Agric Science Jamb Syllabus

Candidates should be able to:
A. Identify the importance of agricultural extension.

B. Analyse the roles of government and non-governmental organizations in agricultural extension education.

C. Differentiate between the various extension methods.

D.i. examine the problems of agricultural extension in West Africa.

ii. provide possible solutions.

(a) Meaning and importance.

(b) The role of Agricultural Development programmes, universities, research institutes and farmersÂ’ organizations (Cooperative societies).

(c) Extension methods including demonstration plots, use of visual aids, mass media, etc.

(d) Problems of agricultural extension in West Africa and possible solutions.

Candidates should be able to:
A.i. relate demand to supply in agricultural production.

ii. interpret geographical representation of demand and supply.

B.i. relate input to output.

ii. deduce economic concepts from graphic representation.

(a) Demand and supply.

(b) Production function: Input/input, Output/output, Input/output relationships; stages of production, concepts of diminishing returns, scale of preference and choice.

Candidates should be able to:
i. distinguish between the common features of agricultural production and produce.

ii. compute elasticity of demand and supply.

(a) Smallness of farm holdings: biological limits of farm production and susceptibility of farm production to climate, seasonality of farm productions, price elasticity in demand and supply of agricultural produce.

Candidates should be able to:
A.i. understand the meaning of land and state its uses.

ii. identify the various forms of land ownership.

iii. examine their effects of land ownership on agriculture.

iv. differentiate between the various features of land and their effects on land use.

B. Differentiate between the types and sources of labour and their effects on agricultural production.

C. Compare the sources of capital and associated problems.

D. Determine the function of a farm manager in an agricultural enterprise.

(a) Land

1. Types of land ownership in West Africa.

(b) Labour.

(c) Capital.

(d) Management.

Candidates should be able to:
A. Identify the qualities, functions and problems of a farm manager.

B.i. differentiate between the types of farm records.

ii. give reasons for keeping farm records.

C. Determine gross and net margins, appreciation, depreciation and salvage value.

D.i. examine the relevance of agricultural insurance.

ii. determine the appropriate agricultural insurance scheme.

iii. determine the problems associated with agricultural insurance.

(a) Qualities, functions and problems of farm manager.

(b) Records and record-keeping: Types and importance of record-keeping – livestock records, profit and loss account book.

(c) Stock evaluation:

1. Gross and net profits in farm management.

2. Appreciation, depreciation and savage value.

(d) Agricultural insurance:

1. Meaning, importance and types of agricultural insurance.

2. Problems of agricultural insurance.

Candidates should be able to:
i. identify the various ways of achieving labour efficiency.

ii. differentiate between the various types and sources of labour.

iii. apply national labour laws and regulations.

(a) Labour relations: Supervision, etc.

(b) Types of labour: Permanent labour etc.

(c) National labour laws and regulations.

Candidates should be able to:
A.Evaluate the importance of agricultural marketing

B.i. classify marketing agents and their functions.

ii. determine the various ways in which marketing channels pose problems in agricultural production.

C. Determine the characteristics of agricultural products affecting their marketing.

(a) Importance of Marketing.

(b) Marketing channels.

(c) Characteristic features of agricultural product affecting their marketing.

Candidates should be able to:
A.i. identify the various field and store pests.

ii. assess their economic importance.

iii. relate various prevention and control methods to different pests.

B.i. describe the life cycles of various insects.

ii. apply the knowledge of the life cycles of insect pests to their prevention and control.

C.i. differentiate between common pesticides.

ii. examine their mode of action on pests.

(a) General account of pests of agricultural plants both in the field and in the store, their types, importance, principles and methods of prevention and control.

(b) Life cycles of: biting insects e.g. grasshopper; boring insects e.g. weevils; sucking insects e.g. aphids and cotton strainer.

(c) Common pesticides and their side effects.

Candidates should be able to:
A.i. compare cropping systems.

ii. apply different cropping systems to solve problems in agriculture.

B.i. differentiate between the various planting patterns.

C.i. examine the various types of plant densities and their effects on crop yield.

ii. compute plant density per hectare.

(a) Cropping systems: Monocropping, mixed-, multiple-, inter-, relay-, strip- and rotational cropping.

(b) Planting patterns: Broadcasting, row spacing and drilling.

(c) Plant densities: single, double and multiple stands.

Candidates should be able to:
i. distinguish between common ornamental trees, shrubs and flowers.

ii. determine their uses and maintenance.

(a) Identification, establishment, maintenance and uses of ornamental trees, shrubs and flowers.

Candidates should be able to:
A. Relate various forest products to their uses.

i. compare different forest conservation methods.

ii. apply the various methods appropriately.

(a) Importance: Source of wood, pulp, fibre and other forest products.

(b) Conservation: regulation, exploitation, regeneration, afforestation, agro-forestry and taungya system.

