TNPSC Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science (Degree Standard), Code 396 · India · Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission
Original practice questions written to the published syllabus · not past papersGrowing, conserving and grazing the forage that feeds ruminants: fodder crops, hay and silage, pasture management and toxic plants.
In the exams: ICAR AICE-JRF core group 05 (LPM and Nutrition units)
How our questions for TNPSC Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science, Code 396 spread across the units of Fodder Production & Grassland Management. Difficulty: 23 easy, 9 medium, 0 hard.
| Cereal fodder crops | 5 | |
| Fodder cropping systems | 4 | |
| Silage making | 4 | |
| Grassland management | 4 | |
| Legume fodder crops | 3 | |
| Fodder yield and nutritive value | 3 | |
| Toxic plants in pasture | 3 | |
| Fodder grasses | 2 | |
| Hay making | 2 | |
| Pasture management | 2 |
Choose an answer, then open the working. Each explanation says why the right answer is right and why the others are not.
Teosinte, grown as a tillering fodder in some humid regions, is a wild relative of:
A. Maize
Teosinte (Zea mexicana) belongs to the same genus as maize (Zea mays). It is not related closely to sorghum, oats or pearl millet.
Further reading: ICAR-IGFRI technical bulletins; ICAR Handbook of Animal Husbandry
Which sequence is a typical year-round fodder rotation on irrigated land in north India?
C. Maize + cowpea (kharif) - berseem + oats (rabi) - summer maize or cowpea
Kharif (monsoon) suits maize, sorghum and cowpea; rabi (winter) suits berseem and oats; a short summer crop fills the gap. The other sequences put winter crops in the monsoon or summer and vice versa.
Further reading: ICAR-IGFRI technical bulletins; ICAR Handbook of Animal Husbandry
For good-quality legume hay such as lucerne, the crop should be cut at:
A. Late bud to early bloom
Late bud to early bloom balances yield, protein and digestibility and lets root reserves recover. Full seed set and leaf drop give stemmy, low-protein hay; the seedling stage gives almost no yield and kills the stand.
Further reading: Barnes et al., Forages: The Science of Grassland Agriculture
A trench silo is 10 m long, 3 m wide and 2 m deep. Assuming a packed density of 600 kg fresh silage per cubic metre, roughly how much silage does it hold?
B. 36 t
Volume = 10 x 3 x 2 = 60 m3; capacity = 60 x 600 = 36,000 kg = 36 t. 3.6 and 360 t are decimal slips; 18 t omits the depth factor of 2 (10 x 3 x 600).
Giving dairy cows a fresh strip of pasture each day behind a movable electric fence is called:
B. Strip grazing
Strip grazing rations fresh pasture daily with a movable fence. Creep grazing lets young stock reach better pasture; deferred grazing delays use until seed set; continuous grazing keeps animals on one area all season.
Further reading: Barnes et al., Forages: The Science of Grassland Agriculture
The range management rule 'take half, leave half' corresponds to a utilisation factor of about:
D. 50%
Taking half of the annual growth means utilisation of about 50%; lower values are used for arid or fragile ranges. 25% and 75% are other levels; 100% would leave nothing to protect plants and soil.
Further reading: Holechek, Pieper and Herbel, Range Management
As a fodder grass matures from vegetative stage to seed set, which change normally occurs?
D. Dry matter yield rises while crude protein and digestibility fall
Maturity brings more stem, more lignified cell wall, lower protein and lower digestibility, with higher DM yield. Leaf:stem ratio falls and lignin rises with age.
Further reading: Barnes et al., Forages: The Science of Grassland Agriculture
Which of these fodders typically has the lowest crude protein content?
C. Wheat straw
Cereal straws contain only about 3-4% CP. Lucerne and berseem commonly have about 15-22% and cowpea fodder is also legume-rich in protein; values vary with stage.
Further reading: ICAR-IGFRI technical bulletins; ICAR Handbook of Animal Husbandry
Calves that eat Lantana camara develop jaundice and dermatitis of unpigmented skin. What is the toxic principle and type of lesion?
C. Lantadenes causing cholestasis and hepatogenous photosensitisation
Lantana's pentacyclic triterpenoids (lantadenes) cause cholestatic liver damage; phylloerythrin is retained and causes photosensitisation. Hypericin is from St John's wort; dhurrin from sorghum; ptaquiloside from bracken.
Further reading: Constable et al., Veterinary Medicine (plant toxins); Gupta, Veterinary Toxicology
Which management practice best reduces the risk of plant poisoning when cattle are moved to a new pasture?
C. Feed the animals well before turning them out, and check the pasture for toxic plants
Most poisonings happen when hungry, newly moved animals eat plants they would otherwise avoid. Turning out hungry animals increases risk; drought often increases toxin content and forces animals onto toxic plants; darkness does not detoxify plants.
Further reading: Constable et al., Veterinary Medicine (plant toxins); Gupta, Veterinary Toxicology
Ten here, 32 in the app. The Laisha app has every practice question we have written to TNPSC Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science, Code 396 in this subject, marked as you go, with timed papers, a jump-to-unanswered list and a certificate when you pass at 70 per cent.
Free for ten days, then one subscription of US$10 a month. We would rather say so here than have you find it later.
An AI operating system for agriculture: free guides, manuals and tools written for every country.