Check the Questions Here

SECTION A (30 MARKS)

Answer ALL the questions in this section in the spaces provided.

1. a). Define the term ranching.                                                                                                  (1 mark)

Is the keeping of livestock in marginal areas.

b). State four ways in which ranching can be improved.                                                       (2 marks)

1. Practicing disease control.
2. Growing improved pastures.
3. Providing supplementary feeding.
4. Providing water.
5. List four reasons for using certified planting materials                                                          (2 marks)
6. Give rise to vigorous growing plants.
7. Have high percentage of germination.
8. True to type.
9. Free from foreign materials.
10. High yielding.

• State four importance of ridging.                                                                                           (2 marks)
  • Control of soil erosion
  • Improve water conservation
  • Improve drainage
  • To promote tuberation
  • To ease the lifting of tubers during harvesting.

• a). What are forage crops?                                                                                                      (1 mark)

Are plants which grow either naturally or are planted by man and are fed to the livestock.

b). Give four factors that affect quality of silage..                                                                (2 marks)

1. Species of crop used
2. Storage conditions
3. Stage at which crop is harvested
4. Moisture content of material
5. Additive presence
6. Size of pieces ensiled
7. Leaf – stem ratio
8. Amount of foreign material                                                         
9. State four factors that contribute to the competitive ability of weeds.                                 (2 marks)
10. Effective propagation mechanisms e.g.  rhizomes, stolons.
11. Ability to produce large quantities of viable seeds eg. Black jack.
12. Their seeds can remain dormant/viable for long time under unfavourable conditions.
13. They can survive in unfavourable environmental conditions.
14. Have effective means of weed seeds dispersal.
15. Have a short life cycle/.

• State two factors that influence solifluction.                                                              (2 mark)
• Slopes of the land
• Nature of the materials
• Climate
• Vegetation cover    
• Human activities
• Forces within the Earth’s crust.

• State two functions of polythene sheet when used as a mulching material.                          (1 mark)
• Regulation of soil temperature
• Control of weeds
• Reduce soil erosion
• Conserve’s soil moisture

• a). Define the term opportunity cost.                                                                                      (1 mark)

Is the return from the best alternative forgone.

b). Give two situations in which the opportunity cost would be zero.                                   (1 mark)

1. Where there is no alternative enterprise/investment
2. Where the productive resources are unlimited in supply/availability
3. Where the product is given freely.

• State four advantages of overhead irrigation.                                                                        (2 marks)
  • Water is evenly distributed over the required area.
  • There is less water wastage than in furrow irrigation.
  • It can be practiced on sloppy grounds.
  • Foliar fertilizers can be applied together with irrigation water.
  • Sprinkler system can easily be moved from one place to another.

1. a). Define the term land reform.                                                                                             (1 mark)

Is an organized action designed to improve the structure of land tenure and land use.

b). State four advantages of communal land tenure system.                                                 (2 marks)

1. Solves the problem of landlessness.
2. Land cannot easily be fragmented.
3. There is free movement of livestock.
4. Land is left to rest for a while to allow pasture regeneration.
5. There is no land dispute.

1. State four types of books of account.                                                                                                (2 marks)
2. Invoice.
3. Statements.
4. Receipt.
5. Delivery note.
6. Purchase order.
7. Define the following terms as used in agroforestry:

a). Lopping.                                                                                                                             (1 mark)

Is the removal of branches from trees in a haphazard manner.

b). Pollarding                                                                                                                          (1 mark)

Is the cutting of all the branches and top of a tree to provide fodder and fuel.

1. State four factors that determine the quality of hay.                                                             (2 marks)
2. Forage species used.
3. Stage of harvesting/leaf:stem ratio.
4. Length of the drying period.
5. Weather conditions during the drying process.
6. Condition of the storage structure.

1. State four characteristics of plants used as green manure.                                                     (2 marks)
2. Highly vegetative/leafy
3. Have fast growth rate.
4. Have high nitrogen content/leguminous.
5. Capable of rotting quickly.
6. Should be hardy/capable of growing in poor conditions

1. Identify the method of propagation.                                                                                (1 mark)

Serpentine/compound layering

• What is the benefit of the above method of crop propagation?                                       (1 mark)

It produces several new plants materials

• List any three processes by which part of a stem is induced to produce roots while attached to the mother plant.                                                                                                                     (3 marks)
• Trench layering
• Tip layering
• Marcotting / aerial layering

1. The diagram below shows a common weed. Study it carefully and answer the questions that follow.

KCSE PREDICTION 2022 AGRICULTURE PR 1 ANSWERS

1. Name the weed                                                                                                                        (1 mark)

Nut grass

• Why is it difficult to control the above weed?                                                                        (1mark)

It has underground nuts which are difficult to remove completely

• State three economic importance of the weed.                                                                       (3marks)
  • Competes for nutrients with crops
  • Increases cost of production
  • Reduces quality of crops
  • Acts as fodder crop for livestock
  • Block water ways
• Naliaka is a maize farmer in Mumias. She has been advised by an extension officer to top dress her five hectare maize farm with Calcium Ammonium Nitrate (C.A.N) at the rate of 150kg per hectare. C.A.N has 21Nitrogen.

a). Calculate the amount of fertilizer that Naliaka would need to top dress her farm adequately. Show your working.                                                                                                                      (3 marks)

 If 1ha= 150kg of C.A.N;                               

 Therefore 5ha=5×150   ;                   

                         1

                   = 750kg of C.A.N;                

b). Give two types of soil sampling methods.                                                                        (2 marks)

1. Traverse method.
2. Zigzag method.     

• Below are diagrams showing a field practices usually carried out on certain crops. Study them and answer the questions that follow.

a. Name the practice illustrated above.                                                                                  (2 mark)

C-Trellising

D-Propping

b). Name a crop in which the practice is carried out.                                                              (1 marks)

1. Passion fruit
2. Tomatoes
3. Straw berry

c). Give two importance of the practice labeled C.                                                                (2 marks)

1. Leads to production of clean fruits
2. Helps control soil borne pests and diseases
3. Makes cultural practices easy e.g. spraying agrochemicals/weeding

SECTION C (40MARKS)

Answer any TWO questions in this section in the spaces provided

• PARTIAL BUDGET

Debit (-)	Credit (-)
EXTRA  COST Potatoes     (i)seeds     (ii)fertilizers     (iii)labour  Subtotals    REVENUE FORGONE Maize yield 4x12x1400	Ksh 360,000 109,200 180,000	EXTRA REVENUE   Yields of potatoes 115x1200x12ha   Sub-totals   COST SAVED Maize i)Seeds=2500×2 ii)fertilizers=5x1300x2 subtotals	Ksh   1,656,000
649,200	1,656,000
756,000	30,000 78,000 108,000
TOTAL	1,405,200	TOTAL	1,764,000

CR-DR= 1,764,000—1,405,200= Ksh 358,800

            Therefore the change is worthwhile

b). Describe five ways by which farmers adjust to risks and uncertainties.                                (5 marks)

1. Diversification.– to avoid the risk of total loss/ if one enterprise fails, the farmer can gain from the other enterprise.
2. Selecting more certain enterprises– select an enterprise with more steady income over time.
3. Contracting/Contract farming–  cushions the farmer against price fluctuations
4. Insurance– guarantees compensation in case of losses/ occurrence of risk/uncertainty.
5. Input rationing.-  Put more resources in enterprises which are likely to give better returns and less on those that may not do well
6. Flexibility in production methods– designs the enterprise such that it facilitates easy change from one less profitable enterprise to a more profitable one.
7. Adopting modern methods of production.- Reduces the amount of risk by avoiding the would be losses if the methods are not adopted

c). Explain five effects of weeds on pastures.                                                                             (5 marks)

1. Compete with crops for nutrients, space, light and moisture hence reduce crop yield.
2. Some are parasitic to pastures.
3. Some lower the quality of pastures especially when mixed up.
4. Some are poisonous to livestock.
5. Some acts as alternate hosts for insect pests and diseases.
6. Some are allelopathic.
7. a). Briefly describe factors that influence the soil erosion.                                                     (8 marks)
8. Amount and intensity of rainfall-heavy rainfall hit the ground with such force that the soil is splashed up with water. Top most layer of soil becomes saturated with water faster leading to surface run-off taking with it loose particles of soil.
9. Topography-the speed of surface run-off is determined by the slope of the land. The greater the speed of water, the greater the erosive power.
10. Type of soil– sandy soil becomes saturated with water quickly hence easily eroded.
11. Soil depth– shallow soils become saturated with water faster and are easily eroded.
12. Vegetation cover– acts as barriers, preventing direct exposure of the soil to agents of erosion.
13. Overstocking– leads to destruction of grass cover leaving the soil surface bare.
14. Deforestation– exposes the soil to agents of soil erosion.
15. Planting of annual crops on steep slopes– leads to frequent cultivation hence exposure of soil to erosion.
16. Indiscriminate burning of vegetation before cultivation.
17. Clean weeding-leaves the soil less protected against water erosion.
18. Ploughing up and down the slope.

b). Explain the importance of a nursery bed   in crop production.                                                       (7 marks)

1. Many seedlings are raised in a small unit area
2. Reduces the time taken by the crop in the field
3. Farmer can select healthy and vigorously growing seedlings that establish faster
4. Reduces the amount of labour spend caring for the seedling
5. Excess seedlings can be sold and earn income
6. Easier to manage seedlings in a nursery bed.
7. Gives a farmer a head start in planting hence early maturity for crops

c). State five advantages of timely planting of annual crops.                                                 (5 marks)

1. Crops make maximum use of rainfall leading to vigorous growth.
2. Crops benefit from nitrogen flush.
3. Crops escape serious pest and disease attack.
4. Ensures that the produce is marketed when prices are high.
5. Crops establish earlier than weeds, hence smothering them.

• a). Describe eight cultural methods of controlling pests.                                                        (8 marks)
• Mulching– smothers weeds, thus preventing weed growth.
• Cover cropping– they smothers weeds.
• Crop rotation– controls the parasitic weeds when a different family of crop is incorporated in the program.
• Timely planting-allows crops to establish early before weeds, thus smothering them.
• Use of clean planting materials– this prevents the introduction of weeds to the farm land.
• Proper spacing– creates little space for weed growth and forming a canopy which suppresses weeds.
• Clean seedbed– starts off the crops on a clean bed so that they effectively compete with weeds.
• Flooding– discourages the growth of all non-aquatic weeds.

b). Briefly explain biological factors that influence agriculture.                                             (6 marks)

1. Pests– are destructive organisms that feed on plants, transmit crop diseases, and as well as expose the plant to secondary infection.
2. Parasites– are organisms that live in or on the animal. They suck blood from the animal and irritate them by biting on their skin.
3. Decomposers– they cause rotting of plant and animal materials forming manure.
4. Pathogens-they transmit diseases reducing both quality and quantity of agricultural products.
5. Predators– reduce the pest population by feeding on them.
6. Pollinators– causes cross pollination leading to improved varieties of crops
7. Nitrogen Fixing Bacteria– converts nitrogen into nitrates hence makes the soil more fertile.

c). Describe the harvesting of pyrethrum.                                                                               (6 marks)

1. Pyrethrum flowers are ready for picking 3 to 4 months after planting.
2. Pick the flowers selectively.
3. Pick only flowers having horizontal petals with 2 to 3 disc florets.
4. Pick at an interval of 14 to 21 days.
5. Flowers are picked by twisting the heads so that no stem is attached.
6. Put the picked flowers in a woven basket to allow for proper ventilation.
7. Do not pick wet flowers as they may cause fermentation.
8. Do not compact the picked flowers in the basket.