AGRICULTURE PAPER 1 Marking Scheme - 2017 KITUI MOCK EXAMINATION

Marking Scheme

SECTION A

1.  
   • Broadcasting
   • Placement method
   • Side dressing / top dressing / band application / ring application;
   • Foliar spraying
   • Drip application in drip lines;
   • Fertigation      (4 x ½ = 2 marks)

2.  
   • Pollinators
   • Decomposers;
   • Friendly predators;
   • Nitrogen fixing bacteria (½ x 4 = 2 marks)

3.  
   • Crop production;
   • Livestock production;
   • Soil science;
   • Agricultural economic;
   • Agricultural engineering;   (½ x 4 = 2 marks)

4.  
   • Has no land disputes;
   • Labour is well used;
   • Profit accrued is well distributed among the members;
   • Mechanization is well effected        (½ x 4 = 2 marks)

5.  
   • Reduces soil erosion;
   • Conserves water;
   • Suppresses weeds growth;
   • Improves soil structure upon decomposition;
   • Adds fertility to the soil upon decomposition. (½ x 4 = 2 marks)

6.  
   • Where  land is abundant;
   • Where the population is sparse;
   • Where the livestock per unit area is low;
   • Where land is communally owned, (½ x 4 = 2 marks)
7.  
   • Loss of plant nutrients;
   • Loss of soil microorganisms;
   • Reduction of soil depth;
   • Siltation of dams and rivers;
   • Permanent scars on the landscape;
   • Tourist attraction sites created (½ x 4 = 2 marks)

8.  
   • Warm  temperature;
   • High relative humidity;
   • High light intensity for soft wood cuttings;
   • Oxygen;         
   • Supply / aeration;
   • Chemical treatment with rooting hormones IAA/IBA /NAA;
   • More leaf area for soft wood cuttings; (½ x 4 = 2 marks)
9.  
   • Date;
   • Amount sold;
   • Price per unit;
   • Total amount;
   • Where sold; (½ x 4 = 2 marks)

10.  
    • Joint products;
    • Competitive products;
    • Supplementary products;
    • Complementary products; (½ x 4 = 2 marks)

11.  
    • Date; 
    • Particulars;
    • Folio;
    • Credit;
    • Debit; (½ x 4 = 2 marks)

12.  
    • Improves yield the following season
    • Discourages bud disease occurring; (½ x 2 = 1 mark)
13.  
    • Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
    • Gross National Income / Product (GNI/GNP)
    • Per Capital Income (½ x 4 = 2 marks)

14.  
    • Leaf curling;
    • Mosaic;
    • Malformation / distortion / leaf chlorosis;
    • Rosetting / short internodes (½ x 4 = 2 marks)

15.  
    • Improve soil aeration;
    • Improve soil volume;
    • Raise soil temperature;
    • Increase Microorganisms population;
    • Reduce soil erosion;
    • Remove toxicity. (2 marks)

16.  
    • Remove unpalatable stemmy fibrous material;
    • Stimulate fresh growth of pasture (½ x 4 = 2 marks)

17.  
    • Durable.
    • High pressure tolerance
    • Resistant to rodent damage (½ x 4 = 2 marks)

SECTION B

18.   
    1. J – Double thorn/Oxygonumsinuatum
       K – Nut grass/sedge/Cyprus rotundas (½ x 4 = 2 marks)
    2. Has underground nuts that are used for propagation (1 mark)
    3.  
       • Reduces the efficiency of workers in the field due to the sharp thorns that inflict injuries.
       • Competes for nutrients with the desired crops (1 mark)
    4.  
       • Extensive rooting system;
       • Survive where there are limited nutrients;
       • Have short life cycles (1 mark)

19.  
    1. Method of compost making
       •  Indore method      (1 mark)
    2. Factors to consider when siting the structure
       • Well drained place
       • Direction of prevailing wind
       • Size of the farm
       • Accessibility
       • Topography (4 x ½ =2 marks)
    3. Function of the following materials in preparation of compost manure
       1. Top soil (1 mark)
          • Introduces microorganism necessary for decomposition of organic material.
       2. Wood ash
          • Improve level of phosphorous and potassium in resulting manure

20.  
    1. A -     Maize weevil  
       B   -     Squirrel (1 mark)
       
       
    2. A -     Dry grain in store/dry grains/stored grain    
       B   -    Seeding stage / grains at planting time (2 marks)        
    3.  
       A 
       
