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Unit 4: LEGUMES
Introduction
A legume is any dicotyledonous plant that belong to the family leguminosae also known as fabaceae. They are mainly grown for their grain seed known as pulse or as food for livestock known as fodder. Legumes may also be grown for preparation of green manure. Common pulses grown in Rwanda for human consumptions include beans, peas, groundnuts and lentils while legume fodder include lupins, white clover/ lucern and desmodium.
This unit will help explore the legumes grown in Rwanda, importance of legumes, propagation methods, cultural practices in legumes, post-harvest techniques for soya beans, groundnuts and conservation of fodder legumes for feeding animals. The following pictures give an insight to the unit:
4.1: Definition of legumes
Activity 4.1: Finding out the definition of legumes
Materials required
• Dictionary
• Library books
• Internet
Using the references provided:
(i) Find out the meaning of legumes using dictionary, library books and internet.
(ii) Discuss and record your findings. (iii) Present your findings to the class.
(iv) Take teacher’s summary notes.
A legume is a plant which bears a fruit known as a pod. Such pod seeds or vegetative parts are used as food for human and livestock. Legumes grown for seeds are referred to as pulses while those for livestock feed are referred to as fodder legumes.
4.2 Legume names and types
Activity 4.2: Identifying legumes
Materials required
• Legume seeds such as beans, soya beans, groundnuts, lentils, alfafa, lupin, clovers, desmodium
• Photographs of legumes, in table 4.1
(i) Identify the legume provided in table 4.1 and categorise them into those consumed by human and that consumed by livestock.
(ii) Use the photographs provided to identify the legumes which are displayed.
(iii) Classify the legumes into:
(a) Pulses – edible by human.
(b) Forage legumes
(iv) Discuss and record your findings.
(v) Present your findings to your class. (vi) Take the teacher’s summary notes.
Legumes are divided into:
1. Fodder legumes
2. Legumes edible by humans
Legumes edible by humans include:
(a) Beans
(b) Soya
(c) Peas
(d) Groundnuts
(e) Lentils
Fodder legumes include:
(a) Lupins
(b) White clover
(c) Lucern
(d) Desmodium
4.3 Importance of legumes
Activity 4.3: A field visit to find out the importance of legumes
Materials required
• Questionnaire
• Note books
Visit an agricultural farm dealing with legume production and then carry out the following activities:
(i) Identify the legumes cultivated in the farm.
(ii) Classify the legumes into fodder and pulses.
(iii) Find out the importance of each legume to:
(a) Human being
(b) Livestock
(c) The environment
(iv) Discuss and record your findings.
(v) Present your findings to the class.
(vi) Take teacher’s summary notes.
Legumes are important source of proteins and roughages for both humans and livestock.
The following are the importance of legumes:
(a) Feed for human beings and livestock
Legumes used as livestock feed are referred to as pasture or fodder. The flowers of legumes provide nectar and pollen for honey bees. Other legumes such as beans, peas, ground nuts and soya beans are used as food for human beings. These legumes provide proteins, minerals and vitamins to both livestock and human beings.
(b) Provide stakes for climbing crops
Legumes such as pigeon pea, calliandra, leuceana and sesbania have woody stems. They provide support to climbing crops such as tomatoes and climbing beans.
(c) Improve soil fertility
Legumes, in association with nitrogen fixing bacteria in their root nodules, fix nitrogen to the soil improving fertility. Leaves drop to the ground and decompose to form humus. Humus releases nutrients to the soil. Some legumes have a long tap root system which enables them to utilise nutrients from the lower soil horizons. These also bring up leached nutrients to the surface.
(d) Soil conservation
Legumes conserve soil in the following ways:
• They are used as cover crops preventing soil erosion.
• Their roots are deep and extensive thus binding soil particles together. This improves soil structure.
• Legumes conserve soil moisture by preventing excessive evaporation through the provision of surface cover.
• Leaves that drop from the legume plants decompose to form humus that binds soil particles together.
(e) Raw materials for food processing industries
Legumes such as soya beans and ground nuts are used as a source of vegetable oils, margarine and peanut butter. Soya bean is ground and used to make protein based supplements used as human food and concentrates for livestock.
(f) Source of income
Legumes are sold to provide income for the farmer such as bean seeds, French beans and fodder for livestock.
(g) Medicinal value
Some legumes provide chemical compounds which protect the body against various diseases and disorders such as cancer, depression, indigestion and metabolic imbalances.
