Agriculture 2

Question 1

What factors can impact crop yield?

Answer 1

Soil type, water retention, temperature, levels of sunlight, severe weather events

Question 2

What is the main limiting factor for growing maize, sunflower or soya in the UK?

Answer 2

Temperature is the key issue and also the poor weather when it comes to harvesting can increase difficulty harvesting. The temperature of the soil is often too cold for the crop to develop.

Question 3

What are of Scotland receives the most sunlight?

Answer 3

East of Scotland receives best level of solar radiation

Question 4

Why is Spring Barley a successful crop in Scotland?

Answer 4

Doesn’t have to survive through the winter, however, it is not as high yielding as Winter barley for example (risk low, but yield low)

Question 5

Why can you not regularly grow Oil Seed Rape in the same field?

Answer 5

Cabbage Stem Flea Beetle and clubroot

Question 6

Can you use noenicitinoids to kill Cabbage stem flea beetle?

Answer 6

No, it is now illegal as it can potentially cause harm to bees therefore CSFB is more difficult to control

Question 7

What vegetable family is Oil Seed Rape considered?

Answer 7

It is in the cabbage/brassica family

Question 8

what are legumes and give some examples?

Answer 8

Legumes are plants which are used for consumption, but fix Nitrogen into the soil (eg. Beans, Peas)

Question 9

Give an example of a typical crop rotation in your area?

Answer 9

Winter barley, oil seed rape, winter wheat, winter wheat, spring barley, spring barley

Question 10

When do you plant and harvest Spring barley?

Answer 10

Plant: March/April
Harvest: August/Early September

Question 11

When do you plant and harvest Winter Wheat?

Answer 11

Plant: Late September/October
Harvest: September

Question 12

What is the standard process of cultivation? (7)

Answer 12

1. Ploughing
2. Cultivation
3. Sowing (fertiliser at the same time into the seed hole)
4. Top dressing of Fertiliser
5. Spraying (herbicides, fungicides etc)
6. Harvest
7. Mucking

Question 13

What are some of the typical farm machinery you would expect to find on an arable enterprise?

Answer 13

Plough, cultivator, seed drill (or direct driller), rollers, sprayer

Question 14

What are the yields (per/acre) for Winter barley, Winter Wheat, and Spring Barley?

Answer 14

Winter barley - 4t/ac
Winter Wheat - 4t/ac
Spring Barley - 2.5-3t/ac

Question 15

What diseases are potatoes susceptible to?

Answer 15

Potato blight
PCN (potato cyst nematode)

Question 16

What is the purpose of the GAEC standards?

Answer 16

GAEC standards aim to ensure that farmers protect the three main elements of the farmed environment. These are:

-Soil and water
-Habitats and wildlife
-Landscape features