Agriculture Paper 2 Specimen 2026

1. Athe trees remove the need for the farmer to plant any crop at all
2. Bleaf litter and nitrogen fixing trees raise the soil's fertility and organic matter
3. Cthe trees stop rain from ever falling on the cropped land
4. Dthe land can then be registered under a different natural region

1. Araise the wind speed across the field so the crop dries faster
2. Bguarantee the farmer a fixed price for the season's harvest
3. Cmake weeding unnecessary for the rest of the crop's life
4. Dshelter the crop as windbreaks and hold the soil against erosion

1. Astate land leased only to foreign investment companies
2. Blarge self-contained commercial farms held on a 99 year lease
3. Csmall arable plots settled in villages with shared grazing and water points
4. Dland held privately with full title deeds that may be sold on the market

1. Acommunal plots with no individual allocation of arable land
2. Bgrazing schemes on which no arable cropping is permitted
3. Cself-contained commercial units held on a 99 year lease and expected to produce for the market
4. Durban plots allocated for housing rather than for farming

1. Aan oversupply of tractors and implements on every new farm
2. Ba legal ban on selling any produce from a resettlement farm
3. Cgrazing land that is far more fertile than the land they left
4. Da shortage of capital, since an offer letter or lease is hard to borrow against

1. Ain one straight line down the wettest part of the field
2. Baround the edge of an old cattle kraal on the farm
3. Conly along its outer boundary fence line
4. Din a zigzag or W pattern across the whole sampling unit

1. Amixing them thoroughly and quartering the heap down to about half a kilogram
2. Bdrying each one over a fire before it is weighed
3. Cadding fertiliser to the heap so the laboratory can read the response
4. Dsending each sub-sample to the laboratory as a separate numbered sample

1. Ais made from animal manure rather than from a factory
2. Bsupplies only one of the major plant nutrients, for example ammonium nitrate
3. Csupplies nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium together, for example Compound D
4. Dis spread only in a straight line along the crop row

1. Aadds nitrogen to the soil as soon as it is spread
2. Bshades the surface and slows air movement over it, so less water is lost as vapour
3. Cseals the soil completely so that no rain can ever enter it
4. Draises the temperature of the soil surface throughout the day

1. ADigging a silt trap at the foot of the field
2. BBuilding a concrete storm drain across the slope
3. CPlanting a cover crop or contour grass strips over the bare soil
4. DPegging and constructing contour ridges with a plough

1. Agive close seed to soil contact so water reaches the seed and germination is even
2. Bprevent the seed from taking up any water until the crop is top dressed
3. Cseal the seed away from all air so that it cannot respire
4. Draise the planting depth to more than 15 cm for every crop

1. Aweed seedlings germinate faster and compete more strongly with the crop
2. Bthe field no longer needs any basal fertiliser to be applied
3. Cclods and a hard crust would block the emerging seedling, while fine soil does not
4. Dthe seed can then be planted at any depth without affecting emergence

1. Afixing nitrogen in nodules on the plant's own roots
2. Bboring into the stem, which breaks the transport of water and food and causes lodging
3. Cincreasing the leaf area available for photosynthesis
4. Dpollinating the flower so that seed is set earlier

1. Aeats only weed seedlings growing between the crop rows
2. Bimproves the market grade of stored grain
3. Ctransmits a virus disease from an infected plant to a healthy one
4. Dadds organic matter to the soil as it moves through it

1. Ainduced magnesium and calcium deficiency, so older leaves yellow between the veins
2. Ban immediate rise in grain yield above the variety's potential
3. Cthe complete disappearance of every weed from the field
4. Da deep, uniform blue-green colour over the whole crop with no other change

1. Aproduces and releases the ova and secretes oestrogen and progesterone
2. Bis the passage through which the calf is finally born
3. Ccarries the calf through the whole of pregnancy
4. Dseals the uterus against infection during pregnancy

1. Asecretes the milk that the calf later suckles
2. Bcloses with a mucus plug in pregnancy and dilates at calving
3. Cproduces the ova that are fertilised at service
4. Ddigests the roughage the cow has eaten