Source of fuel Woody
legumes are harvested through lopping and coppicing and used as a source of fuel. Such legumes include calliandra, leuceana and sesbania.
4.4 Propagation methods of legumes
Activity 4.4: A field visit to observe and find out the propagation methods of legumes
Materials required
• Questionnaire 108
• Note books
• Pen
Visit a farm producing legumes, then:
(i) Find out the methods of propagating legumes practised in the farm.
(ii) Discuss and record your findings.
(iii) Present your findings to class.
(iv) Take teacher’s summary notes.
Propagation is the practice of generating new plant to multiple crops. In legumes, it can be done using materials such as cuttings, layers and seeds.
(a) Cuttings
A cutting is a part of a plant which can develop into a new plant when removed from the mother plant. Legumes are propagated from stem and root cuttings. These plant parts are given the necessary conditions to produce new plants. The new plants are similar in characteristics to the mother plant. Conditions necessary for rooting of cuttings:
(a) Temperature: Warm temperatures are required at the root zone for proper rooting of cuttings. The optimum temperature required by most plant species is 22o C – 27°C during the day and 15°C–21°C during the night.
(b) Relative humidity: Proper rooting of cuttings require high humidity which helps to reduce the rate of transpiration. To regulate the humidity, special structures such as greenhouses can be used.
(c) Light intensity: Soft wood cuttings need high light intensity to produce roots and shoots. Hardwood cuttings will produce roots well in dark conditions. These conditions are easy to provide when cuttings are used in green houses or other special structures.
(d) Oxygen supply: Proper ventilation is required in the structures where the rooting of cuttings is carried out. This is to supply plenty of oxygen required for root formation. The rooting medium used should be well aerated.
(e) Chemical treatment: Cuttings can be treated with medium containing rooting hormone to induce faster root formation. These hormones include: Indoleascetic acid (IAA), Indolebutyric acid (IBA) and Naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA).
(f) Leaf area: Soft root cuttings should be planted with the leaves due to the fact that they require a lot of carbohydrates to develop roots. These leaves carry out photosynthesis. The hardwood cuttings leaves are pruned off before planting since the cuttings have a lot of stored carbohydrates which is used for rooting.
(b) Layering
Activity 4.5: Layering in legumes
Materials required
• Growing silver leaf desmodium
• Planting pots
• Wooden pegs
• Hand hoe
• Secateurs
• Sticks
• Strings
• Mulching material
• Stump for lucerne
Visit a farm growing legumes such as silver leaf desmodium, lucerne, sesbania and pigeon peas. Then, using the materials provided, carry out the following activities:
(i) Group I – Carry out mound layering on recently cut lucerne stamp.
Group II – Carry out aerial layering in woody legumes such as sesbania and pigeon peas.
Group III – Carry out tip layering on silver leaf desmodium.
Group IV – Carry out trench layering on silver leaf desmodium.
Group V – Carry out serpentine layering silver leaf desmodium.
Group VI – Carry out on silver leaf desmodium.
(ii) Visit the farm regularly to carry out maintenance practices on the layered plants.
(iii) Discuss and record your findings.
(iv) Report your findings to the class.
(v) Take the teacher’s summary notes.
Layering is inducing of part of a plant to produce roots while still attached to the mother plant. The rooted plant is then cut and planted. Layering promotes a high success rate in legume propagation since it prevents water stress and carbohydrates shortage that affects cuttings. Layering may be enhanced by wounding part of the plant to be layered or bending it sharply and covering it with a rooting medium. Methods of layering legumes include:
(i) Mound or stool layering
(ii) Tip layering
(iii) Simple layering
(iv) Trench layering
(v) Compound or serpentine layering
(vi) Aerial or marcotting layering
The different methods of layering in legumes are carried out as follows:
(i) Mound (stool) layering
• Cut the plant back to about 2.5 cm above the ground.
• Mound moist soil over the emerging shoots.
• Keep the soil moist.
• Detach the new seedling from the mother stump and plant separately.
Examples of legumes layered through this method include green leaf desmodium, silver leaf desmodium, perennial soya bean.
(ii) Tip layering
• Dig a hole about 7.5 cm deep.
• Force the branch with the shoot into the hole leaving about 15 cm of shoot above the ground. Hold this branch with a peg.
• Support the shoot with a stick as shown.
• Cut off the new rooted shoot and plant as a new plant.
(iii) Simple layering
• Bend the stem to the ground.
• Hold it in place using a peg leaving about 15 cm of the shoot above the ground.
• Cover the part of the ground with moist soil.
• Keep the soil moist.
