About the Programme
The B.Sc. Agriculture course at Centurion School of Smart Agriculture offers a comprehensive curriculum covering a wide range of subjects essential for understanding the entire agricultural value chain, from farm to fork. Students gain proficiency in various disciplines, including Horticulture, Genetics and Plant Breeding, Entomology, Plant Pathology, Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Agricultural Extension Education, and Seed Science and Technology.,Key Highlights:
Integrated Curriculum:
Following the ICAR curriculum, the program ensures a well-rounded education covering fundamental principles and advanced agricultural concepts. Students learn about plant genetics, crop improvement techniques, pest and disease management, soil fertility, seed technology, and agrarian extension strategies.
Digital Agriculture Focus:
In addition to traditional coursework, the curriculum emphasizes digital agriculture technologies such as Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), Internet of Things (IoT), Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), and image processing. These technologies enable students to explore innovative approaches to farming, data-driven decision-making, and precision agriculture practices.
Research-Centric Approach:
Through research centers and production units, students engage in hands-on research activities, including genome sequencing, scaling up agricultural production, and development of high-value agricultural products. The university's own production units have achieved significant success in producing vermicompost, biofertilizers, and phytoextracts.
Industry Partnerships:
The university collaborates with renowned organizations such as ICAR Institutes, NSDC, RCOF, other universities in India and overseas, and private companies including Centre for Sustainable Agriculture, Sunmoksha Power Pvt. Ltd., Kalgudi, IFFCO Kisan, Genotypic Technology Pvt. Ltd., and ProFarm Seed India Pvt. Ltd. These partnerships provide students with exposure to industry practices, research opportunities, and potential career pathways.
Extension Activities:
Students actively participate in Rural Agricultural Work Experience (RAWE) and Agricultural Industrial Attachment (AIA) programs, as well as the Agricultural Entrepreneurship Learning Program (AELP). Through these initiatives, students engage in real-time learning, extension activities, and disseminating the latest farming techniques to rural communities.
RPL Project:
The university's commitment to skill development is evident through its Rural Practicum Learning (RPL) project, which has trained many local farmers. This initiative aims to enhance farmers' livelihoods by imparting practical skills and knowledge relevant to modern agricultural practices.
The B.Sc. Agriculture course at Centurion School of Smart Agriculture prepares students for diverse career opportunities in agriculture, agribusiness, research, extension services, and entrepreneurship, equipping them with the necessary knowledge, skills, and mindset to address current and future challenges in the agricultural sector.
Domains
SMART AGRICULTURE
Course Overview Designed to impart skill and practical knowledge to students on precision agriculture through the application of IoT, UAV, and mobile app-based crop management, the course deals in the production of gerbera, dendrobium orchid, and Dutch rose by IoT-based management of greenhouse, precision management of low GI rice with the Paddy Predict and Kalgudi apps, and the use of UAV for crop health monitoring and management. Students also learn to grow vegetables like lettuce, pakchoi, kale, broccoli, basil, Chinese cabbage, etc., under soilless culture, hydroponics, and aeroponics. They have become familiar with drip and micro-irrigation, plastic mulching, construction of different greenhouses, applying Cropwat (FAO), DSSAT, and modified Penman and Aquacrop for water management and yield estimation. Moreover, emphasis is given to practices and projects to empower students to become skilled professionals / human resources after successfully completing the course.
ORGANIC FARMING
Course Overview Organic Farming has three pillars: Research, Practice, and Promotion (RPP). The curriculum focuses on imparting traditional, innovative, and scientific skills on diverse crop cultivation to restore the soil health and environment – for a sustainable future. The university has also collaborated with the Regional Centre for Organic Farming (RCOF), Bhubaneswar, and Centre for Sustainable Agriculture, Hyderabad, to create a chain of Organic Farming practitioners, generate a database on production and productivity, and reduce the cost of crop cultivation through effective use of on-farm by-product.
PROTECTED HORTICULTURE
Course Overview
This course delineates the cultivation of horticultural crops (vegetables, fruits, flowers, medicinal, aromatic crops, etc.) under controlled conditions by modifying the natural environment through practices and structures to achieve optimal productivity by increasing qualitative and quantitative yield. The curriculum is aimed to introduce and familiarize the principles, theoretical aspects, and developing skills in protected cultivation of horticultural crops. It imparts knowledge regarding input-output relationship marketing in a high-valued export marketing system. The learning outcome of this course encompasses hands-on experience with method techniques in protected cultivation and knowledge of polyhouses, mulching, micropropagation, and microirrigation. In today’s world, high-tech horticulture is important to scale up trade and agriculture economics internationally. In collaboration with Himalayan Drug Company Pvt. Ltd, Bengaluru, the course also introduces and acclimatizes underexploited medicinal crops to Vizianagaram District of Andhra Pradesh.
GENETICS AND GENOMICS
Course Overview
With the focus areas being gene editing and gene sequencing, the course aims at investigating gene functions, inculcating the desired traits in the breeding programs, and generating plants with modified traits that confer resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses. Actively involved in the whole genome and metagenome sequencing and data analysis using the Oxford Nanopore sequencer, it also focuses on giving hands-on training to students on molecular biology, plant tissue culture, and genetic engineering techniques. The labs consist of a Nanopore sequencer, genomics software, and the support lab equipment required for Bio-Tech experiments like RT-PCR, PCR, etc. Students also practice RNA / DNA extraction and sequencing, and genomics analysis – making this school one of the few places that offers such facilities in North coastal Andhra Pradesh, India.
COMMODITY AND FOOD STORAGE
Course Overview
The course is designed to provide thorough knowledge on the safe storage of commodities and food, skill development on the identification of pests, diseases, and their management, hands-on training on new techniques in storage, practical exposure to commercial safety procedures, and food security issues. Students gain skills in estimating storage losses, fumigation techniques, gadgets and techniques used in storage pest and disease management, and detection techniques of pests. They also learn the preparation of fresh-cut fruits and vegetables, export-oriented quality grading of fruits and vegetables, eco-friendly packaging, construction and design of zero energy cool chamber, working/design/construction of cold storage, and making of value-added products of various horticultural produce. Students who have undergone this course have all the knowledge and skills required in storage industries, empowering them for various government and private sector jobs related to storage and warehousing.
AGRI-BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
Course Overview
Focused on the food and agribusiness sector while emphasizing business and economic analysis, this course will equip students with the requisite knowledge, skills, and outlooks for rural marketing, agri warehouse management, agribusiness managerial, and entrepreneurial decision-making and execution. The course also provides extensive field experience and internship opportunities in the agri and allied industries and banking sectors, ultimately leading to placement.
