Neco Model Questions Vol1 2017 Agricultural Science Question 7

Practice essay / theory question 7 from the 2017 Neco Model Questions Vol1 Agricultural Science examination. This question covers Crop pests, Integrated pest management, Life cycle of insects, Economic threshold .

Neco Model Questions Vol1 2017 Agricultural Science Essay / Theory
Topics: Crop pests Integrated pest management Life cycle of insects Economic threshold
Question 7 NECO_MODEL_QUESTIONS_VOL1 • 2017 • AGRICULTURAL_SCIENCE • essay

A farmer cultivates 5 hectares of maize that has recently shown symptoms of two major insect pests: the stem borer (Busseola fusca) and the African armyworm (Spodoptera exempta). The farmer wishes to adopt an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach that minimises pesticide use while protecting yield.

Question Parts

( a )
Describe the complete life cycle of each pest, highlighting the stage that causes the most damage to the maize crop.
( b )
Explain two monitoring techniques that can be used to detect the onset of each pest population in the field.
( c )
Propose an IPM programme that combines cultural, biological and chemical control for each pest. Justify the choice of each control method.
( d )
If a 5 % infestation of stem borer larvae in the stand results in a 0.5 % yield loss per hectare, calculate the economic threshold (in % infestation) at which the farmer should apply chemical control, assuming the cost of control per hectare is ₦12 000 and the market price of maize is ₦30 000 per tonne with an average yield of 4 tonnes ha⁻¹.

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About This Question

This is Neco Model Questions Vol1 2017 Agricultural Science Question 7. It is one of the essay questions from the 2017 Neco Model Questions Vol1 Agricultural Science examination.

The question covers Crop pests, Integrated pest management, Life cycle of insects, Economic threshold .

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