Crop Production

CSEC Agricultural Science- SINGLE AWARD

Candidate’s name: De’Anna-Shanae Beadle
Registration number:
Name of school: The Mannings School
Start Date: / /17
Termination Date: / /17
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Table of Contents
Introduction ................................................................................................................3
Problem Statement .....................................................................................................4
Research Methodology ..............................................................................................5
Description of Activities ............................................................................................6
Data Collection ..........................................................................................................9
Cost Analysis ...........................................................................................................12
Discussion ................................................................................................................18
Conclusion, Limitations & Recommendations ........................................................19
References ................................................................................................................20
Rubric for Crop Production Investigation ...............................................................21

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Introduction

The aim of this investigation was to determine whether organic or inorganic

farming produces more crops.

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Problem Statement

The problem statement was to see which method of farming produces more crops,
organic or inorganic.

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Research Methodology

Experimental Design
1000 sweet pepper seeds were planted then were divided in half once they grew
into seedlings. Half of the seedlings were grown under organic farming conditions
and the other half were grown under inorganic farming conditions. The height of
both sets were collected and recorded over an eight week period.
List of Materials and Equipment Used
Materials/Equipment Uses/functions
Shovel The shovel was used to dig, lift and moving soil.
File Used to sharpen the machete’s blade.
Polythene bag Sweet peppers were placed in these bags for protection and storage
after reaping.
Hoe Used to shape the soil into rows for the sweet peppers.
Machete The machete was used to remove weeds and dig holes to plant the
seedlings.
Karate Used as an insecticide for the sweet peppers. This inhibited/ killed
insects that could harm the crops.
Fertiliser This was used to fertilize the soil for the plants.
Fork The fork was used for loosening, lifting and turning over soil.
Seed trays These were used to plant the seeds in them until they were ready to be
transplanted.
Seeds The seed is used to grow seedlings that grow into mature plants that
will create more seeds.
Scale Used to weigh the sweet peppers
Crate The sweet peppers were picked and placed in the crates before
packaging
Watering can Used to irrigate the seeds in the seed trays.
Garden Line Used to section off beds for the crops
Wooden stakes Also used to section off the rows for the crops
Fungicide This was a specific type of insecticide used to control fungal diseases.
Irrigation hose Used to provide water to the crops in the field.
Rake Used to transport soil and plant materials to different areas.
Wheelbarrow Used to transport materials.

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Description of Activities

Land Preparation
Site Selection
A flat, fertile area of land that hadn’t been used for months was chosen for this
investigation. This area had a small amount of herbaceous vegetation when
compared to the rest of the property which would make land preparation easier.

Land Clearing
This was the first operation the land was cleared from all herbaceous vegetation by
brush cutting. All debris were removed and weed wacker was used to mechanically
cut down herbaceous vegetation from the site needed to carry out the investigation.
A rake was used to heap up the plant materials and they were put aside for future
use in mulching.

Tilling
A fork was used to dig up the land that was previously cleared for the rows. Foot
pressure was used to insert the prongs of the fork deep enough in the soil. Each
part of the soil that was dug out was lifted and inverted. This was repeated until all
the land needed was properly ploughed. Hoes and machetes were then used to cut
up large clumps of soil into smaller pieces until the soil was refined to a medium
tilth.
Construction of beds
After tilling, two stakes with an adequate amount of distance between them were
placed at the beginning of a selected area for the bed and two more were placed at
the end of the selected area. The garden line was used to wrap firmly around each
stake, marking off the area for the bed. A hoe was used to pull the refined soil from
the two longest sides of the garden line to form a high enough ridge. A shovel was
used to lift soil form the furrow on to the ridge and to deepen the furrow for it to
provide better drainage.

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Cultural Practice- Irrigation

Water from the irrigation hose and watering cans were used to irrigate the soil on a
regular basis shortly before the seedlings were ready to be transplanted.

Tilling of the soil for land preparation

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Construction of beds

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Data Collection

Sweet Pepper Records

Average Growth Rate

Table showing the average growth rate of the sweet peppers using the organic
method and inorganic method of farming over an 8 week period.

