NSQF Agriculture - Trade Practical (Senior Secondary)
What the practical paper tests
The practical exam assesses whether you can perform and record common farm tasks safely: soil sampling, seed treatment, nursery raising, fertilizer placement, sprayer calibration, irrigation scheduling, pest scouting and simple machinery checks. You may be asked to demonstrate a procedure and explain why each step is done.
Core rules
- Take soil samples at 0–15 cm plough depth in a zig-zag pattern, avoiding bunds, channels, fertilizer bands and manure heaps. Collect 8–15 cores from a uniform field, mix them, quarter the heap to about 500 g, air-dry in shade, and label with field, depth and date.
- For seed treatment, use a clean container and the correct product per kg of seed. Add a sticker if needed, coat evenly, and dry the seed in shade. Never mix a fungicide and an insecticide unless the label permits it.
- Prepare nursery beds 10–15 cm high with fine tilth, well-rotted FYM and a level surface. Irrigate lightly; thin sowing helps prevent damping-off.
- Place fertilizer in a band about 5 cm below and 5 cm away from the seed. Avoid direct seed contact, especially with urea.
- Calibrate a sprayer before use. Spray in calm weather, wear PPE, keep nozzles clean, and never eat or smoke while handling pesticides.
Worked example
A knapsack sprayer is tested over 100 m² and delivers 1.5 L. What is the application rate per hectare? 1 ha = 10,000 m². Rate = 1.5 L × (10,000 ÷ 100) = 1.5 × 100 = 150 L/ha. If the label recommends 500 L/ha, the spray is too concentrated. Adjust the nozzle, pressure or walking speed, then re-test. Reason: calibration converts a small measured area to the hectare basis used on labels.
Traps
Do not sample only surface litter; do not send wet samples; do not guess seed rate; do not spray against the wind; do not confuse product dose with active-ingredient dose; and do not skip re-calibration after changing a nozzle.