The diagrams below illustrate three different crops. Study them and answer the questions that follow. a) State the method of propagating each crop. b) List ...

The three crops shown in the diagram are Cashew (nut with its swollen pseudo-fruit or cashew apple), Oil palm (fruit shown in cross-section revealing the mesocarp, shell and kernel) and Okro (the elongated ridged seed pod).

a) Method of propagating each crop

b) Three varieties of oil palm

• Dura (thick shell, thin mesocarp)
• Tenera (thin shell, thick mesocarp; the high-yielding commercial hybrid)
• Pisifera (shell-less, female-sterile; used as a pollen parent)

Other recognised types include Macrocarya (very thick shell).

c) Three diseases of okro

• Okro mosaic (leaf curl) disease, caused by a virus
• Cercospora leaf spot, caused by a fungus
• Fusarium wilt, caused by a soil-borne fungus

Powdery mildew and damping-off are also common okro diseases.

d) Three pre-planting operations in cultivating okro

• Land clearing to remove weeds, shrubs and debris from the site
• Ploughing, harrowing and ridging (tillage) to produce a fine, well-aerated seedbed
• Seed treatment/selection, that is selecting viable seeds and dressing them against soil pests and diseases before sowing

Other acceptable pre-planting operations are soil testing and the application of organic manure/basal fertiliser.

e) Three uses of cashew

• The cashew nut (kernel) is eaten as food, either raw, roasted or salted, and is a source of edible oil.
• The cashew apple (pseudo-fruit) is eaten fresh or processed into juice, jam and alcoholic/soft drinks.
• The nut-shell liquid is used industrially in the manufacture of paints, varnishes, brake linings and insecticides; the tree also yields timber and gum, and serves as a shade/ornamental and soil-conservation plant.