1. Differentiate land preparation from tillage?

Land preparation Land preparation is important to ensure that the rice field is ready for
planting. A well-prepared field controls weeds, recycles plant nutrients, and provides a soft soil
mass for transplanting and a suitable soil surface for direct seeding. Land preparation covers
a wide range of practices from zero-tillage or minimum tillage which minimizes soil
disturbance through to a totally 'puddled' soil which actually destroys soil structure.

Tillage preparation - Tillage has been used for millennia to prepare the soil prior to
sowing many of the annual grain crops. It involves applying power to break up and
rearrange the entire topsoil structure. It has the primary aim of destroying weeds and
pests but is also important for incorporating, redistributing or releasing nutrients and
making the soil texture suitable for seed sowing, seed germination and for easy
penetration of seedling roots.

2. Give two major purposes of tillage that are common to dryland and wetland
preparation?
(1) to prepare a suitable seedbed
(2) to eliminate competition from weed growth,
(3) to improve the physical condition of the soil.

3. Give two purposes of tillage that are peculliar to wetland tillage?

a. Under wetland system the land is prepared by puddling for planting wet rice.
Puddling means mechanical manipulation of saturated soil with standing water in
the field.
b. Good puddling means soil should be soft, uniformly levelled without weeds or
stubbles and with minimum percolation.

4. Give two purposes of tillage that are peculiar to upland tillage?

a. Soil moisture levels are critical when ploughing in an upland-farming situation. If the
soil is too dry it will not till easily, the power requirement will increase and in clay
soils large clods may be formed.
b. Animal powered systems use a moldboard plough, while 2-wheel and 4-wheel
tractor powered systems use one-way disc, offset disc and tined implements. These
systems often require more tillage operations to control weeds.

5. What is minimum tillage?

Minimum tillage is a soil conservation system like Strip-till with the goal
of minimum soil manipulation necessary for a successful crop production. It is
atillage method that does not turn the soil over. It is contrary to intensive tillage, which
changes the soil structure using ploughs.
6. What is zero tillage?
No-tillage or zero-till involves one pass during which a part of the soil surface is
disturbed or opened and the seeds are placed concurrently in that disturbed zone.
The seeder opener may be a knife-point as little as 5 mm-wide on a tine, or a single,
double or triple-disc set at a slight angle to the direction of travel.

7. Which will require more tillage operations, a rice-field with long stubbles and
more weeds, or one with short stubbles and less weeds? Why?
- A ricefield with long stubbles and more weeds because Seeding through heavy
stubble is difficult. Burning to remove the stubble makes seeding easier but it does waste
crop nutrients and cause air pollution. Leaving standing stubble short at harvest may make
it easier to sow into. Standing stubble wraps around tines less than straw lying on the soil.
Disked seeders may cut through prostrate stubble on firm soil, but if the surface soil
becomes soft, such as after rain, discs tend to push straw into the soil rather than cutting.
- Methods of sowing into stubble include widening tine spacing on seeders. This
allows greater amounts and lengths of straw to pass. Some farmers sow at up to
30 cm spacing to seed through the stubble and while still retaining it in order to
reduce evaporation from the soil.

8. Without using an instrument, how can you determine if a soil has the proper moisture
content for dryland tillage?
-

9. On an area pronounced slope (5-20%) what should be the direction of tillage? Why?
-
10. Why is excessive tillage (over-pulverization) of an upland soil undersirable?
Explain.

1. Why is there a need to inoculate legume seeds before planting them?

- For many of us that have raised legume crops, such as soybeans, we are fully
aware that rhizobia bacteria inoculants are a crucial component to allowing a
legume to properly fix large amounts of nitrogen. But what about a cover crop? Are
inoculants really required? A key reason to consider a legume cover crop is to
increase nitrogen in the soil, which in terms benefits the following corn or grass
crop. The problem is without the correct rhizobia present, that cover crop legume
will not maximize nitrogen production, and maximum benefit for our corn the
following year will not be achieved. So it is clear; our cover crop legumes need
rhizobia, and if we do not have the proper background population in the soil, we will
need to inoculate.
2. Give 5 examples of field crops that can be propagated by seeds or by sexual
means.
a. Marigold
b. Papaya
c. Tomato
d. Pipino
e. Squash

3. Give 5 examples of field crops that can be propagated by vegetative or asexual

means.
a. Jasmine
b. Sugarcane
c. Potato
d. Banana
e. Rose

4. Give 2 examples of field crops of which seedlings are usually raised in seedbeds
and then transplanted in the field.
a. Eggplant
b. Rice

5. Give 5 examples of field crops those seeds or propagules are directly planted in
the field.
a. Soybean
b. Melon
c. Carrots
d. Radish
e. Bitter gourd

