KCSE 2015 Agriculture Paper 1 with Marking Scheme

SECTION A (30 marks)
Answer all the questions in the spaces provided.

1. State four reasons for applying phosphatic fertilizers during planting.
2. Give four ways in which crop pests are classified.
3. State four advantages of landlordism and tenancy.
4. Differentiate between apiculture and aquaculture.
5. State four factors that affect the quality of farm-yard manure.
6. Give four reasons why seed propagation is encouraged in crop production.
7. State four factors that can make a farmer choose a jembe for primary tillage.
8. Give four factors that affect the quality of hay.
9. Name five entries that can be made on a cattle breeding record.
10. Give two reasons for testing soil.
11. Name three forms of horticulture practised in Kenya.
12. Give two reasons for constructing a shade over a nursery.
13. Name four appropriate sites for agroforestry trees.
14. State four personal safety measures a farmer should consider when handling herbicides.
15. Give two reasons why a maize plant growing in a cabbage crop field may be treated as a weed.
16. Name four classes of weeds.
17. State four agricultural activities that may pollute water. 

MARKING SCHEME

Section A (30 marks)

1.    
   • Less soluble;
   • Promote root development;
   • Lack/slight scotching effect;
   • Have long residual effects;
   • Not easily leached. (2 marks)
2.    
   • Mode of feeding/biting/chewing/piercing;
   • Stage of growth of the crop;
   • Crop attacked; Where they are found/field/storage;
   • Stage of pest development;
   • Scientific classification/biological classification;
   • Level of damage/major or minor;
   • Crop part attacked. (2 marks)
3.    
   • Landless can rent land;
   • Idle land is put to agricultural production;
   • Reduces disputes over land ownership and use;
   • Ensures equitable distribution of land as a resource;
   • Landlords can earn income from tenants;
   • Tenants can vary land size depending on production.
4.    
   • Apiculture - rearing of bees;
   • Aquaculture - rearing of fish in fish ponds.
5.    
   • Type of animal used
   • Type of feed eaten
   • Type of litter used
   • Age of farmyard manure;
   • Method of storage;
   • Species of animal.
6.    
   • Encourages variation hence hybrid vigour;
   • Easy to store and handle /less bulky;
   • Easy to control pests and diseases;
   • Planting can easily be mechanized;
   • Can be stored for long without loosing viability.
7.    
   • Small size of the land;
   • Lack of adequate capital;
   • Lack of skilled labour to handle machinery/use of a jembe requires less skills;
   • Steep terrain/landscape that cannot be mechanised.
   • High soil moisture content.
8.    
   • Stage of harvesting/leaf stem ratio;
   • Forage species;
   • Storage structure;
   • Weather condition during drying/length of drying period;
   • Presence of foreigh materials.
9.      
   • Name/number of the sire/dam;
   • Date of service;
   • Expected date of calving;
   • Actual date of calving;
   • Sex of the calf;
   • Weight of the calf;
   • Breed;
   • Service number;
   • Date of pregnancy diagnosis;
   • Remarks column.
10.    
    • Determine soil PH/determine type of fertilizer to use/type to grow;
    • Determine nutrient content/amount of fertilizer to apply.
11.    
    • Floriculture;
    • Pomoculture;
    • Olericulture.
12.    
    • Protection against strong sun/regulate temperatures;
    • Intercept rain drops/hail stones/control soil erosion;
    • Protection against wind;
    • Reduces moisture loss.
13.    
    • Boundaries;
    • Terraces;
    • River banks;
    • Steep slopes;
    • Homestead.
14.      
    • Follow manufacturer's guidelines;
    • Wear protective clothing;
    • Spray in a cool and calm weather;
    • Should not spray against the wind direction/avoid inhaling;
    • Proper storage of herbicides;
    • Proper disposal of empty herbicide containers;
    • Proper cleaning after handling;
    • Should not suck blocked nozzles;
    • Should not smoke or eat when spraying.
15.    
    • When it is not required in the cabbage field;
    • When its disadvantages outweigh the advantages in the cabbage field.
16.    
    • Broad leaved weeds;
    • Narrow leaved weeds;
    • Perennial weeds;
    • Annual weeds;
    • Biennial weeds;
    • Monocotyledonous;
    • Dicotyledonous weeds.
17.      
    • Application of herbicides/pesticides/chemicals;
    • Poor cultivation practices (overcultivation, cultivation along river banks, cultivation down slope, clean weeding;
    • Use of inorganic fertilizers;
    • Over grazing;
    • Watering animals directly in water sources;
    • Washing agricultural machines in water sources.

Section B (20 marks)

18.    
    1. Method I
       Nitrogen - 10%;
       Quantity of fertilizer applied;
       10 kg N is in 100 kg of the fertilizer;
       180 kg N - 180 x 100 = 1800 KgN
                             10
       = 1800 kg x 3 hectares;
       = 5400 kg of fertilizer.
       
