Agr0120:Principles Of Crop Production Question Paper
Agr0120:Principles Of Crop Production
Course:Diploma In Agriculture
Institution: Meru University Of Science And Technology question papers
Exam Year:2012
QUESTION ONE (30 MARKS)
(a) State and explain briefly two points showing that agriculture plays an important role in the Kenyan economy. (4 Marks) (b) Discuss four ways in which soil organism can affect plants. (4 Marks) (c) A simple form of hygrometer is known as a psychrometer. Describe a psychrometer and explain how it operates. (4 Marks) (d) Describe the farming system referred to as le sstem then discuss the change it goes through due to increasing land scarcity. (5 Marks) (e) List five advantages of using manure instead of chemical fertilizers. (5 Marks) (f) Different types of food processing can be categorized into primary processing and secondary processing. Explain the difference between the two terms and give an example of a product for each type. (4 Marks) (g) escrie the agricultural practices referred to as pruning and training. (4 Marks)
QUESTION TWO (15 MARKS)
(a) efine the term farming sstem (2 Marks) (b) ifferentiate etween the farming sstems referred to as shifting cultiation and fallow sstem. (5Marks) (c) Discuss two factors which lead the farmers to change their farming system from fallow systems to more permanent types of cultivation. (4 Marks) (d) State two major adjustments that farmers have to make in soil fertility management when they change from fallow systems to permanent cultivation farming systems. (4 Marks)
QUESTION THREE (15 MARKS)
(a) efine the term ecolog. (2 Marks) (b) Mention any three elements of crop ecology and explain how each element affects the crop. (6 Marks) (c) Using the FAO agro-ecological zones in the table provided answer the following question: i. Identify all the agro-ecological zones labeled by the table as maize zones and explain if they are the only places where maize should be cultivated. (3 Marks) ii. State two ecological conditions and the potential use for the zone referred to as LM4. (2 Marks) iii. Discuss why management of the natural vegetation by farmers and especially herders is important in the zone UM6. (2 Marks)
QUESTION FOUR (15 MARKS)
Tillage has historically been a critical step in land preparation before planting of crops.
(a) hat is tillage (2 Marks) (b) List four objectives of tillage. (4 Marks) (c) Explain two technological advances which have made it possible to change from the conventional methods of thorough soil preparation to the current concept of minimum tillage in conservation methods. (5 Marks) (d) Write five advantages of conservation tillage over conventional land preparation methods. (5 Methods)
QUESTION FIVE (15 MARKS)
(a) Distinguish between sexual and vegetative plant propagation. (2 Marks) (b) List three advantages of vegetative plant propagation over sexual propagation. (3 Marks) (c) Name and describe five methods of vegetative propagation. (10 Marks)
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