KEA KSHD Recruitment 2026: 85 Horticulture Officer & Director Posts Apply Online

KEA KSHD Recruitment 2026 Notification Out!

The Karnataka Examination Authority (KEA) has released the KEA Assistant Horticulture Officer & Assistant Horticulture Director Notification 2026. A total of 85 vacancies have been announced for the Horticulture Department, Government of Karnataka. This recruitment drive offers a golden opportunity for eligible candidates to join the state government services.

Vacancy Details

Two separate notifications have been issued for these horticulture posts:

• General Recruitment: 80 posts
• Kalyana-Karnataka Quota: 5 Assistant Horticulture Director posts (reserved under Article 371(J))

Post-wise Vacancies:

Grand Total Vacancies: 85

Important Dates

• Notification Release Date: 2026-08-04
• Online Application Start Date: 2026-08-05
• Online Application Last Date: 2026-08-30
• Last Date for Fee Payment: 2026-08-31
• Exam Date: To be announced

Eligibility Criteria

Educational Qualification:

• Assistant Horticulture Officer: Must hold a B.Sc. in Horticulture from an ICAR accredited University established by law in India.
• Assistant Horticulture Director: Must hold a Postgraduate Degree in Horticulture along with a B.Sc. in Horticulture from an ICAR accredited University established by law in India.

Age Limit (as on last date of application):

• Minimum Age: 18 years
• Maximum Age (General Merit): 40 years
• Upper Age Relaxation:Category 2A, 2B, 3A and 3B: 43 years
• SC / ST / Category-1: 45 years
• Additional relaxations (up to 10 years) for widows, ex-servicemen, government employees, and other specified categories as per notification.

Salary Structure

• Assistant Horticulture Officer: ₹65,950-1,24,900
• Assistant Horticulture Director: ₹69,250-1,34,200

Selected candidates will be on probation for two years and covered under the National Pension System (NPS).

Application Fee

Fee must be paid online and is non-refundable.

Selection Process

The selection will be based on a Competitive Examination conducted in either Online (CBT) or Offline OMR mode. The exam consists of two papers:

• Paper 1: General Knowledge (100 questions, 300 marks, 2 hours)
• Paper 2: Subject-specific paper on Horticulture (100 questions, 300 marks, 2 hours)

Important Points:

• Minimum Qualifying Marks: 35% in the competitive examination.
• Negative Marking: 0.75 marks deducted for every wrong answer.
• Kannada Language Test: Mandatory qualifying test (150 marks, minimum 50 required) for candidates who have not studied Kannada up to SSLC level. Marks are not counted for the merit list.

How to Apply Online

1. Visit the official Karnataka Examination Authority website: cetonline.karnataka.gov.in/kea
2. Look for the KSHD Assistant Horticulture Officer / Director Recruitment 2026 link.
3. Register and fill out the online application form carefully. No corrections are allowed after submission.
4. Upload a recent passport-size photograph (JPEG, white background, 50-200 KB) and a scanned signature (JPEG, 50-70 KB).
5. Pay the applicable application fee online.
6. Download and print the fee payment challan/receipt for future reference.
7. Submit the application before the last date (2026-08-30).