Agriculture
Agriculture
AGRICULTURE
GENERAL OBJECTIVES
The aim of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination syllabus in Agriculture is to prepare the
candidates for the Board’s examination. It is designed to test their achievement of the course objectives,
which are to:
A. General Agriculture
B. Agronomy
C. Animal Production
D. Agricultural Economics and Extension
E. Agricultural Technology
DETAILED SYLLABUS
TOPICS/CONTENTS/NOTES OBJECTIVES
a. Ecological zones of West Africa differentiate between the features of the ecological
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Agriculture
TOPICS/CONTENTS/NOTES OBJECTIVES
zones in West Africa.
c. Environmental factors and their effects differentiate abiotic from biotic factors affecting
on crop and livestock production agricultural production.
a. First and second laws of Mendel apply the first and second laws of Mendel to
genetics.
5. Farm Inputs
b. Problems of Agricultural development identify the problems, their effects and proffer
e.g. land tenure systems, inadequate solutions
infrastructures, inadequate finance for
agriculture, environmental degradation,
etc.
c. Establishment of national research i. trace the history of research institutes from past
institutes e.g. NCRI, IAR, IAR&T, to present.
CRIN, NIFOR, FRIN, RRI, NRCRI,
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Agriculture
TOPICS/CONTENTS/NOTES OBJECTIVES
NIHORT, LCRI, etc. and international ii. assess their role in the development of
research institutes e.g. IITA, ILRI, agriculture.
ICRISAT, WARDA, etc., leading to
increased application of science to the
development of agriculture.
b. Agricultural laws and reforms e.g. Land identify agricultural laws and their effect on
Use Act. agricultural production.
SECTION B: Agronomy
TOPICS/CONTENTS/NOTES OBJECTIVES
a. Rock formation Identify the major types of rocks and their formation.
b. Factors affecting rock weathering and identify major types and properties of soils; factors
soil formation and processes of soil formation.
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Agriculture
TOPICS/CONTENTS/NOTES OBJECTIVES
i. Soil profile
i. differentiate between the components of soil.
ii. Soil components, texture and ii. compute the proportion of soil components.
structure iii. analyse soil into its component parts.
iv. determine the water-holding capacity of soil.
a. Soil water: its importance, sources, i. compare capillary, gravitational and hygroscopic
movement, management and water.
conservation. ii. determine water-holding capacity, wilting points
and plant available/unavailable water.
iii. Identify the methods of soil water management
and conservation.
b. Soil conservation: meaning and i. identify the causes of erosion and leaching.
importance, causes, effects, ii. determine control methods.
prevention and control of leaching,
erosion, continuous cropping,
burning and oxidation of organic
matter.
b. The living population of the soil examine the roles of soil flora and fauna in
(flora and fauna), and their roles in maintaining soil fertility.
soil fertility.
d. Nutrient deficiency symptoms e.g. i. identify the deficiency symptoms and their
chlorosis, sickle leaves, stunting, causes.
apical necrosis etc. ii. suggest remedies.
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Agriculture
TOPICS/CONTENTS/NOTES OBJECTIVES
b. Factors affecting choice of tillage give reasons for the choice of tillage methods.
methods: Zero tillage, minimum
tillage, etc.
a. Parts of monocot and dicot crop i. identify crop plant parts and their functions.
plants and their functions ii. distinguish between monocot and dicot crop
plants.
b. The anatomy and morphology of the identify various storage organs of crop plants.
storage organs of common crop
plants
d. Embryo formation and development trace the process of embryo formation and
development to the formation of seeds and fruits.
a. Sexual: the use of seeds, seed i. classify crops propagated by sexual methods.
viability, viability test, seed rate and ii. determine seed viability and seed rate.
seed germination iii. differentiate between types of seed germination.
iv. examine the conditions for seed germination.
b. Asexual (vegetative propagation) e.g. classify crops into different vegetative propagation
cutting, budding, grafting, layering, methods.
e.t.c.
c. Nursery and nursery management i. determine appropriate nursery sites, types; their
advantages and disadvantages.
ii. apply the techniques of transplanting seedlings
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Agriculture
TOPICS/CONTENTS/NOTES OBJECTIVES
8. Cropping Systems, Planting Patterns Candidates should be able to:
and Plant Densities
c. Plant densities: single, double and i. examine the various types of plant densities and
multiple stands their effects on crop yield.
ii. compute plant density per hectare.
Common and scientific names, gross i. apply the different methods of crop propagation,
morphology, anatomy of storage organs, husbandry, harvesting, processing and storage
methods of propagation, husbandry for each crop.
practices, harvesting, processing and
storage, common diseases and pests, ii. identify common diseases and pests and their
economic importance of the following effects on crop yield.
groups of crops.
iii. determine the economic importance of each of
Group 1: Cereals e.g. maize, guinea corn, the crops.
rice e.t.c.
iv. relate their importance to national economic
Group 2: Legumes e.g. cowpea, development.
groundnut, soyabean e.t.c.
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Agriculture
TOPICS/CONTENTS/NOTES OBJECTIVES
a. Study of gross morphology, methods i. classify common grasses and legumes used as
of propagation and husbandry of pastures and forage.
common pasture grasses and ii. differentiate between pasture and forage crops
legumes. Establishment, by their common and scientific names.
maintenance, conservation and uses iii. distinguish between the various methods of
of pastures and forage crops. conserving pastures e.g. hay- and silage-
making.
b. Study of natural grasslands and their relate different vegetational zones to their dominant
distribution in West Africa pasture species.
c. Side effects of application of relate each control method to its side effect.
preventive and control methods e.g.