6. Give 3 advantages of row planting over broadcasting.

a. Light exposure is maximized. Conversely, the excessive shading effect of other
plants is minimized thus favoring more efficient photosynthesis and improved crop
yield;
b. Wind passage along the interrows is enhanced which increases gas exchanges
and prevents excessive humidity;
c. Access through the interrows facilitates cultivation, weeding, and other farm
operations including hauling;

1. Enumerate some economic importance of insects to man.

a. They aerate the soil, pollinate blossoms, and control insect and plant pests.
b. Some insects produce useful substances, such as honey, wax, lacquer, and silk.
Honeybees have been raised by humans for thousands of years for honey.
 c. Insects are the sole food source for many amphibians, reptiles, birds, and
mammals, making their roles in food chains and food webs extremely important. It
is possible that food webs could collapse if insect populations decline.

2. Give examples of insects with complete metamorphosis.

a. Beetles
b. Bees
c. Ants
d. Butterflies
e. Moths

3. Give examples of insects with simple or incomplete metamorphosis.

a. Mayflies
b. Ephemeroptera
c. Dragonflies
d. Odonata
e. Stoneflies

4. What are predatory insects?

- The predator is defined as an animal which feeds upon other animals (prey) that
are usually smaller and weaker than itself, frequently devouring them completely
and rapidly (Copple and Martins, 1977). A predator most often is required to suck
but an attack more than one prey to reach maturity.

5. Enumerate some characteristics damages done by insects to agricultural crops.

- First is direct injury done to the plant by the feeding insect, which eats leaves or
burrows in stems, fruit, or roots. There are hundreds of pest species of this type,
both in larvae and adults, among orthopterans, homopterans, heteropterans,
coleopterans, lepidopterans, and dipterans.
- The second type is indirect damage in which the insect itself does little or no harm
but transmits a bacterial, viral, or fungal infection into a crop. Examples include the
viral diseases of sugar beets and potatoes, carried from plant to plant by aphids.

6. Give some examples of vertebrate pests of crops.

a. Termites
b. Silverfish
c. Woodworm
d. Wood ants
e. Carpet beetles

7. Give examples of insecticides (brand names).

a. abamectin (Agri-Mek, Zoro)
b. acephate (Orthene 90, Orthene 97)
 c. bifenthrin (Brigade, Discipline, Fanfare)
d. chlorpyrifos (Lorsban, Nufos)
e. cypermethrin (Ammo)

8. What are non-poarasitic diseases?

a. blossom and rot of potatoes
b. black heart of potatoes
c. scald of apples
d. tip bum of lettuce
e. heat canker of flax

9. Give some recommendations on how we could minimize the occurence of

diseases to agricultural crops.
a. Collect and dispose of fallen or waste fruit and stalks away from bananas and
irrigation water source.
b. Use disposable banana bags or thoroughly clean bags of all soil and plant debris,
and store in a clean dry place when not in use.
c. Load fruit onto trucks on a concrete or bitumen pad outside the production areas.
d. Ensure that no soil or plant material is left in the container where fruit has been
packed in the field.
e. Make sure all people entering the farm have footwear and clothing free from soil
and plant material before entering or leaving the farm.

10. Enumerate some diseases caused by weeds to agricultural crops.

a. Reduction in crop yield:- Weeds compete with crops for water, nutrients and light.
Being hardy and vigorous in growth habit, they grow faster then crops and consume
large amount of water and nutrients, thus causing heavy losses in yields.
b. Increase in the cost of cultivation:- Tillage operations are done to control weeds and
it is generally estimated that on an average about 30 percent of the total expenditure
for crop production is on tillage operations and more labour is employed for
weeding. This results in increasing cost of cultivation and reducing the margin of
net profit.
c. The quality of field produce is reduced:- When the crop is harvested from a weedy
field the seeds of weeds get mixed with the main crop which results in lowering the
quality of the produce .e.g. seeds of weeds in wheat, gram etc. Similarly, bundles
of many leafy vegetables like methi or palak contain green plants of weeds. They
fetch lower prices in the market.
d. The quality of the livestock products is reduced. Certain weeds eg. Hulhul when
eaten by milch cattle impart an undesirable flavour to milk. Similarly weeds like
gokhru get attached to the body of the sheep and impair the quality of wool. Certain
poisonous weeds like Datura may cause death of cattle if they are unknowingly
eaten by cattle.
 e. Weeds harbour insect, pests and diseases:- Weeds either give shelter to various
insects, pests and diseases or serve as alternate hosts.

11. What are broadleaved weeds?

- Broadleaf weeds have two seed leaves (first leaves or cotelydons) as they emerge
through the soil. Their leaves are generally wider than those of grass weeds (but not
always). Veins on the leaves are branched or netlike. Their stems are oval, round or
square and are often branched. They may have showy flowers.

