Neco 2019 Agricultural Science Question 5

Practice essay / theory question 5 from the 2019 Neco Agricultural Science examination. This question covers Maize production, Plant spacing, Fertilizer response .

Neco 2019 Agricultural Science Essay / Theory
Topics: Maize production Plant spacing Fertilizer response
Question 5 NECO • 2019 • AGRICULTURAL_SCIENCE • essay

A farmer cultivates maize on a well‑drained loamy soil. The current practice is a plant spacing of 75 cm between rows and 25 cm within rows, with no nitrogen fertilizer applied. The average yield obtained under this practice is 2.5 tonnes per hectare. The farmer is considering the following changes: - Reduce the within‑row spacing to 20 cm while keeping the row spacing at 75 cm. - Apply 120 kg of nitrogen fertilizer per hectare. Research indicates that for maize each additional 10 kg N ha⁻¹ increases yield by 0.15 t ha⁻¹ (up to a maximum response of 0.9 t ha⁻¹) and that reducing the within‑row spacing from 25 cm to 20 cm increases yield by 0.20 t ha⁻¹. Using this information, answer the questions below.

Question Parts

( a )
Calculate the number of maize plants per hectare under the current spacing (75 cm × 25 cm) and under the proposed spacing (75 cm × 20 cm).
( b )
Determine the expected maize yield (in tonnes per hectare) after applying the 120 kg N ha⁻¹ and adopting the new spacing. Show your calculations.
( c )
Discuss two agronomic advantages and two possible disadvantages of adopting the new spacing and nitrogen application.

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About This Question

This is Neco 2019 Agricultural Science Question 5. It is one of the essay questions from the 2019 Neco Agricultural Science examination.

The question covers Maize production, Plant spacing, Fertilizer response .

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