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Agriculture
TOPICS/CONTENTS/NOTES OBJECTIVES
pollution, poisoning and distribution
of ecosystem.
a. General account of pests of i. identify the various field and store pests.
agricultural plants both in the field ii. assess their economic importance.
and in the store, their types, iii. relate various prevention and control methods
importance, principles and methods to different pests.
of prevention and control
b. Life cycles of: biting insects e.g. i. describe the life cycles of various insects.
grasshopper; boring insects e.g. ii. apply the knowledge of the life cycles of insect
weevils; sucking insects e.g. aphids pests to their prevention and control.
and cotton strainer.
a. Importance: Source of wood, pulp, relate various forest products to their uses.
fibre and other forest products
TOPICS/CONTENTS/NOTES OBJECTIVES
a. Species, breeds, distribution and uses. i. classify various breeds of farm animals.
ii. locate where they are found.
iii. Identify the uses of different species of farm
animals.
Common terms used in animal husbandry, distinguish between the various terms in animal
e.g. calving, kidding, castrate, tupping, husbandry.
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Agriculture
TOPICS/CONTENTS/NOTES OBJECTIVES
veal, mutton, e.t.c.
a. Functions of tissues and organs of distinguish between various functions of tissues and
farm animals organs of farm animals.
b. Animal body systems e.g. digestive compare different body systems in farm animals.
(ruminants and non-ruminants),
reproductive, respiratory, urinary
(excretory) and nervous systems.
b. Development, nourishment and birth trace the development in farm animals from
of the young. Mammary glands and fertilization to birth and care of the young.
lactation in farm animals.
c. Egg formation, incubation and trace the process of egg formation and incubation in
hatching in poultry. poultry.
a. Feed nutrients and functions identify the various feed nutrients, their sources and
functions.
b. Feeds and feeding: Simple ration i. differentiate between the types of animal feeds
formulation – balanced ration, and their formulation.
common pasture/forage crops e.g. ii. relate the various types of rations to different
guinea grass, elephant grass, giant classes of livestock.
star grass. Andropogon sp,
Calopogonium sp. Hay and silage
preparation, different types of rations,
namely maintenance ration and
production ration.
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Agriculture
TOPICS/CONTENTS/NOTES OBJECTIVES
6. Livestock management Candidates should be able to:
Housing, feeding, sanitation and apply the different management practices for farm
veterinary care of ruminants, pigs, rabbits animals.
and poultry under intensive, semi-
intensive and extensive systems of
management from birth to slaughter.
ii. Prevention and control apply appropriate prevention and control methods
- dipping against livestock parasites.
- spraying
- deworming
- sanitation
a. Fish culture systems; Common types i. identify the common types of fishes in West
of fishes e. g Tilapia, Catfish, etc. Africa.
i. Extensive systems: inland and ii. differentiate between various systems of fish
deep-sea fishing, lakes and rivers. farming in West Africa.
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Agriculture
TOPICS/CONTENTS/NOTES OBJECTIVES
iii. identify the various methods of fish
preservation.
9. Bee-keeping (Apiculture)
Candidates should be able to:
b. Types of bees e.g. exotic and differentiate between various types of bees.
indigenous bees
d. Equipment and safety measures in bee- identify bee-keeping equipment, their uses and
keeping necessary precautionary measures.
TOPICS/CONTENTS/NOTES OBJECTIVES
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Agriculture
TOPICS/CONTENTS/NOTES OBJECTIVES
a. Labour relations: Supervision, etc. identify the various ways of achieving labour
efficiency.
b. Types of labour: Permanent labour etc. differentiate between the various types and sources
of labour.
c. National labour laws and regulations. apply national labour laws and regulations.
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Agriculture
TOPICS/CONTENTS/NOTES OBJECTIVES
agricultural insurance scheme
ii. Problems of agricultural insurance determine the problems associated with agricultural
insurance.
b. The role of Agricultural Development analyse the roles of government and non-
programmes, universities, research governmental organizations in agricultural extension
institutes and farmers’ organizations education.
(Cooperative societies).
TOPICS/CONTENTS/NOTES OBJECTIVES
b. Common surveying equipment, their uses classify common surveying equipment, their uses
and care and care.
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Agriculture
TOPICS/CONTENTS/NOTES OBJECTIVES
c. Problems and prospects of mechanized assess the problems and prospects of mechanized
agriculture in West Africa agriculture in West Africa.
Basic terms, e.g. tissue and anther culture i. use basic terms in biotechnology.
in vitro fertilization and genetic ii. provide reasons for the importance and
engineering application of biotechnology.
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Agriculture
TOPICS/CONTENTS/NOTES OBJECTIVES
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Agriculture
RECOMMENDED TEXTS
Adeniyi, M. O. et al (1999) Countdown to Senior Secondary Certificate Examination Agricultural Science, Ibadan:
Evans
Anthonio, Q. B. O. (1999) General Agriculture for West Africa, London: George Allen
Are, L. A. et al (2010) Comprehensive Certificate Agricultural Science for Senior Secondary Schools, University
Press Plc.
Egbuna, C. K. et al (2014) Extension Modern Agricultural Science for Senior Secondary Schools (2010), Extension
Publication
Falusi, A. O. and Adeleye, I. O. A (2000) Agricultural Science for Junior Secondary Schools Books 1- 3, Ibadan:
Onibonoje
Komolafe, M. F., Adegbola, A. A., Are, L. A. and Ashaye, T. I. (2004) Agricultural Science for Senior Secondary
Schools 1, 2 and 3, Ibadan: University Press Ltd.
STAN (1999) Agricultural Science for Senior Secondary Schools, Lagos: Longman
Daramola A. M. et al (1999) Exam Focus Agricultural Science for SSCE and JME
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