Field Management Practices

12 Grade 10 Agriculture questions on Field Management Practices, with worked marking schemes. 12 questions are available on this topic in full.

1. Question 1

   3 marks

   Explain three reasons why a tomato farmer prunes the crop.

   (3 marks)

   Marking scheme

   Any THREE, 1 mark each: removing the extra side shoots directs food and nutrients to the developing fruits, giving fewer but larger and better quality fruits; opening up the canopy allows air movement and light penetration, which lowers humidity and reduces fungal diseases such as blight; removing the old lower leaves that touch the ground reduces the spread of soil-splashed diseases; a pruned, open plant is easier to stake, spray and harvest. (3 x 1 = 3 marks)

2. Question 2

   1 mark

   Two weeks after germination, a farmer in Kirinyaga pulls out some carrot seedlings from an overcrowded row. This practice is carried out mainly to:

   A. raise the number of plants growing in a given area of the bed

   B. fill up the spaces where the sown seeds failed to germinate

   C. reduce competition for nutrients, moisture and light among the remaining seedlings

   D. get rid of the seedlings that have been attacked by diseases

   (1 mark)

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3. Question 3

   3 marks

   Explain three reasons for earthing up Irish potatoes in Nyandarua.

   (3 marks)

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4. Question 4

   1 mark

   A farmer applies calcium ammonium nitrate (CAN) to maize when the crop is knee-high. The nutrient the crop benefits from most is:

   A. potassium, for strengthening the stalk

   B. phosphorus, for development of roots

   C. sulphur, for formation of proteins in the grain

   D. nitrogen, for growth of leaves and stems

   (1 mark)

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5. Question 5

   2 marks

   Explain why top dressing should be done when the crop is already established and the soil is moist.

   (2 marks)

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6. Question 6

   1 mark

   Gapping in a maize field should be carried out:

   A. soon after the crop has tasselled

   B. within two weeks after germination, while the seedlings are still young

   C. at harvesting, to replace the poorly performing plants

   D. at the same time as top dressing with CAN, six weeks after planting

   (1 mark)

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7. Question 7

   3 marks

   State three disadvantages of using dry grass as a mulch in a vegetable plot.

   (3 marks)

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8. Question 8

   1 mark

   A tomato farmer in Loitokitok ties the stems of the crop to wooden stakes driven into the ground beside each plant. The main reason for this practice is to:

   A. hold the fruits off the ground so that they stay clean and do not rot

   B. prevent birds from feeding on the ripening fruits

   C. increase the number of flowers produced by each plant

   D. reduce the amount of water the crop needs during the dry season

   (1 mark)

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9. Question 9

   4 marks

   Outline four reasons why a bean field should be weeded early in the season.

   (4 marks)

   Marking scheme

   Any FOUR, 1 mark each: weeds compete with the beans for nutrients, moisture, light and space, lowering yield; weeds harbour pests and diseases that later attack the crop; some weeds are parasitic on crops, for example striga, while others are poisonous to livestock; weeds lower the quality and market value of the produce and make harvesting difficult; weeding while the weeds are still young prevents them from flowering and adding seeds to the soil. (4 x 1 = 4 marks)

10. Question 10

    1 mark

    Roguing in a bean crop grown for certified seed means:

    A. removing diseased and off-type plants from the field

    B. cutting off the lower leaves to improve air movement

    C. pulling out extra seedlings from crowded planting holes

    D. uprooting the weeds growing between the crop rows

    (1 mark)

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11. Question 11

    4 marks

    Outline four ways in which a small-scale farmer can control weeds in a bean field without using herbicides.

    (4 marks)

    Marking scheme

    Any FOUR, 1 mark each: timely hand weeding or uprooting with a jembe before the weeds flower and shed seed; mulching between the rows so that emerging weeds are smothered; sowing clean certified seed that is free of weed seed; using the correct close spacing so that the bean canopy shades out weeds; practising crop rotation so that weeds associated with one crop do not build up; using well-rotted manure and slashing field margins so that weed seeds are not introduced into the field. (4 x 1 = 4 marks)

12. Question 12

    1 mark

    A tomato farmer in Mwea spreads dry grass between the crop rows. Apart from smothering weeds, the main benefit of this practice is that it:

    A. raises the soil temperature during the hot dry months

    B. supplies nitrogen to the tomato crop immediately

    C. reduces loss of soil moisture through evaporation

    D. keeps all insect pests away from the tomato plants

    (1 mark)

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