Number of Weeks Organic Plants (cm) Inorganic Plants(cm)

Transplanting 5.24 5.7

Height
1 7.8 6.6
2 9.2 12.7
3 19.5 16.8
4 22.78 23.36
5 23.8 24.8
6 30.4 32.6
7 38.0 44.2
8 49.2 43.6

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Bar graph showing the average weekly growth rate of the organic plants over an
eight week period.

Average weekly height of organic sweet peppers

grown
60

50
AVERAGE HEIGHT

40

30

20

10

0
Transplanti
1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th
ng
Week 5.24 7.8 9.2 19.5 22.78 23.8 30.4 38 49.2
AXIS TITLE

Week

Bar graph representing the average weekly growth of sweet peppers grown using
inorganic farming.

Average weekly height of inorganic sweet peppers

grown
50
45
40
AVERAGE HEIGHT

35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
Transplanti
1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th
ng
Week 5.7 6.6 12.7 16.8 23.36 24.8 32.6 44.2 43.6
AXIS TITLE

Week

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Bar graph showing the average weekly growth of sweet peppers grown by both the
organic and inorganic methods of farming.

Average weekly growth of inorganic and organic

sweet peppers
50
45
AVERAGE WEEKLY GROWTH

40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
Transpl 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th
anting
Inorganic Sweet Peppers 5.7 6.6 12.7 16.8 23.36 24.8 32.6 44.2 43.6
Organic Sweet Peppers 5.24 7.8 9.2 19.5 22.78 23.8 30.4 38 49.2
WEEKS

Inorganic Sweet Peppers Organic Sweet Peppers

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Cost Analysis

Projected Budget
Production cost for 1000 Sweet Pepper seeds
Income Total Weight(lb) Unit Cost $ Total($)
Sale of Sweet 400 100.00 per lb 40,000.00
Peppers
Total Projected $40,000.00
Income

Expenditure Quantity Unit Cost $ Total($)

Fertilizer 10 kg 350.00 per kg 3,500.00
Seeds 1 Tin 1,000.00 1,000.00
Watering Cans 4 600.00 2,400.00
Hoe 6 1,200.00 7,200.00
Machete 5 1,000.00 5,000.00
Fork 4 1,500.00 6,000.00
Garden Line 1 roll 700.00 700.00
Water Bill 20,000.00 20,000.00
Insecticide- Karate 1 bottle 500.00 500.00
Fungicide 1 bottle 600.00 600.00
Polythene Bag 2 packs 150.00 300.00
Seed Trays 5 950.00 4,750.00
Shovel 4 1,100.00 4,400.00
Scale 1 4,000.00 4,000.00
Wheelbarrow 2 5,000.00 10,000.00
Total Projected $70,350.00
Expenditure

Projected Loss = $70,350.00-$40,000=

Total Projected $30,350.00
Expenditure-Total
Projected Income

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Actual Budget
Production cost for Inorganic Sweet Peppers

Income Total Weight(lb) Unit Cost $ Total($)

Sale of Inorganic 220 200.00 per lb 44,000.00
Sweet Peppers

Total Actual Income $44,000.00

Expenditure Quantity Unit Cost $ Total($)

Fertilizer 50 kg 5,600.00 5,600.00
Seeds 1 Tin 1135.00 1135.00
Garden Line 1 roll 850.00 850.00
Insecticide- Karate 1 bottle 1500.00 1500.00
Fungicide 1 bottle 1480.00 1480.00
Polythene Bag 3 packs 180.00 540.00
Total Actual $11,105.00
Expenditure

Actual Profit = $44,000.00-

Total Actual $11,105.00=$32,895.00
Income-Total Actual
Expenditure

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After completing the project there was an Actual Profit of $32,895.00 for the
inorganic sweet peppers compared to the projected loss of $30,350.00 (projected
profit therefore was $0.00). This actual profit came as a result of a different
perspective in terms of the estimated prices compared to the actual prices.

Bar Graph showing the comparison of projected income v/s actual income,
projected loss v/s actual profit and projected expenditure v/s actual expenditure.

$10,970.00
Expenditure
$70,350.00

$44,000.00
Income
$20,000.00

$32,895.00

Profit
$0.00

$0.00 $10,000.00 $20,000.00 $30,000.00 $40,000.00 $50,000.00 $60,000.00 $70,000.00 $80,000.00

Actual Projected

The projected expenditure ($70,350.00) surpassed the actual expenditure

($10,970.00) by $59,380.00 because some of the expenditure the prices were too
high or were already provided and did not need to be purchased for this
investigation. The actual income ($44,000.00) was more than the projected income
($20,000.00) by $24,000.00 due to overpricing and under-pricing. The projected
loss ($30,350.00) occurred because of overpricing, under-pricing and some
expenditure were provided and did not need to be bought.

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Actual Budget
Production cost for Organic Sweet Peppers

Income Total Weight(lb) Unit Cost $ Total($)

Sale of Organic Sweet 215 200.00 per lb 43,000.00
Peppers

Total Actual Income $43,000.00

Expenditure Quantity Unit Cost $ Total($)

Seeds 1 Tin 1135.00 1135.00
Garden Line 1 roll 850.00 850.00
Polythene Bag 3 packs 180.00 540.00
Total Actual $2,525.00
Expenditure

Actual Profit = Total $43,000.00-

Actual Income-Total $2,525.00=$40,475.00
Actual Expenditure

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After completing the project there was an Actual Profit of $40,475.00 for the
Organic Sweet Peppers compared to the projected profit of $0.00 due to a
projected loss of $30,350.00. This actual profit came as a result of a different
perspective in terms of the estimated prices compared to the actual prices.

Bar Graph showing the comparison of projected income v/s actual

income, projected loss v/s actual profit and projected expenditure v/s
actual expenditure .

Expenditure $2,525.00
$70,350.00

Income $43,000.00
$20,000.00

Profit $40,475.00
$0.00

$0.00 $10,000.00 $20,000.00 $30,000.00 $40,000.00 $50,000.00 $60,000.00 $70,000.00 $80,000.00

Actual Projected

The projected expenditure ($70,350.00) surpassed the actual expenditure

($2,525.00) by $67,825.00 because some of the expenditure the prices were too
high or were already provided and did not need to be purchased for this
investigation. The actual income ($43,000.00) was more than the projected income
($20,000.00) by $23,000 due to overpricing and under-pricing. The projected
profit ($0.00) was less than the actual profit ($40,475.00) due to a projected loss of
$30,350.00 because of overpricing and under-pricing.

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Bar Chart comparing the actual and projected income,profit and

expenditure for both the organic and inorganic sweet peppers
$80,000.00

$70,000.00

$60,000.00

$50,000.00

$40,000.00

$30,000.00

$20,000.00

$10,000.00

$0.00
Projected Actual Projected Projected Actual
Actual Profit
Income Income Profit Expenditure Expenditure
Organic Sweet Peppers $20,000.00 $43,000.00 $0.00 $40,475.00 $70,350.00 $2,525.00
Inorganic Sweet Peppers $20,000.00 $44,000.00 $0.00 $32,895.00 $70,350.00 $10,970.00

Organic Sweet Peppers Inorganic Sweet Peppers

The projected income, profit and expenditure for both the organic and inorganic
sweet peppers were the same due to both sets of sweet peppers sharing the same
projected budget. The difference between the actual income of the organic and
inorganic sweet peppers was $1000.00. This could have been due to the use of
man-made products such as insecticides, fertilisers and fungicides used in
inorganic farming. Less of the sweet peppers would have been harmed due to the
protection of the inorganic methods and the synthetic products would encourage
the growth of big sweet peppers which then produced a greater yield than the
organic sweet peppers that did not use the artificial additives. However, the organic
sweet pepper’s expenditure was less than the inorganic sweet peppers by $8,445.00
because organic farming did not require the pricey insecticides, fertilisers or
fungicides that the inorganic farming required.

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Discussion

According to (Agricultural Science for CSEC Examinations, 2011), organic

farming is a form of non-conventional agriculture that excludes, or strictly limits,
the use of artificial fertilisers, herbicides and pesticides, plant growth regulators
and animal feed additives. As stated by (Patel, 2014) Inorganic Farming is also
known as conventional farming. Inorganic farming is growing agriculture by using
synthetic products such as pesticides and chemicals.
In this investigation 1000 sweet pepper seeds were planted, then transplanted and
divided into two sets, inorganic sweet peppers and organic sweet peppers. Both
sets were measured to compare the average weekly growth rate for eight weeks.
Based on the results, it is quite evident that the inorganic sweet peppers had a
better growth rate than the organic sweet peppers. This was due to the use of
synthetic products which boosted the plant’s growth rate. After the eight weeks the
sweet peppers were reaped and weighed. The total organic sweet peppers weighed
215lb while the total inorganic sweet peppers weighed 220lbs. This was again due
to the use of artificial products which produced more sweet peppers. The use of
insecticides, fungicides and fertilizers protected the crop from harm (insects and
fungi) which resulted in less sweet peppers being destroyed than in the organic
farming. They also encouraged plant growth and in turn produced bigger sweet
peppers than the organic farming’s sweet peppers.
Organic farming normally includes biological pest control (introducing the pest’s
predator into the environment), compost, green manure and crop rotation. None of
these methods, that could’ve improved the sweet pepper yield, were used in this
investigation. The rules of organic farming highlights that the land to be used for
organic farming should be barren for a period of time but this was not enforced in
this investigation which could’ve also affected the organic sweet peppers. Another
potential shortfall for the production of organic sweet peppers was there could’ve
been leaching of nutrients from the inorganic plots to the organic plots because
they were closely situated.

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Conclusion, Limitations & Recommendations

Based on the results of this investigation, inorganic farming produces more crops
than organic farming. This investigation also made a total profit of $73,370.
Limitations
 Due to holiday periods and bad weather conditions the plots were not
monitored which resulted in death or poor development of some of the sweet
pepper plants.

Recommendations for improvement

 The plots could be visited during holiday periods to prevent their death/poor
development by identifying and removing the possibly diseased or damaged
sweet peppers/sweet pepper plants.

 The sweet pepper plants could’ve been grown in a greenhouse to protect

them from bad weather.

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References

(2011). In R. Ramharacksingh, Agricultural Science for CSEC Examinations (pp.

240-241). Oxford: Macmillan.

Patel, P. (2014, February 19). Prezi. Retrieved from Prezi.com:

https://prezi.com/bnmr7fr_sumn/advantages-of-inorganic-farming/

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Rubric for Crop Production Investigation

Marks
Item Descriptor
Total Awarded
Name of Student - -
Student Registration Number - -
Name of School - -
Title of Project - -
Introduction Start Date - -
(2)
Termination Date - -
Table of Contents - -
Problem statement clearly written 1
Aim clearly stated 1
Experimental Design 1
List of Materials and Equipment Used 1
Activities (2) 5 or more activities described 2
Methodology 1 to 4 activities described 1
(6) No activities described 0
3 or more photographs showing student engaged in this 1
investigation
Data Collection 1
Collected relevant data 1
Presentation of results 1
Results
Interpretation Fully interprets results 2
(4)
Of results (2) Partially interprets results 1
Did not attempt to interpret results 0
Fully discussed findings with reference to relevant supporting 3
literature
Discussion Partially findings with reference to relevant supporting literature 2
(3)
Discussed findings with no supporting literature 1
Did not attempt to discuss findings 0
Conclusion, Conclusion 1
Limitation & Limitations 1
Recommendations Recommendations for improvement 1
(3)
Presentation (1) Less than 5 spelling and grammatical errors contained in the 1
report
References(1) At least 2 references properly citied 1

TOTAL (Technical Report) 20 ÷ 2

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10 ………+2
………….
Projected income-output, price, total 1
Complete Projected Expenditure- input, price, total 1
Budget Surplus/ Shortfall correctly calculated 1

Income/ Sales of produce-quantity, price, total 1

Actual Income and Expenditure-quantity, price, total 1
Expenditure Surplus/ Shortfall calculated 1

Provide a full and accurate comparison of all 3 parameters 4

Comparison of Partially compare all 3 parameters 3
projected and actual Correctly compared any 2 parameters 2
-Income Correctly compared any 1 parameter 1
-Expenditure Did not attempt to compare any parameter 0
-Surplus/ Shortfall

TOTAL( Cost Analysis) 10

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