9 November 2026 · Official syllabus PDF · NTA
CUET PG Horticulture: Previous year question papers
NTA has not published a CUET PG question paper of Horticulture as a PDF yet. The final answer keys of every year, and the papers of the subjects NTA did publish, are on the CUET PG question papers page.
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