Agricultural Science - Post-UTME Study Guide
Agricultural Science in the Post-UTME tests soil science, crop production, livestock, farm tools, pests and diseases, and farm economics. The subject rewards observation and practical reasoning about what happens on a farm.
Core rules
- Soil: texture depends on sand, silt and clay; pH affects nutrient availability; humus improves water retention.
- Fertilizers supply nutrients such as N, P and K; manure adds organic matter and nutrients.
- Crop rotation breaks pest cycles; intercropping grows two or more crops together; monoculture grows one crop.
- Farm tools: hoe for weeding, cutlass for clearing, dibber for planting holes, secateurs for pruning.
- Livestock: ruminants digest cellulose with microbes; poultry need balanced feed and clean water.
Worked example
A farmer plants maize and beans in the same field. This is intercropping. Beans are legumes and form nodules with Rhizobium bacteria, which fix atmospheric nitrogen. When the bean residues decay, the soil gains nitrogen, which can benefit the maize. The reasoning distinguishes intercropping from crop rotation: the crops are grown together, not in sequence.
Traps
Do not call compost a chemical fertilizer. Do not confuse a pest with a disease: a pest is an organism, a disease is a disorder often caused by a pathogen. Do not recommend the same pesticide for every pest. Do not ignore soil pH when discussing nutrient availability.