12. What are sedges?

a. Umbrella Palm
b. Poor Land Flat Sedge
c. Ghodachio Dungaro
d. White Water Sedge
e. Common Nut Sedge, Moth

13. What are grasses?

a. Bermudagrass
b. Stargrass
c. Bluestem
d. Sudangrass
e. Barley

14. Classify herbicides based on time of application.

a) Pre-Planting/ Pre-Sowing

i) EPTC
ii) Monuron
iii) Diuron
iv) Fenuron
v) Sodium Chloride
vi) Arsenic
vii) Boron

b) Per-Emergence:

i). Simazine
ii) Atrazine
iii) Nitrofen
iv) Alachlor
v) Butachlor
vi) EPTC
 c) Post-Emergence:

i) 2,4,D
ii) 2,4,5-T
iii) MCPA
iv) MCPB
v) Propanil
vi) Dalapon
vii) Glyphosate
viii) Silvex
ix) MSMA
x)Paraquat

a. Pre-Planting:

These herbicides are applied before a crop is planted are called pre-planting
herbicides. The herbicides is usually incorporated into the soil to reduce volatility
and photo decomposition. E. g Paraquat , Basalin.

b. Pre- Emergence Herbicides:

Pre-Emergence herbicides is most effective when applied before the emergence

of crop and weeds or the term may also refer to herbicides use after weed has
emerged or established but before crop emerge E ,g Simazine, Atrazine.

c. Post-Emergence Herbicides:

Post-Emergence herbicides are most effective applied after the emergence of crop
and weeds or this term may also refer to herbicides use after crop has emerged
but before weeds emerge. E. g 2,4-D , Dicamba ( Banvel) etc.

15. Give some examples of herbicides.

a. Chlorophenoxy acid herbicides
b. Triazine herbicides
c. Pramitol

16. Enumerate some methods of controlling rodents.

a. Biological pest control is a method of controlling pests such as insects and mites by
using other organisms.[5] It relies on predation, parasitism, herbivory or other natural
mechanisms, but typically also involves an active human management role. Classical
 biological control involves the introduction of natural enemies of the pest that are bred
in the laboratory and released into the environment. An alternative approach is to
augment the natural enemies that occur in a particular area by releasing more, either
in small, repeated batches, or in a single large-scale release. Ideally, the released
organism will breed and survive, and provide long-term control.[6] Biological control
can be an important component of an integrated pest management programme.
b. Mechanical pest control is the use of hands-on techniques as well as simple equipment
and devices, that provides a protective barrier between plants and insects. This is
referred to as tillage and is one of the oldest methods of weed control as well as being
useful for pest control; wireworms, the larvae of the common click beetle, are very
destructive pests of newly ploughed grassland, and repeated cultivation exposes them
to the birds and other predators that feed on them.
c. A trap crop is a crop of a plant that attracts pests, diverting them from nearby crops.[10]
Pests aggregated on the trap crop can be more easily controlled using pesticides or
other methods.[11] However, trap-cropping, on its own, has often failed to cost
effectively reduce pest densities on large commercial scales, without the use of
pesticides, possibly due to the pests' ability to disperse back into the main field.
d. Pesticides are applied to crops by agricultural aircraft, tractor-mounted crop sprayers
or as seed dressings to control pests. However, successful control by pesticides is not
easy; the right formulation must be chosen, the timing is often critical, the method of
application is important, adequate coverage and retention on the crop are necessary.
The killing of natural enemies of the target pest should be minimised. This is particularly
important in countries where there are natural reservoirs of pests and their enemies in
the countryside surrounding plantation crops, and these co-exist in a delicate balance.
Often in less-developed countries, the crops are well adapted to the local situation and
no pesticides are needed. Where progressive farmers are using fertilisers to grow
improved crop varieties, these are often more susceptible to pest damage, but the
indiscriminate application of pesticides may be detrimental in the longer term.

1. True or False. All elements absorbed by plants are essentials. Explain your
answer.
- No. Some plants absorb radioactive isotopes that aren't used by the plant. Some of
the isotopes probably mimic some property of elements they do use like calcium.
Some plants absorb so much that they are used in phytoremediation. There are
probably other examples.
2. Differentiate macroelement from microelement.

Difference # Macro-Elements: Difference # Micro-Elements:

1. They occur in plants in easily

1. They occur in plants in very small
detectable quantities.
amounts.
2. The concentration of a macro-
2. The concentration of a
element per gm. of dry matter is at
microelement is equal to or less than
least 1 mg or 1000 g/gm. of the dry
0.1 mg/gm. of dry matter.
matter.
3. Microelements do not have such a
3. They build up the plant body and
role.
different protoplasmic constituents.
4. Microelements, being found in
4. Some macro-elements accumulate
traces only, have no significant role in
in cell sap and take part in developing
the development of osmotic potential.
osmotic potential.
5. None of the microelements have
5. Turgor movements are mostly
any such function.
caused by in-flux & efflux of
potassium, a macro-element.
6. Microelements are toxic in slight
excess.
6. They do not become toxic in slight
excess.

3. Enumerate the 9 macroelements required by plants.

a. Carbon (C)
b. Hydrogen (H)
c. Oxygen (O)
d. Nitrogen (N)
e. Phosphorus (P)
f. Potassium (K)
g. Calcium (Ca)
h. Magnesium (Mg)
i. Sulfur (S)

4. Enumerate the 7 microelements.

a. Boron
b. Chlorine
c. Copper
d. Iron.
 e. Manganese
f. Molybdenum
g. Zinc

5. Give some of the causes of the decline in fertility of soil.

a. Loss of topsoil by erosion
b. Nutrient mining
c. Physical degradation of soil (poor structure, compaction, crusting and waterlogging,
etc.)
d. Decrease in organic matter content and soil bioactivity
e. Loss of nutrients through various routes
f. Soil acidification, salinization and alkalinization
g. Inefficient soil management
h. Soil pollution

6. What are some ways of which by soil fertility can be maintained?

7. Why is over-pulverization of the soil undesirable.

8. How does a cover crop assist in maintaining soil fertility?

- Cover crops are used as ground cover, mulches, green manure, nurse crops,
smother crops, and forage and food for animals or humans. Cover crops can be
annual or perennial species, including certain legumes, grasses, and non-
leguminous dicots.

- An understanding of the cropping system is necessary before selecting a cover

crop. Characteristics important for cover crop selection include life cycle, seeding
date and rate, winter hardiness, nitrogen fixation or scavenging ability, feed or
forage value, and establishment costs. There is no single cover crop or system that
will provide all these benefits. Therefore, experimentation may be necessary before
producers decide on a suitable cover crop for an individual system.

9. Why is fertilizer application indispensable in maintaining soil fertility?

10. What are some limitations of visual observation of syptoms as a method of

assessing soil fertility?
11. Compare the general characteristics pr organic and inorganic fertilizers.
12. What is fertilizer?
13. Differentiate broadcast application from topdressing.
14. Why it is important for phophorus fertilizers to be applied by localized placement?
15. Why must direct contact of fertilizer and seed be avoided?
16. When is the application of nitrogenous fertilizers more frequent, during the dry
season or during the wet season? Why?

1. Indicate the part harvested on the following crops.

stem pods panicle spike bolls tuber roots leaves heads
Sunflower
Rice
Corn
Ramie
Cotton
Soybean
Wheat
Sorghum
Sesame
Sweet
Potato
Cassava
Mungbean
Jute
Kenaf
Peanut
Tobacco
Kadios
Tapilan
2. What are the importance of proper harvest and post-harvest handling?
3. What are stages in curing tobacco leaves?
4. Give the maturity index of the following crops:
a. Sweet corn
b. Rice
c. Sorghum
d. Sunflower
e. Sweet Potato
f. Sugarcane
g. Tobacco
h. Cotton
i. Peanut
j. Jute
5. Indicate the post-harvest handling practices on the following crops
Cleaning Drying Threshing Retting Decortication
Sweet corn
Rice
Sorghum
Sunflower
Sweet
Potato
Sugarcane
Tobacco
Cotton
Peanut
6. Amount of moisture content good for grain cereal storage.
7. What is stripping in agronomic crops?
8. What is retting?
9. What is ginning?
10. Give one result of improper time of harvesting in:
a. Rice
b. Sugarcane
c. Sweet Potato
d. Mungbean
e. Cotton

1. The most important parts of the flower to plant breeder.

2. The sciences needed in plant breeding.
3. Types of seed as produced in the breeding process.
4. Groups of plants based on mode of pollination.
5. Give two recommended varieites of each crop:
a. Corn
b. Rice
c. Sorghum
d. Mungbean
e. Sugarcane
f. Peanut
g. Sunflower
h. Tobacco
i. Cotton
j. Wheat
6. Time of the day when pollen dehiscence and stigmatic receptivity focus:
7. Objectives of plant breeding:
8. Examples of self-pollinated crops:
9. Examples of cross-pollinated crops:
10. Examples of often-cross-pollinated crops:
11. Breeding methods for cross-pollinated crops:
12. Breeding methods for self-pollinated crops:
13. Limitations of plant breeding:
14. Virtues of plant breeder:
15. Commonly practiced techniques in hybridization:
16. Advantages of developed cultivar/variety:
17. Draw mungbean and corn flowers. Label all parts.