1. Asupplies the animal with all its protein for body building
2. Breplaces the need for any roughage in a ruminant's diet
3. Cis stored in the rumen and never leaves the body again
4. Dis the solvent in which nutrients are dissolved, digested, absorbed and transported

1. Aregulates body temperature through sweating and panting, and removes waste in urine
2. Bis the only source of energy in the animal's ration
3. Cmakes the animal immune to tick borne disease
4. Dprevents the animal from ever needing to be dipped

1. Acrowd and huddle in a tight pile directly under the heat source, chirping loudly
2. Bstop chirping altogether and feed steadily at the trough
3. Cspread out evenly over the whole floor away from the heat source
4. Dmove to the far corners of the house and pant with wings held out

1. Ahold the strained wires at their correct vertical spacing
2. Btake the pull of the strained wires so the corner post is not dragged over
3. Ccarry the wires along the fence line between straining posts
4. Dcut and twist the barbed wire at a join

1. Amark the boundary of the farm on the title deed
2. Bhold the wires at their correct spacing and stop animals pushing between them
3. Canchor the corner of the fence against the pull of the wires
4. Dcarry the whole weight of the fence, being driven deep into the ground

1. Aare driven into the ground at regular intervals to carry and support the wires
2. Bare laid horizontally along the ground under the bottom wire
3. Chang free on the wires without touching the ground
4. Dare used to strain the wire tight before it is tied off

1. AMouldboard plough, disc harrow, ridger
2. BWire strainer, fencing pliers, crowbar
3. CPlanter, maize sheller, wheelbarrow
4. DKnapsack sprayer, milking machine, incubator

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1. Aslid towards the stronger animal, giving the weaker animal the longer arm of the yoke
2. Bslid towards the weaker animal, giving the weaker animal the shorter arm of the yoke
3. Cleft exactly in the middle of the yoke whatever the animals weigh
4. Dremoved altogether so the yoke rests directly on both necks

Answer this when you sit the paper.

1. Athe quantity offered for sale does not change however the price moves
2. Bthe quantity offered for sale depends only on the weather and never on price
3. Cthe higher the price of a commodity, the smaller the quantity producers offer for sale
4. Dthe higher the price of a commodity, the greater the quantity producers offer for sale

1. Arecords what has already been spent, after the season has closed
2. Bestimates income and expenditure in advance, so an enterprise can be judged before money is committed
3. Creplaces the need to keep any farm records at all
4. Dfixes the price the farmer will be paid for the crop

1. Adecides which natural region the farm falls in
2. Bsets a standard against which actual performance is later measured
3. Cguarantees that no enterprise on the farm can make a loss
4. Dremoves the need to apply for any loan

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1. Awith the first effective rains, about 25 mm falling in a week, into a well prepared seedbed
2. Bonly after the first weeds in the field have flowered and set seed
3. Cat the very end of the rainy season, so the crop matures in the dry months
4. Das soon as the crop residues of the last season have been burnt, whatever the rainfall

1. Aremoves the need to apply any basal fertiliser to the crop
2. Bguarantees that no weed will germinate between the rows
3. Cgives about 37 000 plants per hectare, the population the variety is bred to carry
4. Dmakes the crop mature two months earlier than its variety allows

1. Adissolved in water and sprayed onto the leaves at planting
2. Bplaced in the furrow and covered lightly with soil before the seed is dropped
3. Cpoured directly onto the seed itself so the seedling meets it at once
4. Dbroadcast only after the crop has reached knee height

1. Aremoves the need to gap fill the stand later
2. Bprevents the seedling from ever reaching the surface
3. Cgives close seed to soil contact so moisture moves to the seed
4. Dkills any seed that failed to germinate the season before

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1. Achanges the soil texture from sand to clay when applied all at once
2. Bbecomes poisonous to the crop if it is stored for more than a week
3. Cis highly soluble, so a single large dose is largely lost by leaching below the root zone
4. Dcannot be bought in quantities large enough for one application

1. Amakes the crop mature before the rains arrive
2. Bremoves the need for any basal fertiliser at planting
3. Cmatches the supply of nitrogen to the crop's demand, which rises as the crop grows
4. Dallows the farmer to apply less fertiliser than the recommended total rate