       Method II
       1 ha = 180 KgN : 3 ha = 180 kg x3 = 540 kg
       10 kgN are contained in 100 kg of the fertilizer.
       540 KgN is contained in
       540 x 100 = 5400 kg fertilizer
        10
       (3 marks)
    2. 10 Nitrogen percentage; 10% N
       20 Phosphorous percentage; 20% P,O,
19.    
    1. Aerial layering/marcotting. 
    2.    
       • Select a healthy woody branch;     
       • Remove the bark and cambial layer from a section of the branch/ring back the branch;
       • Heap moist rooting medium around the section;
       • Wrap the rooting medium with a polythene sheet;
    3.      
       • Gives a large planting material;
       • Obtain planting materials from branches that cannot easily bend bend/woody stems/ branches high up the stem.
20.    
    1. A- Row planting. (1 mark)
    2.    
       • Operations can be mechanized;
       • Easy to establish plant population;
       • Uses less planting materials;
       • Easy to carry out cultural practices.
    3.    
       • Soil type - light soils require greater depth;
       • Soil moisture content - wet soils require shallow depth;
       • Size of the seed - large seeds require greater depth;
       • Type of germination - epigeal germination requires shallow depth.
21.    
    1. Maize smut/smuts;
    2.    
       • Ensure field hygiene;
       • Use of resistant varieties;
       • Rogueing; Crop rotation;
       • Use of certified seeds.
    3. Fungal disease

Section C (40 marks)

22.      
    1.      
       1.    
          • Rainfall reliability - determine the timing of land preparation and planting;
          • Amount of rainfall - determines the type of crop to grow;
          • Rainfall distribution- influences the type and variety of crops to grow in an area;
          • Rainfall intensity - high rainfall intensity damages crops and causes soil erosion. 
       2.    
          • Light intensity - The rate of photosynthesis increases with increase in light intensity; 
          • Light duration - determines flowering, hence the type of crops to grow i.e. short-day, long-day or day-neutral plants;
          • Light wavelength - Plants absorb light of specific wavelength making natural light more suitable for crop production.
    2.    
       1.    
          • Land preparation
          • Level the field;
          • Construct/repair bunds around the levelled field;
          • Flood the field;
          • Using tractor drawn rota/rotavator work the field in preparation for transplanting.
       2. Water control
          • Flood the field to a depth of 7.5 - 10 cm for 4 days;
          • Drain to leave water to a depth of 5 cm at transplanting;
          • Gradually manage the depth of water to 15 cm when the seedlings are fully grown/maintain water level to the height of the crop;
          • Allow water to flow slowly through the field/change the water every 2 - 3 weeks.
          • Drain the water completely 2 - 3 weeks before the start of harvesting.
       3. Fertilizer application
          • Sulphate of ammonia at 25 kg for each nursery unit of 18.5 m x 18.5 m;
          • DSP broadcasted in the field at 120 kg per ha;
          • SA at 125 kg/ha just before transplanting;
          • SA at 125 kg/ha 40 days after transplanting.
       4. Weed control
          • Flooding;
          • Uprooting;
          • Use of herbicide (propanyl/Daconyl/Butachlor)/chemicals.
23.    
    1. Factors that increase demand for tea on the market:
       • Population increase leads to increased consumption of tea;
       • Increase in income of tea consumers;
       • Increase in preference and taste for tea;
       • Increase in the price of related goods/substitutes;
       • Advertisement promotes the sale of tea;
       • Future expectations or uncertainty e.g. shortage makes consumers to buy and stock;
       • Improved quality of tea; Price expectation i.e future increase in the price increases the demand for tea;
       • Reduced taxation makes it affordable to more consumers.
         Factor 5 x 1; Explanation 5 x 1 (10 marks)
    2. Ways of improving labour productivity on the farm:
       • Training;
       • Giving incentives/improving terms and conditions of service;
       • Farm mechanization;
       • Labour supervision;
       • Proper remuneration;
       • Assigning tasks according to skills.
         

         UPENDO FARM
         Liabilities	Sh	Cts	Assets	Sh	Cts
         Wages payable	5000	00	Cash in hand	15,000	00
         			Cash in bank	52,000	00
         Debts payable	26,000	00	Debts receivable	18,000	00
         			Beans in store	40,000	00
         Interest payable	8,000	00	Layers	80,000	00
         			Calves	75,000	00
         Taxes payable	3,000	00	Beef cattle	240,000	00
         		00	Machinery	250,000	00
         Bank loan	725,000	00	Buildings	310,000	00
         			Land	550,000	00
         Total liabilities	767,000	00
         NET WORTH	863,000	00
         TOTAL	1,630,000	00	TOTAL	1,630,000	00

24.        
    1.      
       • Watering early in the morning and late in the evening during dry weather conditions;
       • Gapping to ensure optimum plant population;
       • Weed control to reduce competition;
       • Staking to support the plants off the ground to prevent fungal diseases;
       • Mulching to conserve moisture and smother weeds;
       • Top dressing with CAN or SA at rate of 20 kg N per ha;
       • Pruning to control upward growth and encourage development of large fruits;
       • Pest control using appropriate pesticides to prevent destruction of plants, flowers and fruits;
       • Disease control - spray with appropriate fungicides to control tomato blight;
       • Rogueing of plants infected by bacterial wilt;
       • Regular watering and appropriate fertilizer application to control blossom-end rot;
       • Harvesting by picking ripe fruits for canning or as a reddish colour starts to appear for the fresh market;
       • Earthing up to facilitate drainage, support the plants and prevent soil erosion.
    2.    
       1. Splash erosion/rain drop erosion - rain drops hit the soil surfaces, detach and transfer soil particles;
       2. Sheet erosion - Surface flow of water removes thin layers of soil from flat or gently sloping land;
       3. Rill erosion - The concentration of water flowing down the slope removes soil in small channels or streamlets;
       4. Gulley erosion- Develops from rill erosion. The small channels gradually becomes deeper and wider to form deep and wide ditches (gullies) due to the effect of running water.
       5. River bank erosion - Occurs when there is heavy down pour upstream in the immediate catchment area and damages the banks depending on the volume, speed and load of water.
          Type of erosion 4 x 1; Description 4 x 1 (8 marks)