Theory question 104
Crop Husbandry(a) Discuss the cultivation of cotton under the following headings: (i) planting material; (ii) spacing; (iii) varieties; (iv) harvesting; (v) two pests; (vi) uses.
(b) State five advantages of introducing a new variety of banana into an area.
(c) Mention four routine management practices that should be carried out by a farmer when rearing layers in the battery cage
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(a)(i) Seeds (delinted).
(ii) About 90 cm × 30–45 cm (or 60 cm × 100 cm).
(iii) Any: Gossypium hirsutum; G. barbadense; G. arboreum; G. herbaceum (or named local varieties such as Samaru 26J).
(iv) Bolls are picked by hand as they open (or by mechanical cotton pickers), in dry weather.
(v) Any two: cotton stainer; bollworms; aphids; whitefly; jassids/leafhoppers; spider mites; thrips.
(vi) Lint for textiles; seed oil for cooking, margarine and soap; seed cake for livestock feed; hulls for fertilizer and paper; medical cotton wool.
(b) Any five: higher yield; better fruit quality and nutrition; resistance to diseases and pests; introduces new genetic variety; better adapted varieties; increases farmers' income; may open new markets.
(c) Any four: feeding; watering; vaccination and deworming; debeaking; cleaning and sanitation; lighting; egg collection; culling unproductive birds; isolating sick birds; record keeping.
Give two named pests for cotton.