Theory question 103
Crop Husbandry(a) Describe the cultivation of cowpea under the headings: (i) soil requirement; (ii) method of propagation; (iii) spacing.
(b) Name one disease and two field pests of cowpea.
(c) State four cultural methods of controlling crop pests.
(d) State four human activities that promote deforestation in West Africa.
(e) Describe each of the following agro-forestry practices (i) alley cropping. (ii) ley farming.
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(a)(i) Well-drained sandy loam soil of moderate fertility, pH about 6–7; avoid waterlogging.
(ii) By seed, sown directly, 2–3 seeds per hole, about 2–5 cm deep, thinned later.
(iii) About 60 cm × 30 cm (or 75 cm × 20–30 cm).
(b) Disease (one): cowpea mosaic; anthracnose; leaf spot; rust; damping off. Pests (two): pod borer (Maruca); aphids; thrips; pod-sucking bugs; leaf beetles.
(c) Any four: crop rotation; early planting/harvesting; clean weeding/field sanitation; resistant varieties; tillage to expose pests; burning crop residues; trap crops; correct spacing.
(d) Any four: bush burning; logging/timber felling; shifting cultivation/farming; building and road construction; fuel wood collection; mining; overgrazing; urbanisation.
(e)(i) Alley cropping: arable crops grown in the alleys between rows of leguminous trees/shrubs (e.g. Leucaena, Gliricidia) whose prunings are used as mulch, manure or fodder.
(ii) Ley farming: land is put under crops for some years and then under grass/legume pasture (ley) for livestock for some years, in rotation.
Give a spacing figure and two pests by name.