       • Timely harvesting
       • Use of resistant varieties 
       
       B
       
       • Trapping, killing, use of scare crows
       • Rodenticide (2 marks)
21.  
    1. Stem tuber (1 mark)
    2. Chitting (1 mark)
    3.  
       • fast establishment
       • True to type          
       • Cheap/faster (3 marks)

SECTION C

22.  
    1. Selection and preparation of planting material (3marks)
       • Dry the seeds before planting
       • Select the seeds discarding damaged and wrinkled one
       • Dress with an appropriate pesticide to control soil borne pests.
       • Inoculate the seeds with the right strain of rhizobium spps
         Planting (4 marks)
       • Done at the onset of the rains
       • Plant 2-3 seeds per hole
       • Space at 30 – 45 cm x 15 cm
       • Use D.A .P 200 kgms per hectare on the furrows before planting
       • Use a seed rate of 50 – 60 kgms per hectare
         Weeding (3 marks)
       • Done shallowly;
       • Done before flowering to avoid knocking flowers;
       • Done when the field is dry to avoid spreading diseases
       • Done preferably by hand weeding,
    2. Environmental conditions that may lead to low crop yields (10 marks)
       • Less rainfall/unreliable/too much rainfall.
       • Inappropriate temperature either too low or too high.
       • Extreme humidity is bad;
       • Topography/some altitudes may limit crop growth
       • Extreme light intensity reduces photosynthesis.
       • Hailstones damage crop leaves/cause defoliation.
       • Poor weed control lowers crop yields.
       • Poor soil fertility leads to poor yields.
       • Excessive wind leads to soil erosion and Evapotranspiration.
       • Water logging and leaching of nutrients leads to inappropriate soil pH
       • Attack by crop pests lowers yields.
       • Attack by crop diseases lowers yields

23.  
    1.  
       • Deep rooted crops alternative shallow  rooted
       • Nutrient requirement – heavy feeders should come first in a rotation
       • Weed control – corps associated with  certain weds should be alternated with those that are not
       • Pests and diseases control – crops form the same family should not follow each other in a rotation since thy are attacked by same pests
       • Soil fertility – a legume should be included in a rotation to improve soil fertility by nitrogen fixation
       • Soil structure – Grassley should be introduced in a rotation         
       • Crops easy to weed should be alternated by those difficult to weed (6 marks)
    2.  Factors influencing the type of irrigation
       • Nature of land/topography
       • Type of soil
       • Availability/amount of water used
       • Type of crop to be irrigated
       • Distance of the water source form field
       • Technology available
       • Cost of the system to be sued
       • Climate of the area
       • Availability of skilled human power
    3. Post-harvesting practices in maize
       • Shelling – removing / threshing grains from the cobs
       • Drying – to acquire right moisture content for shortage
       • Winnowing – to remove chaff
       • Dusting – applying chemical powder on seed to control storage pest
       • Processing into final product for packaging
       • Grading/sorting –separate bad ones form good seeds (6 x 1 = 6 marks)

24.  
    1. Advantages of budgeting in farming
       • It helps the farmer indecision making
       • It enables the farmer to protect future returns so as to plan ahea
       • It helps the farmers to avoid incurring losses by investing in less profitable enterprises
       • It enables farmer to secure loans form financial institution
       • It ensures a periodic analysis of the farm business
       • It acts as a record which can be used for future reference
       • It pinpoints efficiency or weakness farm operations  
    2. Types of risks and uncertainties.
       • Fluctuation of commodity prices.
       • Physical yield uncertainty - dues not known how much to expect.
       • Ownership uncertainty - The farmer loses part or whole of the produce through theft, fire or death.
       • Outbreak of pests and diseases.
       • Sickness and injury uncertainty.
       • New production technique and uncertainty.
       • Obsolescence - A farmer may invest in machinery which may become outdated (Any 5 x 1 = 5 marks)
    3. Importance of pruning perennial crops e.g. Tea, coffee.
       • To regulate quantity and quality of fruits or flowers
       • In tea pruning is done to stop the upwards  growth of the plant to allow the sideways growth hence making plucking of the leaves easy
       • To remove all branches broken, dead or diseased.
       • To permit air circulation and secure more light for most parts of crop.
       • To remove branches and fruits that rub  against each other.
       • To make certain field operations easier and effective e.g. spraying (5 x 1 = 5 marks)