Candidates should be able to:
i. Examine the process of gamete formation.

ii. Give reasons for different types of pollination.

iii. Analyse the process of fertilization.

iv. Trace the process of embryo formation and development to the formation of seeds and fruits.

(a) Gametogenesis.

(b) Pollination.

(C) Fertilization.

(d) Embryo formation and development.

Candidates should be able to:
A.i. compare the different methods of land preparation and soil tillage in relation to different groups of crops.

ii. give reasons for the advantages and the disadvantages of land preparation and soil tillage.

B.i. give reasons for the choice of tillage methods.

(a) Principles and practices of land preparation and soil tillage.

(b) Factors affecting choice of tillage methods: Zero tillage, minimum tillage, e.t.c.

Candidates should be able to:
A.i. classify common grasses and legumes used as pastures and forage.

ii. differentiate between pasture and forage crops by their common and scientific names.

iii. distinguish between the various methods of conserving pastures e.g. hay- and silage-making.

B.i. relate different vegetational zones to their dominant pasture species.

C.i. determine range types and utilization of range resources in Nigeria.

(a) Study of gross morphology, methods of propagation and husbandry of common pasture grasses and legumes. Establishment, maintenance, conservation and uses of pastures and forage crops.

(b) Study of natural grasslands and their distribution in West Africa.

(c) Range management.

Candidates should be able to:
A.i. identify crop plant parts and their functions.

ii. distinguish between monocot and dicot crop plants.

B.i. differentiate the various storage organs of crop plants.

(a) Parts of monocot and dicot crop plants and their functions.

(b) The anatomy and morphology of the storage organs of common crop plants.

Candidates should be able to:
A.i. classify crops propagated by sexual methods.

ii. determine seed viability and seed rate.

iii. differentiate between types of seed germination.

iv. examine the conditions for seed germination.

B.i. Classify crops into different vegetative propagation methods.

C.i. determine appropriate nursery sites, types; their advantages and disadvantages.

ii. apply the techniques of transplanting seedlings.

(a) Sexual: the use of seeds, seed viability, viability test, seed rate and seed germination.

(b) Asexual (vegetative propagation) e.g. cutting, budding, grafting, layering, e.t.c.

(c) Nursery and nursery management.

Candidates should be able to:
1. Identify major types and properties of rocks and soils; factors and processes of soil formation.

2. Differentiate between the horizons in a soil profile.

i. differentiate between the components of soil.

ii. compute the proportion of soil constituents.

iii. analyse soil into its constituents parts.

iv. determine the water-holding capacity of soil.

3. Determine the soil pH.

(a) Factors affecting rock weathering and soil formation.

(b) Physical properties of soil.

i. Soil profile.

ii. Soil texture and structure.

(c) Chemical properties of soil.

i. Soil acidity and alkalinity.

ii. Chemical component of soil e.g silicate.

Candidates should be able to:
A.i. compare capillary, gravitational and hygroscopic water.

ii. determine water-holding capacity, wilting points and plant available/unavailable water.

B.i. identify the causes of erosion and leaching.

ii. determine control methods.

C.i. classify irrigation and drainage systems.

ii. examine the importance and challenges of irrigation and drainage.

(a) Soil water: its importance, sources, movement, management and conservation.

(b) Soil conservation: meaning and importance, causes, effects, prevention and control of leaching, erosion, continuous cropping, burning and oxidation of organic matter.

(c) Irrigation and drainage methods.

Candidates should be able to:
A.i. classify plant nutrients.

ii. identify factors affecting their availability.

B.i. examine the roles of soil flora and fauna in maintaining soil fertility.

C.i. compare the different methods of maintaining soil fertility.

ii. differentiate between organic and inorganic fertilizer, and their methods of application.

iii. determine common fertilizer ratios.

D.i. identify the deficiency symptoms and their causes.

ii. suggest remedies.

(a) Macro and micro-nutrients and their roles in plant nutrition: carbon,water and nitrogen cycles.

(b) The living population of the soil (flora and fauna), and their roles in soil fertility.

(c) Maintenance of soil fertility: Methods of maintaining soil fertility e.g. use of cover crops, application of organic manures, e.t.c.

(d) Nutrient deficiency symptoms e.g. chlorosis, sickle leaves, stunting, apical necrosis e.t.c.

Candidates should be able to:
i. identify weeds with their common and scientific names.

ii. classify weeds according to their mode of dispersal.

iii. apply various weed control methods.

(a) Gross morphology, methods of reproduction, dispersal and effect of weeds.

(b) Weed control methods – weeding, mulching, cover cropping, tillage, herbicides and trap cropping.

Candidates should be able to:
i. distinguish between various functions of tissues and organs of farm animals.

ii. compare different body systems in farm animals.

iii. determine the effects of climate change on farm animals.

(a) Functions of tissues and organs of farm animals.

(b) Animal body systems e.g. digestive (ruminants and non-ruminants), reproductive, respiratory, urinary (excretory) and nervous systems.

(c) Effect of environmental changes on physiological development of farm animals e.g climate change.

Candidates should be able to:
A.

i. identify diseases of farm animals and causative agents.

ii. classify livestock diseases based on symptoms and mode of transmission.

iii. apply appropriate preventive and curative measures against diseases caused by these pathogens.

B.

i. classify livestock parasites.

ii. determine their role in disease transmission.

iii. trace life cycles of parasites from egg to adult stage.

C. Apply appropriate prevention and control methods against livestock parasites.

(a) Animal diseases (pathology)

1. Environmental factors predisposing animals to diseases; causal organisms, symptoms, transmission and effects.

2. Preventive and curative methods for diseases caused by viruses, bacteria, fungi and protozoa.

(b) Parasites (parasitology)

1. Life cycles and economic importance of livestock parasites e.g. endoparasites, ectoparasites and disease vectors.

2.Prevention and control

i. dipping

ii. Spraying

iii. Deworming

iv. Sanitation

Candidates should be able to:
i. give reasons for animal improvement.

ii. differentiate between the various methods of animal improvement.

(a) Methods of animals improvement e.g. introduction, breeding, quarantine and selection: Breeding systems – inbreeding, line-breeding, cross-breeding, artificial insemination.

Candidates should be able to:
A. Identify the various feed nutrients, their sources and functions.

B.i. differentiate between the types of animal feeds and their formulation.

ii. relate the various types of rations to different classes of livestock.

C.i. trace symptoms to nutrient deficiencies in farm animals.

ii. apply appropriate corrective measures to nutrient deficiencies in farm animals.

(a) Feed nutrients and functions.

(b) Feeds and feeding: Simple ration formulation – balanced ration, common pasture/forage crops e.g. guinea grass, elephant grass, giant star grass. Andropogonsp, Calopogonium sp. Hay and silage preparation, different types of rations, namely maintenance ration and production ration.

(c) Nutrient deficiencies: Causes and symptoms of malnutrition and their correction in farm animals.

Candidates should be able to:
i. relate bee-keeping to economic development.

ii. differentiate between various types of bees.

iii. classify methods of bee-keeping.

iv. identify bee-keeping equipment and their uses.

(a) Meaning and importance of apiculture.

(b) Types of bees e.g exotic and indigenous bees.

(c) Methods of bee-keeping e.g traditional and modern bee-keeping.

(d) Equipment and safety measures in bee-keeping.

Candidates should be able to:
A.

i. identify the common types of fishes in West Africa.

ii. differentiate between various systems of fish farming in West Africa.

iii. determine the factors to be considered in intensive fish farming.

B.

i. assess the advantages and disadvantages of different fish harvesting and processing methods.

ii. use the various methods of catching fish.

iii. apply the various methods of fish preservation.

C. Apply fishery regulations in Nigeria.

i. identify animals found in West African game reserves.

ii. give reasons for the establishment of game reserves.

iii. apply common wildlife regulations.

(a) Fish culture systems; Common types of fishes e. g Tilapia, Catfish, etc.

1. Extensive systems: inland and deep sea fishing, lakes and rivers.

2. Semi-intensive systems: dams.

3. Intensive systems: fish ponds – Factors to consider in ponds establishment and pond management e.g. pond fertilization, liming and desilting.

(b) Fish harvesting and processing methods

1. Use of drag nets, hook and line, etc.

2. Curing, sun-drying and smoking.

3. Fishery regulations

(c) Wildlife management

1. Habitat conservation, feeding, domestication, harvesting, processing and wildlife regulations.

Candidates should be able to:
A.i. classify various breeds of farm animals.

ii. locate where they are found.

B.i. identify their characteristic features.

(a) Species, breeds and distribution.

(b) External features of cattle, sheep, goat, pigs, rabbits and poultry.

Candidates should be able to:
i. use various terms in animal husbandry.

(a) Common terms used in animal husbandry, e.g. calving, kidding, castrate, capon, veal, mutton. e.t.c.

Candidates should be able to:
i. apply the different management practices for farm animals.

(a) Housing, feeding, sanitation and veterinary care of ruminants, pigs, rabbits and poultry under intensive, semi-intensive and extensive systems of management from birth to slaughter.

Candidates should be able to:
A.i. give an account of the process of reproduction in farm animals.

ii. determine the role of hormones in reproduction.

B. Trace the development in farm animals from fertilization to birth and care of the young.

C. Trace the process of egg formation and incubation in poultry.

(a) Gametogenesis, oestrus cycle, signs of heat and heat periods, secondary sexual characters, gestation periods, parturition and the role of hormones in reproduction.

(b) Development, nourishment and birth of the young. Mammary glands and lactation in farm animals.

(c) Egg formation, incubation and hatching in poultry.