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Agricultural Science Keypoints 3

16.0 PASTURE AND FORAGE CROPS Definition: Pasture is a piece of land or field covered with forage crops usually grasses and legumes and used for grazing. Forage crops are grasses and legume crops grown primarily for animal feed production and they include pastures, soiling crops, hay, silage and straw.

16.1 TYPES OF PASTURE (A) Natural Pastures: These are grasses and legumes which grows naturally on their own and are fed upon by farm animals. Characteristics of Natural Pasture: (1) It contains grasses, herbs, shrubs and trees. (2) The grasses and legumes may be of low quality (3) Has good regenerative ability. (4) It is drought resistant (5) It can withstand trampling (6) The growth of new plant is stimulated by burning. (B) Artificial pasture: This is an established or improved pasture that is deliberately planted and managed by man to be grazed by livestock.

CHARACTERISTICS OF ARTIFICIAL PASTURE: (1) It contains a grass/legume ratio in the desired proportion (2) It contains very high quality of grasses and legumes (3) It has ability to regenerate after grazing (4) It has ability to withstand trampling (5) The legumes help to enrich the soil with soil nitrates.

16.2 COMMON GRASSES OF LIVESTOCK Common Name Botanical Name

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Agricultural Science Keypoints 2

CARBON CYCLE

This, is concerned with the way that the atmospheric carbondioxide is utilized by plants and animals and returned to the atmosphere without depleting its volume.

IMPORTANCE OF CARBON CYCLE

  1. Purification of atmospheric carbon (iv) oxide
  2. Improves the soil fertility.
  3. Plant uses carbon (iv) oxide to manufacture their food

LOSS OF CARBON:

(1) Leaching (2) Drainage (3) Photosynthesis (4) Crop removal.

C. WATER CYCLE

This is the continuous circulation of water between the atmosphere and earth.

IMPORTANCE OF WATER TO PLANTS:

(1) Helps in the absorption of mineral salts (2) Essential for plant growth (3) Helps to maintain plant turgidity (4) Helps in the transportation of nutrients to other parts of the plant (5) Helps in cooling of the soil

D. SULPHUR CYCLE

IMPORTANCE OF SULPHUR TO PLANTS:

(1) Member of many plant protein e.g cystine and methionine (2) Also found in plant hormones like Biotin and Theamine (3) Essential for chlorophyll formation:

9.0 EFFECTS OF SOME FARMING PRACTICES ON THE SOIL

9.1 BUSH BURNING: This is setting the bush on fire to destroy the vegetation. Advantages (1) Certain minerals like potassium and phosphorus are released (2) pH of the soil is raised (3) It destroys the seeds of weed (4). The ash released can supply certain minerals and control acidity in the farms (5) It has some sterilizing effects on the soil (6) Destroys soil-borne pathogens or germs. Disadvantages (1) Causes loss of soil organic matter (2) Exposes soil to erosion and leaching (3) Soil structure may be destroyed (4) Leads to loss of soil moisture (5) Volatile soil nutrients are lost e.g nitrogen, sulphur (6) The smoke released causes environmental pollution.