• Detach the seedling from the mother plant once the roots are formed and plant it separately
(iv) Trench layering
• Dig a trench about 7.5 cm deep next to the mother plant, and about 90 cm long.
• Force the branch into the trench and hold it in place with pegs about 30 cm apart from each other.
• Cover with moist soil.
• Keep the soil moist.
• Detach and uproot each separate part and plant in different holes.
(v) Compound or serpentine layering
• Force a branch from the mother plant onto the ground.
• Hold it in place at intervals of above 30 cm apart using pegs.
• Cover the pegged portions with moist soil.
• Keep the soil moist.
• Cut the shoots off their mother branch and plant.
Seed Propagation in Legumes
Legumes are also propagated using seeds. Some legume seeds require special treatment before planting. The treatment methods include:
(a) Breaking seed dormancy.
(b) Seed inoculation.
(c) Seed dressing.
(a) Breaking seed dormancy
It is carried out to increase the germination percentage. This is done using the following methods: Soaking in water, mechanical scarification, light burning, use of growth regulators such as gibberellins and stratification.
(b) Seed inoculation
In areas deficient with Rhizobium bacteria, legume seeds should be coated with an inoculant or nitroculture. These are preparations which contain the right strain of Rhizobium bacteria depending on the legume. This encourages nodulation and nitrogen fixation.
(c) Seed dressing
This is coating the seeds with a fungicide or insecticide or both of them. These chemicals protect the seed from damage by pests and diseases. Certified seeds are obtained when they have been inoculated and dressed with chemicals. Inoculated seeds should not be dressed with chemicals.
4.5 Cultural practices in legumes
Activity 4.6: A field visit to a farm where legumes are grown to observe cultural practices
Materials required
• Questionnaire
• Note books
• Pen
Visit a farm where legumes are grown and carry out the following activities:
(i) Observe the cultural practices carried out when growing legumes.
(ii) Prepare the land for planting soya beans or groundnuts.
(iii) Discuss and record your findings.
(iv) Present your findings to the class.
(v) Take teacher’s summary notes.
These are routine practices carried out in the farm during the production of a legume crop from planting to harvesting. They include, land preparation, sowing, gapping, thinning, weeding, fertiliser application, pest and disease control and harvesting.
(a) Land preparation
All the vegetation should be cleared before primary cultivation. This should be done during the dry season to allow the weed to dry. Tree stumps should be removed. Land should be dug or ploughed and then harrowed to the required tilth. A fine tilth is required for small seeds, while large seeds require medium tilth. Where the land is sloppy, soil conservation measures should be carried out.
(b) Sowing
Sowing should be done early at the onset of the rains so that the plants can make maximum use of available rains or moisture. Holes are made at the recommended spacing for each crop. The seeds are then placed in the holes at the recommended rate. Small seeded legumes may be drilled or broadcasted. The seeds are then covered with soil. During planting, phosphatic fertilisers are then covered with soil. The rates used depend on the type of fertiliser. Hand planting can be done on small farms while tractor planters are used on large farms.
(c) Field management practices
After crop emergence, the following field management practices are carried out:
(i) Gapping – Seeds that did not germinate should be replaced so as to maintain the correct plant population.
(ii) Thinning – Excess seedling that germinate in one hole or in clusters should be removed to prevent competition for moisture, light, nutrients and space.
(iii) Weed control – Field should be kept weed free especially during the early stages of growth. Shallow weeding is done to prevent root damage. Weeding should be carried out when soil is moist. Mechanical weeding should not be carried out during flowering to prevent knocking of flowers. Weeding should not be carried out on a wet day to prevent spread of fungal infection. It is recommended to uproot weeds during flowering. Chemical weed control is discouraged in growing of pulses. This is because they are sensitive to chemicals. Herbicides may be used in forage legumes.
(iv) Fertiliser application – Phosphatic fertiliser are used during planting.
(d) Disease control – Legumes are affected by fungal, bacterial and viral diseases. Fungal diseases include angular leaf spot, blights, anthracnoses, rusts, mildews and vascular wilts. Table 4.2 (a) shows legume crops attacked by fungal diseases. Study the symptoms and then name the crops attacked and the control measures for each disease.
They are controlled using the following methods:
(i) Regular spraying using fungicides before the crop is attacked.
(ii) Planting certified seeds to prevent disease transmission from the seed to the growing crop.
(iii) Use of resistant varieties.
