RPSC Agriculture Research Officer (Horticulture) - 2022

Under Rajasthan and Gujarat agro-climatic conditions, the ideal sowing window for cumin (Cuminum cyminum) is mid to late November (15 to 30 November), ensuring optimal soil temperature for germination and reducing blight infestation.

• 10-25 October: Too early and hot for cumin germination.
• 15-30 November: Standard recommended sowing time for cumin in Rajasthan.
• 10-20 December: Late sown, resulting in reduced vegetative growth and lower yields.
• 7 January: Extremely late, predisposing the crop to high powdery mildew and heat stress.

Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum) seeds are commercially significant as an industrial source of Diosgenin, a steroidal sapogenin widely used as a precursor for the synthesis of oral contraceptives, progesterone, and cortisone.

• Solanine: Toxic glycoalkaloid found in green potatoes (Solanaceae).
• Sapogenin: Broad chemical group, but diosgenin is the specific pharmaceutical steroid.
• Solasodine: Steroidal alkaloid extracted from Solanum viarum / Solanum khasianum.
• Diosgenin: Major active steroidal substance isolated from fenugreek seeds.

Topiary is the specialized horticultural art and practice of training and shears-pruning perennial shrubs and trees into clearly defined geometric forms, whimsical shapes, or animal figures.

• Edging: Designing garden borders using bricks, stones, or low foliage plants.
• Disbudding: Removal of side buds in flowers like chrysanthemum to promote a large central flower.
• Wintering: Withholding irrigation to induce dormancy and heavy flowering, practiced in roses.
• Topiary: Classic formal training and pruning technique creating decorative shapes out of shrubs.