AGRICULTURAL CROPS PRODUCTION NC II

Core Competency I: Perform Nursery Operations

A. Possible Hand-on
 Segregate tools, farm implements, and equipment and their corresponding functions/uses and
prepare them for pre-operation. (20 minutes)
 Sketch a simple nursery shed. (5 minutes)
 Identify at least 20 different types of seeds and 10 kinds of other planting materials of
representative agricultural crops. (20 minutes)
 Given sample of seeds and other planting materials, select quality seeds and other planting
materials. (20 minutes)
 Perform at least one technique in seed treatment. (10 minutes)
 Perform one method of seed testing for germination. (10 minutes)
 Perform at least one method of treating seeds and other planting materials (application of
fungicides, rooting hormones of inoculants). (10 minutes)
 Prepare and sterilize a mixture of growing medium consisting of compost, garden soil, and
carbonized rice hull. (30 minutes)
 Prepare a seedbed, seedling trays/boxes and other containers appropriate to crop species. (20
minutes)
 Sow seeds and prick seedlings. Label and arrange accordingly in the nursery. (30 minutes)
 Perform a hardening technique for seedlings (10 minutes)
 Perform at least two (2) asexual propagation technique.

B. Evidence Plan (Demonstration, Observation, Oral Questioning

 Prepare nursery tools, farm implements, and simple equipment
o Prepare tools and simple equipment according to work requirement
o Perform basic pre-operative activities such as checking of tools and equipment in
accordance with manufacturer’s manual and GAP standards
o Segregates and treats damaged and corroded tools according to maintenance plan and
procedures
 Maintain nursery facilities
o Maintains nursery sanitation according to GAP standard
o Performs repair and maintenance of nursery facilities
o Applies preventive measures for inclement weather
o Practices safety measures according to OSHS
 Handle seeds and planting materials
o Determines seeds/planting materials according to kinds and varieties
o Select quality seeds according to prescribed characteristics.
o Conduct seed testing to determine the percentage germination of the seed stock in
accordance with the standard procedures
o Treats planting materials following standard protocol
o Perform seed treatment for germination purposes based on type of crop.*
 Prepares growing media
o Prepares growing media according to prescribed mixture*
o Prepare seedbed based on crops species
o Place growing media in a prescribed containers according to crop requirements
o Arrange and labels pots or seedling trays according to varieties/species
 Conducts propagation activities
o Set-up a nursery shed according to plant requirement
o Select quality seedlings based or prescribed characteristics
o Perform plant propagation technique based on recommended practices
o Select quality seedlings and other propagation materials based on established criteria of
the crop
C. Possible Questions
1. What are the common nursey tools and their uses?
 Digging tools (spade, hoe, spading fork, pick mattock)
 Propagation tools (pruning shear, pole cutter, budding knife, grafting knife)
 Other tools (hand trowel, wheelbarrow, dibbler, bolo, scissors)
2. What are the factors in site selection for nursery shed?
 Flat area
 Good drainage
 Near water source
 Accessible to transport
 Near to production area
3. What are some materials needed for setting up nursery area?
 Support posts
 Saran net/shade net
 Plastic sheets/UV sheets
 Coconut leaves
 Wooden/bamboo benches
 String/wire
4. What are the characteristic of good quality seeds?
 Free form pests, diseases, and other damage
 High viability
 Free from mixtures
5. Give at least two (2) techniques in breaking seed dormancy.
 Scarification
 Stratification
 Soaking in water
 Hot water treatment
 Acid treatment
6. What is the importance of germination test?
 To determine the viability of the seed.
 To determine the amount of seeds needed for planting.
7. Out of 100 seeds, only 65 germinated. What is the percentage of germination?
 65%
8. Cite at least three (3) components of a growing medium.
 Garden soil
 Peat moss
 Saw dust
 Coco coir
 Rice Hull/Carbonized Rice Hull (CRH)
 Compost
 River Sand
 Animal Manure
9. Give at least two (2) characteristics of a good growing medium.
 Good aeration
 Good water holding capacity
 Good drainage
 Can supply nutrient
10. Give at least two (2) advantages of asexual propagation.
 Produce true to type plant
 Shortened bearing age
 Propagate plants that do not produce viable seeds
 Propagate disease-free plants
 Improves aesthetic value of ornamental plants
Core Competency II: Plant Crops

A. Possible Hands-on
 Prepare the tools and materials to be used in land preparation. (5 minutes)
 Collect soil sample and conduct soil analysis using the soil test kit. (30 minutes)
 For annual crop (vegetables)
o Given a 1x3 square meter area, prepare a plot ready for planting of a vegetable crop (30
minutes)
o Apply the appropriate basal fertilizer/compost (10 minutes)
o Measure the recommended distance of planting (10 minutes)
o Sow the seeds/transplant the seedlings (10 minutes)
 For perennial crops (fruit tree)
o Given an area of 100 square meters, lay-out the field using the square method of
planting system using a 2 meters x 2 meters planting distance and determine the number
of plants required (15 minutes)
o Dig the holes and apply basal fertilizer and transplant the seedlings following the
recommended practice (30 minutes)
 For containerized crops
o Given the growing medium, perform transplanting of appropriate crops in 5 different
containers.

B. Evidence Plan (Demonstration, Observation, Oral Questioning

 Prepares land for planting
o Prepares tools and equipment for land clearing
o Clear the land according to prescribed method of land preparation. *
o Removes and disposes farm wastes according to waste management standards.
o Collect soil samples for analysis based on standard procedure. *
o Conduct and preparation according to crop requirement. *
o Apply basal fertilizer according to crop requirement.
o Follow safety procedures for fertilizer application according to OSHS
 Conducts field lay-out
o Prepare tools and materials for field lay-out
o Interprets field lay-out plan according to recommended planting system
o Lay outs the field according to recommended planting system*
 Dig holes
o Performs digging of holes based on crop requirement*
o Separates topsoil to be used to be used covering after planting
o Performs basal fertilizer application based on recommended amount
 Performs direct seeding
o Plants the seed according to recommended rate, distance and depth*
o Replants according to recommended practices for particular crop

C. Possible Questions
11. Give at least three basic tools and equipment for land preparation.
 Plow
 Harrow
 Bolo
 Spade
 Garden hoe
 rake
12. What will you do after collecting soil samples for analysis?
a. Air drying
b. Pulverizing
c. Sieving
 d. Packaging
e. Labeling

13. Give at least two planting systems or field lay-outing.

 Square
 Quincunx or diagonal
 Hexagonal or triangular
 Rectangular
14. Enumerate activities in land preparation.
a. Clearing
b. Plowing
c. Harrowing/levelling
d. Furrowing
e. Lay-outing
f. Digging of holes
15. Cite at least three benefits of preparing the field before planting.
 Gives the soil a fine tilth to increase nutrient adsorption
 Control pest
 Increases soil porosity and aerate the soil
 Incorporate crop residues and other inputs (fertilizer)
 Mixes the soil to bring up leached deposits
 Levels the fields
 Prepares the soil for subsequent farm operations
16. Give at least two (2) forms of tillage operations
 Conventional
 Conservation
 Minimum
 Zero
17. Why do you apply basal fertilizer?
 To supply the initial nutrients needed by the plants.
18. Given recommended rate of 60 grams/tree as basal fertilizer, compute the total amount of fertilizer
needed to fertilize 100 trees.
 60 grams x 100 trees = 6000 grams/6 kilos
19. What are the materials needed in field lay-outing?
 Planting plan
 Measuring steel tape/meter stick
 String
 Stakes
20. Give at least five crops that are direct seeded?
 Okra
 Squash
 String beans/pole sitao
 Upo
 Mungbean
 peanut
 Radish
 Carrots
 Patola
 Cucumber
 Corn
 amplaya
21. Give at least five crops that are transplanted
 Lettuce
 Pechay
 Pepper
 Eggplant
 Tomato
 Rice
  Coffee
 Cacao
 Coconut
 Santol
 Mango
 Black pepper
 Ornamentals

Core Competency III: Care and Maintain Crops

A. Possible Hands-on
 Using the given materials, tools, and equipment, instruct the candidate on the following (7
Hours):
o Conduct field survey and ask the candidate to identify damages caused by the insect
pest and diseases of different existing crops (2 hours)
o Carries pest control measure according to existing pest/s (30 minutes)
o Apply fertilizer to existing crops using appropriate method (1 hour)
o Set up water lines for watering crops (30 minutes)
o Select three crops in the field and demonstrate appropriate pruning method (1 hour)
o Using existing crops in the field, demonstrate cultivation, rejuvenation, growth training
and mulching on appropriate crops (2 hours).

B. Evidence Plan (Demonstration, Observation, Oral Questioning

 Apply pest control measures
o Monitor pest incidence based on the prescribed procedure. *
o Prepare tools and materials according to specific pest control measure.
o Follows appropriate pest control measure based on GAP. *
o Observes and practices safety measure according to Occupational Safety and Health
Standards (OSHS) Procedures
o Controls weed population. *
 Applies fertilizers
o Prepare tools and materials according to prescribed user’s manual.
o Identifies kinds of fertilizers.
o Applies rate of fertilizer based on crop requirement.
o Employs appropriate method of fertilizer application based on crop requirement. *
o Applies precautionary measures to avoid cross contamination based on Phil GAP.
o Follow safety procedure according to Occupational Safety and Health Standards.
 Water crops
o Determine Soil Moisture content based on soil field capacity
o Performs watering of crops following prescribed methods and schedule
o Observe Good Agricultural Practices
o Applies proper irrigation or watering of crops. *

C. Possible Questions
1. What are the three (3) major types of pests causing yield losses in crop production?
 Insects
 Weeds
 Diseases
 Rodents
 Stray animals
 Mollusks
2. Identify three major insect pests in rice.
 Planthopper
 Black bug
  Rice stem borer
 Mealybug
 Rice bug
 Grasshopper
 Snail

3. Identify three major insect pests in corn.

 Corn borer
 Corn earworm
 Aphids
 Mites
 Stink bug
4. Identify three major insect pest in fruit trees/plantation crops.
 Cacao -mirid bug, cacao pod borer, mealy bug, aphids, planthopper, rose bettle
 Mango -fruitfly, twig borer, shoot borer, scale insects, mealy bug
 Coffee -twig borer, weevil, berry borer, aphids, scale insects
 Coconut -coconut scale insects, brontispa, rhinoceros beetle, coconut leaf beetle, mites,
mealybug
5. Identify three (3) major insect pest in vegetables.
 Diamond black moth
 Fruitworm
 Cutworm
 Whitefly
 Aphids
 Mites
 Shoot borers
 leafhoppers
6. Identify three (3) major insect pest in ornamentals.
 Scale insects
 Moth
 Leafhoppers
 aphids
7. Based on the actual specimen, is it harmful or beneficial insect? In what crop you will find this
insect?
 Yes or No (depending on the specimen shown)
8. What are the different pest control measures? Explain one measure.
 Mechanical
 Physical
 Sanitation
 Bio-control
 Cultural
 Chemical
9. What is your understanding of Integrated Pest Management (IPM)?
 IPM refers to a sustainable approach to managing pests by combining two or more pest control
measures in a way that minimizes the economic, health, and environmental risks (National IPM
Network).
10. Collect weeds and identify classes where they belong.
 Grasses
 Sedges
 Broadleaves
11. What is the importance of weed control?
 To prevent competition for nutrient, water, and sunlight.
12. When is the right schedule for weeding?
 Early vegetative stage of the crop or as the need arises (all crops)
13. Determine the different kinds of fertilizers based on the sample presented.
 Urea
 Complete
 Ammonium phosphate
  Ammonium sulphate
 Compost
14. Determine the nitrogen level of the following nutrients:
 Urea (46% Nitrogen)
 Complete (14% Nitrogen)
 Ammonium phosphate (16% Nitrogen)
 Ammonium sulphate (21% Nitrogen)
 Compost (based on the material)
15. Enumerate methods of fertilizer application. Demonstrate one application.
 Broadcast
 Sidedress
 Basal
 Topdress
 Localized
 Band
 Foliar
16. What is the importance of pruning?
 Growth orientation
 Removal of infected plant parts
 Ease of maintenance and harvesting
 Flower induction
 Increase light penetration for growth and pest control
 Increase production
17. What method/s of pruning is applicable to a particular crop?
 Topping-vegetables, ornamental, plantation crops
 Pinching-vegetables and ornamentals
 Top Pruning-fruit trees
 Deleafing/Defoliation-vegetables and ornamentals
18. Explain the importance of hilling-up and off-barring.
 Aeration
 Control of soil boring insect pests and weeds
19. What are the different methods of watering crops. What method is applicable to a particular crop?
 Drip-plantation crops, ornamentals, vegetables, and fruits
 Furrow-Corn, banana, coffee, cacao
 Sprinkler-ornamentals, vegetables
 Flood-rice
20. What is the importance of cultivation after planting?
 Aeration
 Weed control
21. What crops need cultivation after planting?
 Fruit trees
 Vegetables
 Ornamentals
 Cereals
22. Is it possible to rejuvenate old plants? What is the importance of rejuvenation?
 Yes.
o To improve/increase the productivity of the crop.
o To maintain desired height.
o To remove diseased parts of the plant.
23. In what crops rejuvenation is applicable?
 Fruit trees and selected vegetables and ornamentals
24. What are the different plant propagation technique?
 Side grafting
 Cutting of unproductive branches
 Ratooning
25. Demonstrate rejuvenating technique of your choice.
 Side grafting/grafting -insertion of scion
  Ratooning -cutting of old branches (eggplant, okra, sorghum, rice, etc)
 Side pruning -removal of one side of a tree (coffee, cacao)
 Bending -bending of the stem (coffee, cacao)
26. What is the importance of growth training?
 Control shading
 Increase production
 Improve aesthetic value in selected ornamentals

27. In what crops is growth training applicable?

 Vine crops
 Selected ornamentals
 Fruits trees
 Plantation crops
28. What are the benefits of mulching?
 Conserve moisture
 Minimize erosion
 Suppress weed growth
 Insect control
 Provide additional nutrient to the soil (organic mulch)
29. Enumerate the different mulching materials.
 Rice hull and straw
 Coconut leaves and husk
 Dried leaves
 Plastic mulch
 Saw dust
30. How do you discard and store hazardous materials and chemicals?
 Discard hazardous materials by burying
 Store hazardous materials in a specific location
 Follow all OSHS procedures
31. Identify at least three (3) Good Agricultural Practices.
 Food safety
 Prevent cross contamination
 Practice field sanitation and personal hygiene
 Clean workplace and surroundings.

Core Competency IV: