Syllabus For JAMB 2022/2023: Agricultural Science

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The JAMB syllabus for Agricultural Science 2023/2024 has been uploaded. The Joint Admission and Matriculation Board made this move to help students prepare for their forthcoming Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

In this article we would be looking at Syllabus For JAMB 2022/2023 Agricultural Science.

Objectives of JAMB Syllabus for Agricultural Science

The JAMB syllabus for Agricultural Science aims to prepare the candidates for the Board’s examination and to test candidates’ understanding, knowledge, and acquisition. Its objectives are:

To stimulate and sustain their interest in Agriculture.
To acquire basic knowledge and practical skills in Agriculture.
To acquire the knowledge of interpretation and the use of data.
To stimulate their ability to make deductions using the acquired knowledge in Agriculture.

Topics Under JAMB Agricultural Science Syllabus

The topics covered in the JAMB syllabus for Agricultural Science are divided into five sections.

General Agriculture

With the General Agriculture, the JAMB syllabus covers the following topics:

Meaning and Scope of Agriculture

Definition of Agriculture
Branches of Agriculture
Types of Agriculture (e.g., subsistence and commercial)

Objectives

Candidates should be able to:

Use the definition of agriculture in modern terms with production, processing, and marketing.
Distinguish between individual branches of agriculture.
Differentiate between different types of agriculture.

Importance of Agriculture

Provision of raw materials for agro-allied industries
Provision of employment
Development of the rural areas, etc.

Objectives

Candidates should be able to:

Connect agro-allied industries with their respective raw materials
Bring together the various contributions of agriculture to economic development in West Africa.

Agricultural Ecology

West Africa Ecological zones
Each ecological zone of agricultural products
Environmental factors with their effects on crop and livestock production

Objectives

Candidates should be able to:

Distinguish between features of ecological zones in West Africa.
To classify agricultural products according to individual ecological zones.
Distinguish between abiotic and biotic factors affecting agricultural production.

Genetics

First and second laws of Mendel
Cell division
Terminologies (e.g., locus, alleles, genotype, dominance)

Objectives

Candidates should be able to:

Apply Mendel’s first and second laws to genetics.
Distinguish between types of cell division.
To determine the result of a genetic cross involving homozygous and heterozygous traits.
Calculate simple odds ratios.

Farm Inputs

Planting Materials
Agrochemicals

Objectives

Candidates should be able to:

Classify different types of agricultural inputs and their uses.

History of Agricultural Development in West Africa

Agricultural systems (e.g., shifting cultivation, bush following, etc.)
Problems of Agricultural development (e.g., inadequate infrastructures, land tenure systems, pollution, etc.)
Establishment of national research institutes and international research institutes, leading to an increased application of science to agricultural development
Agricultural Development Projects
Agricultural national programs such as OFN, Green Revolution, Project Coordinating Unit (PCU), etc.

Objectives

Candidates should be able to:

Compare different farming systems.
Identify problems and offer solutions.
Follow the history of research institutes from the past to the current.
Assess their role in agricultural development.
State the reasons for establishing the ADP.
Evaluate the contributions of national agricultural programs.

Roles of the Government and Non-Governmental Organizations in Agricultural Development

Development of fiscal policies favorable to agricultural production (e.g., import duties, a ban on the importation, etc.)
Agricultural reforms and laws, e.g., Land Use Act.
Government programs aimed at agricultural development (e.g., subsidies, credit facilities, etc.)
Provision of infrastructures (e.g., communication systems, etc.)
Contribution of NGOs to agricultural development

Objectives

Candidates should be able to:

Evaluate the effects of government policies on agricultural development.
Identify agricultural laws and their influence on agricultural production.
Identify the various agricultural incentives provided by the government.
Assess their impacts on agricultural development.
Compare the various infrastructural facilities provided by the government and their utilization.
Examine the role of non-governmental organizations in the development of agriculture.

Agrimony

For Agrimony, the JAMB syllabus covers the following topics:

Rocks and Soil Formation

Factors affecting rock weathering soil foundation
Physical properties of soil
Soil Profile, texture, and structure
Chemical properties of a soil
Soil acidity and alkalinity
The chemical composition of soil

Objectives

Candidates should be able to:

Identify the main properties and types of rocks and soils, processes and factors of soil formation.
Distinguish horizons in the soil profile.
Distinguish between soil components.
Calculate the proportion of soil components.
Analyze the soil for its components.
Determine the soil’s ability to retain water
Determine soil pH.

Soil Conservation and Water

Soil water (its sources, movement, importance, conservation, and management).
Soil conservation (meaning, importance, effects, causes, control, and prevention of leaching, erosion, continuous cropping, burning, and oxidation of organic matter).
Irrigation and drainage methods

Objectives

Candidates should be able to:

Compare capillary, gravitational, and hygroscopic water.
Determine water holding capacity, wilting points, and plant available/unavailable water.
To identify the causes of erosion and leaching.
Determine methods of control.
Classify irrigation and drainage systems.
Examine the importance and problems of irrigation and drainage

Fertility of the Soil

Micro and Macro-nutrients and their roles in plant nutrition (carbon, water, and nitrogen cycles)
The live population of the soil (fauna and flora), including their roles in the fertility of the soil
Maintenance (methods of maintaining soil fertility
Nutrient deficiency symptoms (e.g., sickle leaves, stunting, apical necrosis, etc.)

Objectives

Candidates should be able to:

Classify plant nutrients.
Identify factors affecting their availability.
Investigate the role of soil flora and fauna in maintaining soil fertility.
To compare different methods of maintaining soil fertility.
Distinguish between organic and inorganic fertilizers and their application methods.
Determine common fertilizer ratios.
To identify deficiency symptoms and their causes.
Propose remedies

Land Preparation and Soil Tillage

Principles of land preparation and soil tillage
Factors affecting the choice of tillage methods (Zero tillage, minimum tillage, etc.)

Objectives

Candidates should be able to:

Compare different methods of soil preparation and tillage with different groups of crops.
Give reasons for land preparation and soil tillage advantages and disadvantages.
Justify the choice of methods of tillage.

Plant Functions and Forms

Parts of dicot and monocot crop plants and their functions
Morphology and anatomy of the storage organs of common crop plants

Objectives

Candidates should be able to:

Identify parts of crops and their functions.
Distinguish between monocot and dicot crops.
Differentiate the various storage organs of cultivated plants.

Growth, Development, and Reproduction

Gametogenesis
Pollination
Fertilization
Embryo formation and development

Objectives

Candidates should be able to:

Explore the process of gamete formation.
Give reasons for different types of pollination.
Analyze the fertilization process.
Follow up embryo formation and development process to form seeds and fruits.

Plant Propagation Method

Sexual (use of seeds, seed viability, viability test, seed rate, and seed germination)
Asexual (e.g., cutting, budding, grafting, layering, etc.)
Nursery and nursery management

Objectives

Candidates should be able to:

To classify crops propagated by sexual methods.
Determine seed viability and seed rate.
Distinguish between types of seed germination.
Examine the conditions of seed germination.
Classify crops into different methods of vegetative reproduction.
Determine suitable places, types of farming, advantages, and disadvantages.
Apply the techniques of transplanting seedlings

Cropping Systems, Planting Patterns, and Plant Densities

Cropping systems (monocropping, mixed-, multiple-, inter-, relay-, strip- and rotational cropping)
Planting patterns (broadcasting, row spacing, and drilling)
Plant densities (single, double, and multiple stands)

Objectives

Candidates should be able to:

Compare cropping systems.
Use different cropping systems to solve problems in agriculture.
Distinguish between different planting patterns.
Investigate different types of plant density and their effect on crop yield.
Calculate plant density per hectare.

Crop Husbandry

Scientific and common names, gross morphology, methods of propagation anatomy of storage organs, husbandry practices, harvesting, processing, and storage, common diseases, and pests, and economic importance of the following sections of crops.

Section 1: Cereals (e.g., maize, guinea corn, rice)

Section 2: Legumes (e.g., cowpea, groundnut, soybean)

Section 3: Tubers (e.g., yam, cassava, sweet potatoes)

Section 4: Vegetables and Spices (e.g., tomatoes, eggplant, pepper, onion, okra, cabbage, amaranthus sp.)

Section 5: Fruits (e.g., citrus, pineapple, pawpaw)

Section 6: Beverages (e.g., cocoa, kola, coffee)

Section 7: Oils (e.g., oil palm, coconut, shea butter)

Section 8: Latex (e.g., para rubber, gum Arabic)

Section 9: Fibres (e.g., jute, cotton, sisal hemp)

Section 10: Sugars (e.g., sugarcane, beet)

Objectives

Candidates should be able to:

Use different methods of crop propagation, management, harvesting, processing, and storage for each crop.
Identify common diseases and pests and their effect on crops.
Determine the importance of each crop economically.
Their importance is related to national economic development.

Pasture and Forage Crop

Study of methods of propagation, gross morphology, and farming of common pasture grasses and legumes. Establishment, maintenance, conservation, and use of forage crops.
Study of natural grassland and its distribution in West Africa
Range management

Objectives

Candidates should be able to:

To classify common grasses and legumes used as pasture and fodder
Distinguish between pastures and forages by their common and scientific names.
Distinguish between different methods of pasture protection, e.g., haying and haying.
Connect different vegetation zones with their dominant types of pastures.
Identify types of ranges and utilization of range resources in Nigeria

Floriculture

Identification of flowers Establishment of flowers Maintenance and uses of ornamental trees, shrubs, and flowers

Objectives

Candidates should be able to:

Distinguish common ornamental trees, shrubs, and flowers.
Determine their use and maintenance.

Weeds

The Gross morphology, methods of reproduction, dispersal, and effect of weeds
Weed control methods (weeding, mulching, cover cropping, tillage, herbicides, and trap cropping)

Objectives

Candidates should be able to:

Identify weeds and their common and scientific names.
Classify weeds according to the method of propagation.
Use different weed control methods.

Crop Diseases

Identification of diseases that affect organisms in the field and store.
An account of diseases caused by bacteria, fungi, viruses, and nematodes; the nature of their damage, transmission methods, and control methods.
Side effects of applying preventive and control ways (e.g., pollution, poisoning, and distribution of ecosystem.)

Objectives

Candidates should be able to:

Distinguish between the common stock and field disease-causing organisms.
Associate different disease-causing organisms with the damage caused, symptoms, and mode of spread.
Use appropriate control methods.
Relate each control method to its side effect.

Crop Pests

An account of pests affecting agricultural plants in the field and store, their types, importance, principles, and methods of prevention and control
Life cycles of biting insects (e.g., grasshoppers); sucking insects (e.g., cotton strainer.)
Boring insects (e.g., weevils)
Common pesticides and their side effects

Objectives

Candidates should be able to:

To identify various field and warehouse pests.
Assess their economic importance.
Relate different methods of prevention and control to different pests.
Describe the life cycles of different types of insects.
Apply knowledge about the life cycles of insect pests in their prevention and control.
Distinguish between common pesticides.
To investigate their mode of action on the pest.

Forest Management (Silviculture)

Importance (source of wood, pulp, fiber, and other forest products)
Conservation (regulation, exploitation, regeneration, afforestation, agroforestry, and tangy system)

Objectives

Candidates should be able to:

Connect different forest products with their use.
Compare different methods of forest protection.
Apply various methods appropriately.

Crop Improvement

Crop improvement methods (e.g., introduction, selection, crossing, quarantine, etc.)

Objectives

Candidates should be able to:

Give reasons for crop improvement.
Distinguish between various methods of crop improvement.

Animal Production

For Animal Production, the JAMB syllabus covers the following topics:

Classification and Forms of Major Farm Animals in West Africa

Species, breeds, and distribution
External features of cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, rabbits, and poultry

Objectives

Candidates should be able to:

Classify various breeds of farm animals.
Locate where they are found.
Identify their characteristic features.

General Terms in Animal Production

General terms used in animal husbandry (e.g., calving, kidding, castrate, capon, veal, mutton, etc.)

Objectives

Candidates should be able to:

Use various terms in animal husbandry.

Physiology and anatomy of Farm Animals

Functions of organs and tissues of farm animals
Animal body systems, e.g., digestive, reproductive, respiratory, urinary (excretory), and nervous systems.
Effect of environmental changes on the physiological development of farm animals, e.g., climate change

Objectives

Candidates should be able to:

Distinguish the different functions of the tissues and organs of farm animals.
Compare the different body systems in farm animals.
Determine the effects of climate change on livestock.

Reproduction in Farm Animals

Gametogenesis, estrous cycle, signs of heat and heat periods, secondary sexual characters, gestation periods, parturition, including the role of hormones in reproduction.
Development, nourishment, and the birth of the young. Mammary glands and lactation in farm animals.
Egg formation, incubation, and hatching in poultry.

Objectives

Candidates should be able to:

Report on the process of reproduction in farm animals.
Determine the role of hormones in reproduction.
Follow the development of farm animals from fertilization to birth and care of the young.
Observe the process of egg formation and incubation in poultry.

Animal Nutrition

Feed nutrients and their function.
Feeds and feeding (simple ration formulation; balanced ration, forage crops, Andropogon sp, calopogonium sp, hay and silage preparation, types of rations, which are production ration and maintenance ration.)
Nutrient deficiencies (symptoms and causes of malnutrition and their correction in farm animals.)

Objectives

Candidates should be able to:

Identify different feed nutrients, their sources, and their functions.
Distinguish between types of feed and their composition.
Relate different types of benefits to different classes of farm animals.
Trace signs of nutrient deficiency in farm animals.
Apply appropriate corrective measures to nutrient deficiencies in farm animals.

Livestock Management

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

Objectives

Candidates should be able to:

Apply different management practices for livestock.

Animal Health

Animal diseases (pathology)

Environmental factors (predisposing animals to diseases, symptoms, causal organisms transmission, and effects.)
Preventive and curative methods for diseases caused by viruses, bacteria, fungi, and protozoa.

Parasites (parasitology)

Economic importance of livestock parasites, e.g., ectoparasites, endoparasites including disease vectors, and their livestock
Prevention and Control include the following
- Dipping
- Spraying
- Deworming
- Sanitation

Objectives

Candidates should be able to:

To identify livestock diseases and their causative agents.
Classify livestock diseases based on symptoms and mode of transmission.
Apply appropriate preventive and therapeutic measures against diseases caused by these pathogens.
To classify livestock parasites.
Determine their role in disease transmission.
Follow the life cycles of parasites from the egg to the adult stage.
Apply appropriate methods of prevention and control against livestock parasites.

Fisheries and Wildlife

Fish culture systems; common fishes, e.g., Tilapia, Catfish, etc.

Extensive systems include inland fishing, deep sea fishing, rivers, and lakes.
Semi-intensive systems – dams.
Intensive systems: fish ponds – Factors to consider in establishing pond and pond management.

Fish harvesting and processing methods

Use drag nets, hooks, lines, etc.
Curing, sun-drying, and smoking
Fishery regulations

Wildlife management

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

Objectives

Candidates should be able to:

Identify the common types of fish in West Africa.
Distinguish between different fish farming systems in West Africa.
Identify factors to be considered in fish farming.
Assess the merits and demerits of different methods of collecting and processing fish.
Use different methods of catching fish.
Use different methods of preserving fish.
Apply fishing regulations in Nigeria.
To identify animals found in West African reserves.
To justify the establishment of the branch.
Apply normal wildlife rules.

Bee-Keeping

Meaning and importance of apiculture
Types of bees, e.g., indigenous and exotic bees
Methods of bee-keeping, e.g., modern and traditional bee-keeping
Safety measures and equipment in bee-keeping

Objectives

Candidates should be able to:

Relate bee-keeping to economic development
Differentiate between various types of bees
Classify methods of bee-keeping
Identify bee-keeping equipment and its uses.

Animal Improvement

Animal improvement methods: Introduction, Breeding, Selection and Quarantine: Breeding Systems – Inbreeding, Line Breeding, Crossbreeding, Artificial Insemination.

Objectives

Candidates should be able to:

Give reasons for the animal improvement.
Distinguish between different methods of animal improvement.

Agriculture Economics and Extension

For Agriculture Economics and Extension, the JAMB syllabus covers the following topics:

Factors of Agricultural Production

Land – types of land ownership in West Africa
Labor
Capital

Objectives

Candidates should be able to:

Understand the importance of land and state its use
Identify different forms of land ownership.
Examine the effects of land ownership on agriculture.
Distinguish between different features of the land and their effects on land use.
Differentiate between the types and sources of labor and their effects on agricultural production.
Compare the sources of capital and associated problems.
Determine the function of a farm manager in an agricultural enterprise.

Basic Economic Principle

Demand and supply
Production Function
Input and output relationships, stages of production, concepts of diminishing returns, the scale of preference, and choice.

Objectives

Candidates should be able to:

Connect demand with supply in agricultural production.
Interpret the geographical representation of demand and supply.
Relate input to output.
Deduce economic concepts from graphic representation.

