Gce Model Questions Vol1 2022 Agricultural Science Question 8

During a rainy season a farmer notices that his tomato plants are wilting, the lower leaves are turning yellow and the vascular tissue of the stems shows brown discoloration. Laboratory analysis confirms the presence of the bacterium Ralstonia solanacearum. The disease is bacterial wilt. The farmer's farm has a potential yield of 30 tonnes per hectare and the market price of tomatoes is ₦150 per kilogram. If no control measures are applied, the disease can cause up to a 45 % loss in yield. The farmer is considering three management options: 1. Planting a resistant tomato variety – seed cost ₦5 000 per hectare. 2. Practising a one‑year crop rotation with a non‑host legume – additional labour cost ₦2 000 per hectare. 3. Applying a copper‑based bactericide – product cost ₦10 000 per hectare plus application cost ₦2 000 per hectare. The reported effectiveness of each option in reducing yield loss is: • Resistant variety – reduces loss to 15 % of the potential yield. • Crop rotation – reduces loss to 30 % of the potential yield. • Copper bactericide – reduces loss to 20 % of the potential yield. Answer the following questions: