Zarai Taleem (Agricultural Education) for Class 7 is the official textbook published by the Punjab Curriculum and Textbook Board (PCTB), Lahore, in Urdu medium. It is part of the official syllabus for Class 7 students and covers seven chapters on plant propagation, vegetable cultivation, silk worm rearing, bee keeping, poultry and duck rearing, rabbit rearing, and fruit squash preparation.
For Class 7 students taking this elective, each chapter builds hands-on farming and livestock knowledge alongside real exercise questions, so this page breaks down every chapter with a clear summary and its important questions. It is a useful way to revise budding and grafting methods, animal care, and food preservation before the exam.
Book Overview
| Class | 7 |
| Subject | Zarai Taleem (Agricultural Education) |
| Board | Punjab Board (PCTB, Lahore) |
| Authors | Nazir Ahmad Chughtai, M. Ashfaq Chaudhry, M. Mir Asghar, Abdul Rasheed |
| Publisher | Union Book Depot, Lahore |
| Edition | March 2016 (3rd Edition) |
| Total Chapters | 7 |
| Total Pages | 68 |
| Medium | Urdu |
| Format | PDF (Free Download) |
Chapter List
Chapter 1: Plant Botanical Reproduction (پودوں کی نباتاتی نسلی افزائش)
This chapter explains the two main ways plants reproduce: from seed, and vegetatively. It covers steps for growing crops, flowering plants, and shade trees from seed, then moves into vegetative methods used when seed propagation is not practical, including root stock and scion selection, three budding techniques (T-budding, ring budding, and patch budding), grafting, cuttings, offsets/suckers, tubers, and layering. It closes with the growth factors plants need, especially sunlight and temperature, and how to identify a healthy plant.
Important Questions:
- What is the difference between seed and vegetative propagation? Seed propagation grows new plants from seed, while vegetative propagation uses a part of an existing plant (bud, cutting, root) to produce a plant identical to the parent.
- What are root stock and scion? Root stock is the base plant onto which a graft is attached; scion is the desired variety’s shoot or bud that is grafted onto it.
- Describe the T-budding method. A T-shaped cut is made in the root stock’s bark, a bud (eye) taken from the scion is inserted under the flap, and the area is tied firmly until the bud takes.
- Why is vegetative propagation preferred for fruit trees over seed? Vegetatively propagated plants stay true to the parent variety and start bearing fruit sooner, while seed-grown plants can vary and take longer to fruit.
Chapter 2: Vegetable Cultivation (سبزیوں کی کاشت)
This chapter highlights the nutritional importance of vegetables and lists common summer and winter vegetables grown in Pakistan. It explains the qualities of good seed, seedbed and land preparation, the three sowing methods (nursery/transplanting, direct seeding, and planting vegetative parts like potato and garlic), irrigation and hoeing practices, desi versus chemical fertilizer use with a group-wise fertilizer chart, and harvesting and seed-saving at the end.
Important Questions:
- Name the main summer and winter vegetables grown in Pakistan. Summer vegetables include tinda, karela, tori, cucumber, tomato and chilli; winter vegetables include cauliflower, cabbage, turnip, carrot, peas, onion, garlic, radish and spinach.
- What qualities should good vegetable seed have? It should be fully ripe, properly stored, healthy, true to type, pure, free of weed seeds, and have strong germination power.
- What are the three methods of sowing vegetables? Raising a nursery and transplanting seedlings, sowing seed directly (broadcasting), and planting vegetative parts such as potato tubers or garlic cloves.
- Why is proper field drainage important for vegetable cultivation? Standing water harms root development and reduces yield, so drainage channels must remove excess water from the field.
Chapter 3: Silk Worm Rearing (ریشم کے کیڑوں کی پرورش)
This chapter introduces silk worm rearing as a profitable and interesting occupation, tracing the silk trade back to the historic Silk Road. It covers sourcing and incubating silkworm eggs (silk seed) at about 24°C, the stages and moults a silkworm passes through over roughly 42 days before spinning its cocoon, building a rearing rack (machaan), a strict five-times-a-day mulberry leaf feeding schedule, room hygiene, and common diseases such as pebrine and flacherie with their prevention.
Important Questions:
- How are silkworm eggs obtained and hatched? Eggs (silk seed) are imported or obtained from the forestry department, then wrapped in cloth and incubated at about 24°C for roughly a week until larvae emerge.
- What feeding schedule is recommended for silkworms? Fresh, tender mulberry leaves fed at least five times a day, with the quantity increased gradually as the larvae grow and after each moult.
- What is a machaan and why is it used? A multi-tier bamboo rack covered with matting used to rear larger numbers of silkworms once floor rearing becomes impractical, reducing disease risk and saving floor space.
- What precautions prevent disease during silkworm rearing? Keep the room airy and clean, hold the temperature near 24°C, change bedding regularly, and disinfect with sulphur fumigation or a formalin spray.
Chapter 4: Bee Keeping (شہد کی مکھیوں کی پرورش)
This chapter opens with honey’s nutritional and medicinal value and its use in food, cosmetics and industry. It profiles the bee species found in Pakistan (hill bee, western/Italian bee, giant Apis dorsata, and dwarf bee), the three members of a bee colony (queen, workers, drones) with their lifecycle durations, modern hive box design with a brood chamber, super chamber and queen excluder, forage plants for bees, honey harvesting and safety gear, and how bees boost crop yields through pollination.