Bacterial diseases include: Bacterial blight and halo blight. Table 4.2 (b) shows symptoms of legumes suffering from bacteria diseases. Study these symptoms and then name the crops attacked and control measures for each disease.
Bacteria diseases are controlled through the following methods:
(i) Rogueing to ensure infected plants do not transmit diseases to healthy plants.
(ii) Use of clean and certified seeds to prevent infection.
(iii) Crop rotation breaks the life cycle of the disease.
(iv) Close season to starve the disease organisms already in the soil to death.
(v) Control of vectors to prevent spread of diseases.
Viral diseases include rosettes, mosaics and leaf curls. These diseases are controlled through the following methods:
(i) Rogueing.
(ii) Use of certified seeds or planting material.
(iii) Crop rotation. (iv) Control of vectors.
(e) Pest control
There are few pests of economic importance to legumes. These include the pea blue butterfly and aphids.
These pests are controlled through:
(i) Rogueing
(ii) Crop rotation
(iii) Use of recommended insecticides
(iv) Proper spacing
Harvesting of Legumes
The stage of harvesting legumes is determined by use of the specific crop products. Pulses are harvested when the grains are mature and dry. They are uprooted and placed on a tarpaulin for threshing. Fodder legumes are harvested when they are highly nutritive and have adequate foliage yield. This is when about 50% of the crop has flowered. They are harvested, chopped into smaller pieces and taken to the zerograzed animals or dairy animals when they are being milked.
Growing of soya beans and groundnuts
Land preparation
It is done during the dry season by slashing previous crop residue, weeds and destumping. Digging or ploughing deeply the soil, harrowing to medium tilth and making of planting holes is done before the rainy season.
Holes dug for soya bean are spaced at 45 cm × 30 cm while for groundnuts are spaced at 60 cm × 15–30 cm and a depth of at least 5 cm depending on soil moisture conditions.
Planting
Done at the onset of rainfall. A teaspoon of phosphate fertiliser such as double super phosphate is applied per hole. Plant one to two seeds per hole and cover lightly with soil.
Field practices
These are carried out after germination which take place between 5 and 9 days. These practices include:
• Gapping to replace seeds where germination failed to take place or damaged by pests.
• Thinning is done by uprooting overcrowded seedlings leaving only vigorously growing seedlings to maintain correct plant population.
• Control weeds through tillage, uprooting and use of selective herbicides against grasses. Avoid weeding during flowering as this knocks off flowers reducing pod formation.
• Apply farmyard manure at a rate of 10 tonnes per hectare.
• Control diseases and pests through rogueing, regular spraying with fungicides, planting certified seeds, use of resistant varieties, close reason and using recommended insecticides against insect pests.
Harvesting
Soya beans are harvested when mature and dry by uprooting. Groundnuts pods are also uprooted by using a forked hoe. The plants are further dried on a tarpaulin. Threshing is done by hitting with a light stick or using machines known as threshers. The seeds obtained are winnowed and further dried. The seeds are then dusted to control pests, and packed in bags and taken for storage or the market.
4.6 Post-harvest techniques for soya beans and groundnuts
Activity 4.7: A field visit to observe post-harvest techniques of legumes
Materials required
• Questionnaire
• Note books
• Pen
Make a visit to the farm where legumes such as groundnuts and soya beans are grown and then:
(i) Observe the following post-harvest techniques of legumes drying, cleaning, handling, packaging and conditioning.
(ii) Discuss in groups the ways the post-harvest techniques are done.
(iii) Make a report of your findings.
(iv) Present your findings to the class.
(v) Take teacher’s summary report.
Post-harvest techniques are practices carried out to prepare produce for use or for marketing. Post-harvest practices carried out for legumes used by human beings for food are different from those carried out for fodder legumes grown for livestock. Post-harvest activities carried out for legumes edible by humans (soya bean and groundnuts) include:
Soya beans
(a) Threshing – This can be done manually or mechanically when soya beans are dried. Manual threshing is common in Rwanda while mechanical threshing may be cost effective for large-scale production.
(b) Winnowing – Should be done if threshing is done manually. Wind energy is used to separate the chaff from the grains.
(c) Drying – The grains are spread on a clean surface under the sun to reduce the moisture content to 1– 12.
(d) Handling – Soya bean grains should be handled with a lot of care to prevent contamination and post- harvest losses. The grains may be affected by aflatoxin which causes food poisoning to human beings.
(e) Conditioning, packaging and storage – Soya beans should be stored at a moisture content of 11 – 12. The dryness can be ascertained by cracking with teeth or dropping on a bottle. Dry soya beans will produce a characteristic rattling sound when properly dry. The dried grains should be packed in 50 – 100 kg bags.
The bags are placed on a rack to prevent chilling from the floor. Good storage influences the quality and this reduces the chances of germination while in the store. High temperature should be avoided as this increases deterioration and reduces seed viability.
Groundnuts
(a) Shelling: This is the removal of the nuts from the shells. It can be done manually or by a hand operated machine which separates the shells from the nuts.
(b) Drying: The shelled grains are sun-dried to a moisture content of 6.6 – 7%. Driers can be used in case of a cloudy day.
(c) Cleaning and grading: Cleaning is done to ensure that all foreign materials such as weed seeds, split seeds, stones and leaves are removed. The nuts are then sorted according to colour and size.
(d) Handling: The nuts should be handled carefully to prevent contact with water. Water increases the chances of growing moulds, some of which produces aflatoxin. Aflatoxin causes food poisoning to human beings and livestock.
(e) Conditioning, packaging and storage: Dry nuts should be packed in dry containers such as gunny bags, pots and gourds. The bags are stacked up to 10 bags high on separate stacks to allow free circulation of air. The bags are piled on wooden racks to avoid damage from dampness. The bags should be dusted with insecticides to protect the pods from storage pests.
Fodder legumes
Activity 4.8: Making hay using a baling box
Materials required
• Fodder crop for hay making
• Machete
• Baling box
• String
Using the materials provided, carry out the following activities:
(i) Harvest the fodder crop and leave it to dry.
(ii) Prepare the hay bales using the materials provided.
(iii) Remove the bales from the bail box and store them appropriately.
(iv) Discuss and record your findings. (v) Present your findings to the class.
(vi) Take teacher’s summary report.
Fodder legumes can be stored as hay or silage. Hay is fodder that is preserved dry while silage is fodder preserved in succulent or wet form.
Steps in hay making
(i) The crop for hay making is cut at the right stage when 50% of the crop is flowering. The cut fodder is spread on the ground under a shade to dry.
(ii) It is then turned regularly as it dries to ensure uniform drying.
(iii) The crop should be dried for 2 – 3 days.
(iv) The fodder should retain its original colour and rattle with a little noise.
(v) When the stems are twisted, they should not break and sap should not ooze out.
(vi) The fodder crop should be chopped using a machete to make it easy to compact during baling.
(vii) A baling box with the dimensions of the hay bales measuring (75 cm × 30 cm × 30 cm) should be used in making the hay.
(viii) Two strings are placed at each end of the baling box.
(ix) The box is filled with dry fodder. It is now called hay.
(x) The hay is compressed to form a compact cube in the box.
(xi) The bale is tied tightly with a string and the box turned upside down to remove the bale of hay.
(xii) The hay bales are then stored in a shed.
The illustrations below show the process of making hay. The steps followed are not placed in the order in which they take place. Study the illustrations and then arrange them in their correct order.
Silage Making
Activity 4.9: Silage making using the trench silo making
Materials required
• Crop for silage making
• Machete
• Polythene shed of appropriate length
• Garden line
• A piece of land
• Hand hoes
• Silage thermometer
• Spade/shovel
• Drum filled with water
• Wood pegs
Using the materials provided, carry out the following activities:
(i) Harvest the fodder crop and chop the crop into small pieces.
(ii) Allow the materials to wilt.
(iii) Use the materials provided to prepare silage.
(iv) Discuss and record your findings.
(v) Present your findings to the class.
(vi) Take teacher’s summary notes.
Silage is livestock feed made from fodder which is partially fermented, stored and fed to animals. Silage is prepared and stored in structures known as silos. Succulent legumes such as lucerne are used.
Ensiling procedure
1. The crop isready for harvesting when about 20 –50% of the plants have flowered.
2. A trench measuring 5 m long × 3 m wide and 1.25 m deep is prepared.
3. The site should be on a gently sloppy ground to encourage drainage.
4. Cut the crop and chop into small pieces using a machete or a chaff cutter.
5. The chopped plant material is wilted.
6. A polythene sheet is laid in the trench. It should be large enough to overlap on the surface.
7. The chopped materials are filled into the silo and compacted at every stage.
8. Heavy rollers can be used to compact the material or a drum full of water is used to compact the materials. 9. The temperature of the material should be taken using a silage thermometer. The optimum temperature is maintained at 32°C.
