Agriculture - PSEB Class 10 Vocational Group
Agriculture is the Class 10 vocational subject under PSEB, and the paper tests applied farm practice for Punjab conditions: crop seasons, seed and fertilizer rates, irrigation scheduling, pest control and implement use.
Core rules you must be able to apply
- Seasons: kharif crops are sown in June–July and harvested in autumn (paddy, maize, cotton, moong); rabi crops are sown in October–November and harvested in April–May (wheat, gram, mustard, berseem).
- Seed rates per acre: wheat 40 kg (timely sown, irrigated), paddy 8–10 kg for nursery transplanting, maize 8–10 kg. Thin stands lose yield; dense stands lodge and catch disease.
- Fertilizers: urea carries 46% N, DAP 18% N and 46% P2O5, MOP 60% K2O. Place phosphorus and potash at sowing, and split nitrogen into two or three doses matched with irrigation.
- Irrigation: the crown-root stage (20–25 days after sowing) is the most sensitive for wheat; paddy needs shallow standing water after transplanting. Stop watering before harvest to prevent lodging and grain discolouration.
- Protection: sow certified, treated seed; spray only after the economic threshold level is crossed; rotate chemical groups against resistance; follow the waiting period before harvest.
- Implements: mould-board or disc plough for primary tillage, cultivator or harrow for secondary tillage, seed drill for line sowing, and a calibrated knapsack sprayer for plant protection.
Worked example
A field needs 50 kg N per acre and the store stocks urea (46% N). Urea required = 50 ÷ 0.46 = 108.7 kg, so 109 kg per acre. For two equal splits, apply about 55 kg at the first irrigation and 54 kg at the second. Reasoning: divide the nutrient dose by the nutrient fraction of the fertilizer; never treat fertilizer weight as nutrient weight.
Traps that cost marks
Quoting DAP as a nitrogen fertilizer; applying all nitrogen at sowing; calling nitrogen-deficiency yellowing a disease; spraying in wind or midday heat; ignoring the waiting period; and giving seed rate per hectare when the question asks per acre.