1. Athe ground wheel turning as the planter moves forward
2. Ba small petrol engine mounted on the seed hopper
3. Cthe operator turning a crank by hand at each station
4. Dthe weight of seed pressing down inside the hopper

1. Athe operator counting the seeds into the furrow by hand
2. Bthe press wheel, which pushes seed out as it turns
3. Ca fan that blows the seed out of the hopper at intervals
4. Da metering plate or roller whose holes are matched to the seed size

1. Athe opener meters the fertiliser and the press wheel meters the seed
2. Bthe opener covers the seed and the press wheel opens the furrow
3. Cthe opener cuts the furrow to the set depth and the press wheel firms the soil over the covered seed
4. Dboth open the furrow, one ahead of the other

1. Alengthen the trek chain, or raise the hitch point on the hake
2. Bslide the hitch to the right on the hake
3. Cremove the plough's wheel altogether
4. Dshorten the trek chain, or lower the hitch point on the hake

1. Aadding a second animal to the span
2. Bsharpening the share on a grinding wheel
3. Cchanging the length of the trek chain
4. Dsliding the hitch or clevis sideways along the hake

1. Acuts a wider furrow at the front than at the rear
2. Bruns level from front to rear, so every body cuts to the same depth
3. Cleans over to the right until the rear body lifts clear of the soil
4. Dcan be lifted without using the hydraulic system

1. Aturn and bury the sod in primary tillage
2. Bbreak the clods left by the plough into a fine tilth and level the surface
3. Cthrow the soil into ridges and furrows for a root crop
4. Dlift the crop out of the ground at harvest

1. Ashell maize cobs after the crop has been dried
2. Bstrain fencing wire tight between two standards
3. Cthrow soil into ridges and furrows for crops such as sweet potatoes and groundnuts
4. Dcut the standing crop at ground level for harvest

1. Aapplied to the leaves of weeds that are already growing among the crop
2. Bapplied only to a crop that has already been harvested
3. Cmixed into the basal fertiliser and ploughed in before the land is prepared
4. Dapplied to the soil after planting, before the crop and the weeds emerge

1. Aapplied to seed in the store before it is planted
2. Bapplied to the bare soil before anything has come up
3. Calways non-selective, so it kills the crop along with the weeds
4. Dapplied after the crop and the weeds have emerged, onto the growing weed foliage

1. Aleaves no chemical residue in the soil, the crop or the water, and costs no cash for a chemical
2. Bkills perennial weeds outright wherever the implement cuts them
3. Ccan be done at any soil moisture, however wet the field is
4. Dgives residual control that lasts the whole season after one pass

1. Abreaks a soil cap and opens the surface to water and air
2. Bsupplies the crop with nitrogen and phosphorus
3. Cimmunises the crop against fungal disease
4. Dsets the crop's plant population for the season

1. Acan only be used on a crop planted in rows more than two metres apart
2. Bleaves a chemical residue that damages the following crop
3. Cis slow and demands much labour or draught power at the busiest time of the season
4. Dkills the crop as readily as it kills the weeds, whatever the operator does

1. Ait works only on weeds that have already flowered
2. Bperennial weeds with underground stems are spread rather than killed, since cut pieces regrow
3. Cit can be carried out only by a qualified spray operator
4. Dit leaves the soil surface completely sealed against rain

1. Aa drier region takes a narrower spacing, so more plants can share the little water
2. Brainfall affects only the planting date and never the spacing
3. Cspacing is fixed by law and is the same in every natural region
4. Da drier region takes a wider spacing, so the lower plant population matches the moisture available

1. Athe day of the week on which the crop is planted
2. Bthe colour of the seed as it comes out of the packet
3. Cthe variety and its maturity length, since a long season variety grows a larger canopy
4. Dthe name given to the field by the farmer

1. Abe set only after the crop has been harvested
2. Bmatch the planter, the cultivator and the tractor wheel track
3. Calways be exactly one metre, whatever implements the farm owns
4. Dbe narrower than the width of the operator's own footprint

1. Araise the temperature inside the house so the animals grow faster
2. Bguarantee a higher price for the animals at the auction floor
3. Cremove the medium in which bacteria, worms and coccidia build up, so fewer animals fall sick
4. Dmake dipping and vaccination unnecessary for the rest of the year

