Case study 1

CDC Corporation, for its extension programme, has decided to develop small holding rubber
plantations for village community farmers around the corporation. The environmental factors
around the corporation are favourable for rubber cultivation. The programme will start in 2015
cropping season, but already, some precautions have to be taken from now. One of these
precautions is the recruitment of workers and for that, candidates must show prove of
mastering the technology of rubber production by providing answers to the following
questions:

A) As a potential candidate, write short note under the following heading:

1. Rubber nursery
2. Land preparation for field planting
3. Field maintenance
6mks

B) CDC system of rubber exploitation is S/2 d/4 11N/12:

1. What Is the meaning of each fraction symbol of the above system
2. How many tasks are controlled by each tapper?
3. How do tapper prevent coagulation in the field during tapping/
4. What is the meaning of the abbreviation d.r.c?
5. Why is the d.r.c. of the latex measured before processing?
5mks

C) Farmers have realized that the direction of the tapping cut is often if not always from
high left to low right when tappers face the tree, how do you justify that?
3mks

D) At which moment of the day will tapping result in high yield?

2mks

E) What is yield stimulation, how is it done?

4 mks
Case study 2
A group of farmers in the Mamfe zone of South west Region of Cameroon want to carry out the
production of oil palm on 20 ha of land. They will be supervised by PAMOL Corporation. The
contract with PAMOL stipulates that the planting material, fertilizers, land preparation and first
maintenance after field planting will be done by PAMOL and in return, the farmers will supply
their first harvests to PAMOL to compensate the tasks accomplished by the company.
A) As an agro pastoral expert, you are solicited to describe the work that has to be done by
PAMOL before the farmers become autonomous using the following headings:
1. Seed production
2. Seed germination
3. Pre-nursery
4. Field nursery
5. Land preparation and field planting
6. Field maintenance
6mks

B) The planting distance will be 9m triangular spacing, calculate the number of seedlings
the company will supply to the farmers.
6mks

C) What is sex ratio in oil palm production? How does it affect yield?
2mks
D) What is sex differentiation? How do environmental factors affect sex differentiation?
2mks
E) In the processing of bunches to obtain crude palm oil, what is the importance of the
following steps: sterilization, digestion.

4mks

Case study 3
A plantain grower in the western region of Cameroon has noticed that the performance of his
crop has totally reduced, resulting in the production of small bunches not appreciated in the
market. The reasons of the dropping in yield are not known by the farmer. As an agro pastoral
expert, you are solicited to give explanations to the farmer using the following headings:

 Environmental factors (6marks)

 Production techniques (10marks)
 Farm management 4marks)

Sample answers for case study 1

A)
1. Rubber nursery: the root stock nursery and the bud wood nursery should be
discussed.
2. The land preparation includes the following steps:
 felling of trees
 burning of trees
 planting of cover crop
 pegging and holing
 transplanting
3. field maintenance include
 Weeding
 Disease control
 Fertilizer application
 Pruning

B)
 S/2 means that the length of the tapping cut correspond to a half
spiral
d/4 means that tapping is done every 4 days
11M/12 means that after 11 month of tapping, trees are allowed to
rest for 1 months
 Each tapper is controlling 4 tasks in this system.
 Tapper avoid coagulation of the latex in the field by adding a few
drops of ammonia in the collection cup.
 d.r.c. means dry rubber content
 the d.r.c. is added before processing because the latex has to be
diluted with a certain quantity of water to reduce the concentration
of rubber from 35-40% to about 12%, and for that original
concentration must be known before the quantity of water to be
added is determined.

C) the direction of tapping cut is high left low right in order to cut more latex vessels
during tapping since the vessels run in an opposite direction
D) Tapping starts at the very early morning because at this moment the turgidity of the
plants is high and a maximum flow of latex can be obtained.
E) Yield stimulation is the application of a stimulant to the tree before tapping in order
to obtain a good yield. Ethrel is mostly used and once per month to avoid an over
exploitation of trees.
Sample question case study 2
 A) 1. Seed used in Cameroon tenera variety, obtained by crossing pisifera variety
with dura.
2. The seed are germinated by breaking the dormancy under high temperature
of about 400c for about 60 to 80 days.
3. Seedling are prepared in a pre- nursery for about 4 months to facilitate
maintenance before being transferred in the main nursery of field nursery for
another 8 to 10 months.
4. The field nursery is prepared for plants to be place in triangular spacing, 70 t0
90cm triangular spacing.
5. Land preparation include the following steps: tree felling, burning, pegging,
planting of cover crop, holing, and transplanting.
6. Maintenance will include weeding, fertilizer application, pruning, castration,
etc.
B) if the planting distance is 9m triangular spacing, by using the Pythagorean theory
you will have the distance between planting lines and the planting density can be calculated,
and at the end we have 143 trees per ha, and by multiplying 143 by 20 we have 2860 plants for
the 20 ha.
C)Sex ratio is obtained by dividing the total number of female inflorescences by the total
number of inflorescence. The yield can be high only if the sex ratio is high.
D) In oil palm, when the young inflorescence is initiated, it is neither male nor female
and will differentiate into either male or female only after 9 to 10 months. This is sex
differentiation.
The young inflorescence becomes male when the environmental factor are good and female
when they are bad.
F) Sterilization is the process by which bunches boiled in order to inactivate enzymes
and facilitate separation of fruits from bunches.
Digestion is the process by which the mesocarp, layer of the fruit containingoil is
crushed and the oil is released from cells.

Sample Answers for case study 3

 Ecological factors
o Soil fertility and other soil conditions
o Climatic factors (temperature, rainfall, humidity, sunshine…)

 Production techniques
o Seed selection and quality (including selection of adapted varieties)
o Choice and proper use of inputs
o Timing of operations with respect to climatic conditions
o Crop maintenance (pest and disease control, weeding)
 Farm management
o Management of personnel and tasks
o Non regeneration of the farm
o Choice of technology/production itinerary and equipment
o Combination of resources