a. Outline four steps involved in the planting of cassava stem cuttings
b. State three uses of cassava tubers
c. If yam is cultivated at a spacing of 100 cm by 100 cm on 1.5 hectares of farmland and each yam tuber weighs an average of 3.5 kg after harvesting, calculate the:
i. expected number of yam plants on the farmland
ii. total weight of yam tubers harvested in kilogramme
d. Distinguish between diet and ration in animal nutrition
Explanation
a.
-Collect healthy cassava stem cuttings of about 25cm long each with a good number of buds/nodes
-Plant the stem cuttings in slanting position or at an angle of 45°
-Bury about 2/3 of the stem cuttings in the soil with the buds facing upwards
-Observe the buds above the soil surface which develop new shoots while the buds buried in the soil develop new roots
b.
-Can be processed into Garri/flakes/chips/flour/tapioca/consumed as food
-Cassava flour is used in baking
-Cassava meal/chips/peels are used as animal feed
-Alcohol can be extracted from the tubers
-Can be processed into starch
-Dextrose can be extracted from the tuber/pharmaceutical uses
-Can be processed into adhesive/glue
ci.
Spacing = 100 cm x 100 cm
1 m = 100 cm
Spacing =1m x 1m =1m2.
Area of farmland = 1.5 ha
1 ha = 10,000 m2
Area of farmland = 1.5 x 10,000 m2
15,000 m2
Expected number of yam plants on the farmland
= Area of farmland/Spacing
15,000 m2 / 1 m2
=15,000 yam plants
cii. Average weight of one yam tuber = 3.5 kg
Total weight of yam tubers harvested 3.5 kg x 15,000=52,500 kg
d. Diet is the amount of feed regularly given or consumed by a farm animal
While
Ration is the amount of feed that is given to a farm animal daily/over a 24 hour period