Practical Work, Field Visit and Project Activities
Practical skills tested
This domain tests laboratory and field procedures: soil sampling in a zig-zag pattern at 0–15 cm, compositing and quartering; seed purity and germination tests; pesticide dilution and sprayer calibration; crop cutting experiments for yield; insect and disease specimen collection; herbarium preparation; farm records; and project preparation.
Field visits and projects
Field visits develop observation of crops, soils, implements, livestock and markets. Projects may include a kitchen garden, vermicompost unit, azolla production, seed production, soil testing or a farm budget. Records should note date, observation, measurement and conclusion.
Worked example
A germination test uses 200 seeds and 180 normal seedlings emerge. Germination percentage = 180 ÷ 200 × 100 = 90%. If the target population is 200,000 plants/ha and 1,000 seeds weigh 25 g, seed rate = (200,000 ÷ 0.90) × 25 ÷ 1,000 = 5.56 kg/ha. The reasoning is to divide the target population by the germination fraction to find seeds to sow, then convert seed number to weight.
Traps that cost marks
Taking a single spot sample instead of a composite sample; counting abnormal seedlings as germinated; forgetting to correct seed rate for germination; measuring yield from a small plot without converting to per-hectare basis; and failing to record dates and observations in the project record.