Important Questions:
- What are the three types of bees found in a honeybee colony? The queen, worker bees, and drones, each different in appearance and role within the colony.
- Describe the structure of a modern beehive box. It has a brood chamber, a super chamber for honey storage, a queen excluder between the two, and movable wax-foundation frames inside.
- What safety equipment is needed when collecting honey? A smoker, a mesh veil for the face, and gloves, along with opening hives calmly on a sunny day rather than in cloudy weather.
- How do bees help increase crop yields? While collecting nectar, they carry pollen between flowers, improving pollination and boosting the yield of crops like mustard, sesame and lucerne.
Chapter 5: Poultry and Duck Rearing (مرغیوں اور بطنوں کی پرورش)
This chapter covers raising chickens for eggs and meat, describing traits of good layer birds and how to select breeding stock. It lists common poultry diseases such as coccidiosis, fowl pox, pullorum (white diarrhea) and fowl typhoid with their symptoms and treatment, then turns to ducks: popular breeds (Indian Runner, Aylesbury, Pekin), housing and shed design, feed formulas, water management, and duck diseases like Ranikhet (Newcastle) disease and enteritis.
Important Questions:
- What are the two main purposes chickens are kept for? Egg production (layer breeds) and meat production (broiler breeds), each selected differently based on body traits.
- Name common poultry diseases and their symptoms. Coccidiosis, fowl pox (pox marks around the face), pullorum or white diarrhea in chicks, and fowl typhoid, each needing specific treatment and vaccination.
- What housing requirements do ducks need? A shed with its door facing south, walls on three sides, a sloped floor for drainage, an outdoor run, and ideally a small pond for swimming.
- What are common diseases in ducks? Ranikhet (Newcastle) disease, bumblefoot, and enteritis, mainly prevented through vaccination and clean housing.
Chapter 6: Rabbit Rearing (خرگوش کی پرورش)
This chapter presents rabbit farming as an efficient way to boost meat supply, noting that rabbit meat is tasty, easily digested, low in fat, and higher in minerals than other meats, making it suitable for heart patients. It profiles popular breeds (Belgian, Flemish Giant, Angora, Himalayan), housing and hutch requirements, feed formulas, and compares rabbit feed efficiency favourably against poultry and cattle.
Important Questions:
- Why is rabbit meat considered good for heart patients? It is low in fat, contains more minerals than other meats, and is easy to digest.
- Name some popular rabbit breeds. Belgian, Flemish Giant, Angora, and Himalayan, which differ in size, coat length, and colour.
- How much space does commercial rabbit housing need? A room of about 6 by 12 metres can house 50 to 60 rabbits, with roughly 8 square feet of hutch space per doe and her litter.
- How does rabbit feed efficiency compare to poultry and cattle? Rabbits need about 2.5 to 3.5 kg of feed per kg of meat produced, compared to over 4 kg for poultry and over 10 kg for cattle.
Chapter 7: Squash Preparation (سکوائش کی تیاری)
This chapter explains why fruit juices matter in the diet, mainly for their vitamin C content, and lists the equipment needed to prepare squash at home. It gives step-by-step recipes for mango, lemon, and orange squash, covering fruit selection and washing, extracting and straining juice, mixing in sugar and citric acid, and preserving the squash with potassium metabisulphite before bottling and sealing the cork with wax.
Important Questions:
- What equipment is needed to prepare fruit squash at home? A juicer, enamel bowls and jugs, a muslin cloth, bottles, a strainer, corks, wax, and a weighing scale.
- What preservatives keep squash safe for storage? Potassium metabisulphite and citric acid, along with sealing the bottle cork with melted wax to keep it airtight.
- Briefly describe how mango squash is prepared. Wash ripe mangoes, extract and strain the pulp, mix with water, sugar and citric acid, heat gently, cool, add the preservative, then bottle.
- Why is wax applied over the cork of a squash bottle? It makes the bottle airtight, keeping out germs and air so mould does not spoil the squash.
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⬇ Download PDFWho Should Read This
This book is for Class 7 students following the Punjab Board (PCTB) syllabus who take Zarai Taleem as an elective. It is especially useful for students interested in farming, animal care, and rural life skills.
Applicable Boards
This book is published mainly for Punjab Board (PCTB) Class 7 students. Students from other boards offering a similar agricultural education elective can also use it as a reference.
FAQs
Is this Zarai Taleem book for Class 7?
Yes, this is the official Class 7 Zarai Taleem (Agricultural Education) textbook published by the Punjab Curriculum and Textbook Board (PCTB), Lahore.
Can students from other boards use it?
Yes, students from other boards following a similar agricultural education elective can use it as a reference, though it is designed for PCTB Class 7 students.
Is this the latest edition?
This PDF follows the March 2016 (3rd Edition) PCTB Zarai Taleem Class 7 curriculum and chapter structure.
Does it include solved exercises?
Yes, this page covers every chapter with its content explained and the important questions asked at the end of each chapter.
What does this book cover?
It covers seven chapters on plant propagation, vegetable cultivation, silk worm rearing, bee keeping, poultry and duck rearing, rabbit rearing, and fruit squash preparation.
Is the PDF free to download?
Yes, the Zarai Taleem Class 7 PDF is completely free to download and read on any device.