Characteristic Features of Agricultural Production

The smallness of agricultural holdings: biological limits of agricultural production and vulnerability of agricultural production to climate, seasonality of agricultural production, price elasticity of demand, and supply of agricultural production.

Objectives

Candidates should be able to:

Distinguish between common features of agricultural production and productivity.
Compute elasticity of demand and supply.

Labor Management

Labor relations: Supervision, etc.
Types of labor: Permanent labor etc.
National labor laws and regulations

Objectives

Candidates should be able to:

Identify the various ways of achieving labor efficiency.
Distinguish between different types and sources of labor.
Apply national labor laws and regulations.

Farm Management

Qualities, functions, and problems of the farm manager.
Records and record-keeping (importance and types of record-keeping, livestock records, profit, and loss account book.)
Stock evaluation
Gross and net profits in farm management.
Appreciation, depreciation, and salvage value.
Agricultural insurance
Meaning, importance, and types of agricultural insurance
Problems of agricultural insurance

Objectives

Candidates should be able to:

Identify the qualities, functions, and problems of a farm manager.
Distinguish between types of farm records.
State the reasons for keeping farm records.
Determine gross and net margins, appreciation, depreciation, and salvage value.
Examine the material of agricultural insurance.
Determine the appropriate agricultural insurance system.
Determine the problems associated with agricultural insurance

Marketing Agricultural Products

Importance of Marketing.
Marketing channels.
Characteristic features of agricultural products affecting their marketing

Objectives

Candidates should be able to:

Evaluate the importance of agricultural marketing
Classify marketing agents and their functions.
Identify the various ways in which marketing channels present problems in agricultural production.
Determine the characteristics of agricultural products affecting their marketing.

Agricultural Extension

Meaning and importance.
The role of Agricultural Development programs, universities, research institutes, and farmers’ organizations (Cooperative societies).
Extension methods include demonstration plots, the adequate use of mass media, visual aids, etc.
Problems associated with agricultural extension in West Africa and its solutions.

Objectives

Candidates should be able to:

Identify the importance of agricultural extension.
Analyze the roles of government and non-governmental organizations in agricultural extension education.
Differentiate between the various extension methods.
Examine agricultural extension problems in West Africa.
Provide possible solutions.
Agricultural technology objectives

Agricultural Technology

For Agricultural Technology, the JAMB syllabus covers the following topics:

Farm Surveying and Farmstead Planning

Meaning and importance
Common surveying equipment, their uses, and care
Common survey methods
Principles of farmstead outlay

Objectives

Candidates should be able to:

Classify common geodetic equipment, its uses, and care.
Differentiate between the common survey methods.
Apply survey principles to farmstead outlay.
To explore the importance of farm surveys for agriculture.

Simple Farm Tools

Objectives

Candidates should be able to:

Identify simple agricultural tools.
Use and maintain agricultural implements.
Compare the advantages and disadvantages of simple agricultural tools.

Farm Implements and Machinery

Types – machinery (e.g., tractor, milking machine, etc., and implements)
Uses and maintenance of farm implements and machinery

Objectives

Candidates should be able to:

Identify common farm machinery and implements.
Classify farm machinery according to its uses.
Apply appropriate maintenance routines on farm machines and implements.
Operate farm machines and implements.

Mechanization and Sources of Farm Power

Sources of farm power, e.g., machines and animals
Merits and demerits of agricultural mechanization
Prospects and problems of mechanized agriculture in West Africa

Objectives

Candidates should be able to:

To assess the problems and prospects of mechanized agriculture in West Africa.
Compare the advantages and disadvantages of different farm energy sources and their uses.
Distinguish the advantages and disadvantages of mechanization.

Processing and Storage

Processing (modern and traditional methods of food processing
Storage

Objectives

Candidates should be able to:

To identify the importance of agricultural processing.
Distinguish between different methods of processing agricultural products.
Compare different storage methods.
Use different storage methods.

Introduction to Biotechnology

Basic terms, e.g., tissue and another culture in vitro fertilization and genetic engineering

Objectives

Candidates should be able to:

Use basic concepts in relation to Biotechnology.
Provide reasons for the application and importance of biotechnology.

Application of ICT in Agriculture

Features of Computers
Uses of computers in agriculture (ration formulation, disease, weather forecasting, etc.)
The use of communication gadgets (e.g., mobile phones, internet, etc.)