10. The material is then covered with the plastic sheet to keep out oxygen and maintain anaerobic conditions.
11. A layer of soil is put over the polythene sheet to form a dome shape.
12. A trench is dug around the silo to prevent water runoff from entering the silo.
13. The temperatures should constantly be checked during the first three weeks until the temperature becomes stable. The silage is then ready for use by livestock.
Group Activity
Preparation of planting materials for propagating legumes
Materials required
• Cuttings
• Layerings
• Seeds of leuceana, beans
• Innoculants
• Fungicides
• Insecticides
• Water
• Containers
Visit the school farm and prepare planting materials for legumes using the following methods:
(i) Breaking seed dormancy through scarification, soaking. Apply rooting medium to the cutting ends.
(ii) Dress the seeds, cuttings and layering using recommended pesticides and fungicides.
(iii) Apply the right strain of rhizobium to legume seeds through inoculation.
(iv) Discuss and record your findings.
(v) Present your findings to the class.
Unit Summary
• A legume is a plant which bears a fruit known as a pod.
• Legumes are classified into:
(i) Pulses – eaten by human beings.
(ii) Fodder – eaten by livestock.
Legumes are very important to human beings as they provide essential proteins to human beings and livestock. They provide vegetables for human diet and are useful as a supplementary feed for livestock. Many legumes have medicinal properties. Fodder trees and shrubs are also useful in agroforestry and help in reducing soil erosion by acting as wind breakers. They also bind soil particles thus improving soil structure and soil properties. Fodder trees and shrubs also provide flowers improving bee keeping. Some legumes such as desmodium are important in controlling stalk borers and the witch weed. Other legumes such as the pigeon peas are a source of stakes for climbing plants. Legumes are propagated by seeds and vegetatively by cuttings. Their post-harvest techniques include threshing, shelling, drying, conditioning, cleaning, handling, packaging and storage.
Key Terms
1. Pulses – Grain legumes used as human food.
2. Fodder – Pasture cut before feeding to livestock.
3. Agroforestry – Growing of trees or shrubs, pastures (keeping livestock) and growing crops on the same piece of land.
4. Stakes – Supports for growing plants.
5. Plant propagation – Multiplication of plants.
6. Dormancy – A period when planting material cannot sprout or germinate even though they are provided with necessary condition for germination.
7. Scarification – Mechanical breakage of a seed coat to break dormancy.
8. Growth regulators – Hormones that control growth.
9. Certified seeds – Seeds that are of high quality and resistant to disease attack.
10. Threshing – Separation of the seed from the pod. It also refers to shelling.
11. Conditioning – Preparing produce to escape rotting and attack pests, for example, by drying to the correct moisture content.
12. Viability – Ability to germinate or sprout.
13. Crop rotation – Growing of different crops on the same piece of land in particular order or sequence. 14. Inoculation – Coating legume seeds with the right type of artificial nitrogen fixing bacteria to stimulate production of root nodule.
15. Herbicides – Chemicals that kill weeds.
16. Sorting – Selecting to separate into grades.
17. Grading – Grouping according to size, colour, texture and quality.
18. Forage – Plant material either growing naturally or planted for the purpose of feeding to livestock.
19. Hay – Fodder preserved in dry form.
20. Silage – Fodder preserved in wet form.
21. Silo – Structure for preserving silage.
22. Ensiling – Preparation of silage.
Revision Questions
1. What is a legume?
2. Select common legumes grown in Rwanda.
3. Describe the importance of legumes in soil conservation.
4. Give two classes of legumes depending on the use.
5. Predict the characteristics of soil where legumes are grown.
6. Below are post-harvest practices carried out in groundnut production. Study them carefully and answer the question that follows:
(i) Conditioning
(ii) Shelling
(iii) Cleaning and grading
(iv) Packing and storage
Which of the following arrangement represents the correct order?
A. (ii), (iii), (i), (iv)
B. (i), (ii), (iii), (iv)
C. (ii), (i), (iv), (iii)
D. (iii), (iv), (ii), (i)
7. Carry out three post-harvest techniques in groundnuts.
8. Give characteristics of legumes used for:
(a) Hay making
(b) Silage making
9. Carry out the preparation of hay.
10. What is seed inoculation?
11. Give five methods of breaking dormancy in legume seeds.
12. The following operations are carried out during the growing of legumes in the field:
(i) Inoculation
(ii) Harrowing
(iii) Thinning
(iv) Pest and disease control
(v) Drying in the sun Which of these operations are carried out during the growing of soya beans? A. (i) , (ii)
B. (iii), (iv)
C. (iii), (v)
D. (ii), (iv)