1. Akeeps mastitis out of the herd and keeps the milk safe and saleable
2. Bremoves the need to feed the cow a production ration
3. Cshortens the cow's dry period by several weeks
4. Dmakes the cow give more milk at that milking than she otherwise would

1. Amakes the birds in the next batch grow feathers earlier
2. Bbreaks the carry over of disease organisms from one batch to the next
3. Cincreases the number of birds the house can legally hold
4. Dremoves the need for a footbath at the door

1. ABranding
2. BTattooing
3. CNeck chaining
4. DEar notching

1. Ainjecting an electronic transponder under the skin of the ear
2. Bprinting an indelible number on the inside of the ear
3. Cfixing a numbered plastic tag through the ear
4. Dcutting a coded pattern of notches into the edge of the ear

1. Ahorn branding
2. Bfitting a numbered neck collar
3. Chot iron branding on the breast
4. Dleg or wing banding and toe punching

Answer this when you sit the paper.

Answer this when you sit the paper.

1. Awhether the breed is popular in Europe this year
2. Bthe colour the farmer finds most attractive in a herd
3. Cthe breed's tolerance of heat, drought and tick borne disease
4. Dthe number of letters in the breed's name

1. AThe month in which the farmer was born
2. BThe colour of the farm's roofing sheets
3. CThe purpose of the enterprise, whether beef, dairy, dual purpose or draught
4. DThe distance of the farm from the nearest school

1. Acannot be sold at any auction in Zimbabwe
2. Bneeds concentrates, housing and close management, and punishes poor management with heavy losses
3. Cis not recognised by the veterinary authorities
4. Dproduces no offspring unless artificially inseminated

1. Aviruses
2. Bbacteria
3. Cprotozoa
4. Dinternal parasites

1. Athe animal being given clean drinking water every day
2. Bthe animal being housed in a well ventilated building
3. Ca deficiency or an excess of a nutrient, mineral or vitamin in the ration
4. Dthe animal being weighed too often during the season

1. Astressing the animals, which lowers their resistance to disease
2. Badding poisonous minerals to the animals' feed
3. Cshortening the gestation period of every breeding female
4. Dkilling the animals outright within a few hours

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1. AInjecting it under the skin or into the muscle of the animal
2. BBurning it near the animal so the smoke is inhaled
3. CMixing it into the bedding of the pen
4. DRubbing it into the animal's hooves once the animal has recovered

1. Aa sire with his own daughter within one breed
2. Btwo animals that share both parents
3. Canimals of the same breed that are closely related
4. Danimals of two different breeds, which are unrelated to each other

1. Ainbreeding depression
2. Bhybrid vigour, or heterosis
3. Cline breeding
4. Dgrading down

1. Athe loss of every distinguishing feature of the breed within one generation
2. Bthe herd changing its coat colour to match its ancestors
3. Ca rise in fertility, growth rate and milk yield across the herd
4. Da fall in fertility, growth rate, vigour and survival, and the appearance of hidden defects

1. Amake cattle refuse to drink water from a trough
2. Bprevent cattle from being branded for identification
3. Ceat the grazing that the cattle would otherwise have eaten
4. Dtransmit January disease, heartwater, redwater and gallsickness, which kill large numbers of cattle

1. Amust then pay a fine to the veterinary authorities
2. Bis required to leave its land and move to a new district
3. Closes the right to keep any other kind of livestock
4. Dloses its draught power and so cannot plough the following season

1. Ablock the animal's ears so that it cannot hear the herdsman
2. Bmake the animal's coat grow long enough to overheat it
3. Csuck blood, causing anaemia, loss of condition and stunted growth
4. Deat the animal's feed out of the trough at night

1. Aleave holes and scars in the hide, so it is downgraded
2. Bturn the hide a colour that cannot be dyed
3. Ccause the hide to be classed as a notifiable disease risk
4. Dmake the hide too thick to be tanned at all

1. Areplace the whole herd with a different species every second year
2. Bfence every paddock with barbed wire before the rains
3. Ckeep the cattle indoors for the whole of the wet season
4. Ddip or spray regularly, paying for acaricide, dip tanks, labour and fuel