(a) Briefly discuss the cultivation of…

Question 1 Report

(a) Briefly discuss the cultivation of cassava under the following:

(i) Soil requirement (ii) Land Preparation (iii) Spacing (iv) Weed Control (iv) Fertilizer Requirement (vii) Harvesting (viii) Storage

(b) Complete the following table under the following.

Answer

(a) Cultivation of cassava:

(i) Soil requirement: a deep, well-drained, loose sandy-loam soil that is fairly rich in organic matter, with a pH of about 5.5 to 6.5; cassava also tolerates fairly poor soils.
(ii) Land preparation: clear the land, plough and harrow, then make ridges, mounds or heaps to give the developing tubers room to expand.
(iii) Spacing: plant stem cuttings at 1 m \( \times \) 1 m, giving about 10,000 stands per hectare.
(iv) Weed control: weed by hoe two to three times during early growth, and use pre-emergence herbicides or mulching to suppress weeds.
(v) Fertilizer requirement: apply NPK (for example 15:15:15) or organic manure, with adequate potassium for good tuber formation, about 8 weeks after planting.
(vii) Harvesting: harvest 9 to 12 months after planting, when the lower leaves yellow, by loosening the soil and lifting the tubers.
(viii) Storage: leave the tubers in the ground until needed, or store fresh roots briefly in moist soil or silos; for long storage, process into gari, flour or dried chips.

(b) Completed disease table:

	Disease	Causal organism	Farm animal	Symptoms	Control
i	Coccidiosis	Eimeria species (a protozoan)	Poultry (also rabbits)	Bloody droppings or diarrhoea, ruffled feathers, weakness, poor growth	Add a coccidiostat (e.g. amprolium) to feed or water, keep the litter dry, maintain good sanitation
ii	Rinderpest	Rinderpest virus (a Morbillivirus)	Cattle (also sheep and goats)	High fever, profuse diarrhoea, discharge from the eyes and nose, mouth ulcers, dehydration	Vaccination, quarantine or isolation, and slaughter of infected animals

Answer Details

(a) Cultivation of cassava:

(i) Soil requirement: a deep, well-drained, loose sandy-loam soil that is fairly rich in organic matter, with a pH of about 5.5 to 6.5; cassava also tolerates fairly poor soils.
(ii) Land preparation: clear the land, plough and harrow, then make ridges, mounds or heaps to give the developing tubers room to expand.
(iii) Spacing: plant stem cuttings at 1 m \( \times \) 1 m, giving about 10,000 stands per hectare.
(iv) Weed control: weed by hoe two to three times during early growth, and use pre-emergence herbicides or mulching to suppress weeds.
(v) Fertilizer requirement: apply NPK (for example 15:15:15) or organic manure, with adequate potassium for good tuber formation, about 8 weeks after planting.
(vii) Harvesting: harvest 9 to 12 months after planting, when the lower leaves yellow, by loosening the soil and lifting the tubers.
(viii) Storage: leave the tubers in the ground until needed, or store fresh roots briefly in moist soil or silos; for long storage, process into gari, flour or dried chips.

(b) Completed disease table:

	Disease	Causal organism	Farm animal	Symptoms	Control
i	Coccidiosis	Eimeria species (a protozoan)	Poultry (also rabbits)	Bloody droppings or diarrhoea, ruffled feathers, weakness, poor growth	Add a coccidiostat (e.g. amprolium) to feed or water, keep the litter dry, maintain good sanitation
ii	Rinderpest	Rinderpest virus (a Morbillivirus)	Cattle (also sheep and goats)	High fever, profuse diarrhoea, discharge from the eyes and nose, mouth ulcers, dehydration	Vaccination, quarantine or isolation, and slaughter of infected animals

(a) Briefly discuss the cultivation of cassava under the following: (i) Soil requirement (ii) Land Preparation (iii) Spacing (iv) Weed Control (iv) Fertiliz...