Choose and combine food-production methods
Machinery, fertilisers, insecticides, herbicides and selective breeding address different production constraints.
Core and Extended; Biology 0610, 2026–2028. Use the stated specimen features and evidence. Diagrams are schematic. Written practice is self-checked
Before you begin
- Know that crop and livestock production depend on both management and environmental conditions.
Work on paper. Try each question before revealing help, and explain why your method works.
Quick readiness check
Which listed method reduces competition from weeds?
What you will learn
- Match each syllabus method to its production role
- Compare production data using the correct measure
Match method to the production limit
The syllabus lists five ways humans have increased food production: machinery can help use larger areas and improve efficiency; chemical fertilisers can improve yields; insecticides can improve crop quality and yield; herbicides reduce competition from weeds; selective breeding can improve production by crop plants and livestock.
These methods do different jobs. Choose the method that matches the stated constraint, such as weeds competing with a crop or insect feeding damaging produce. More than one method can be used, but the evidence should still identify which outcome each method is intended to affect.
Compare like with like
Use the measure that matches the question. Total harvest is a mass; yield may be reported per unit area; efficiency may use an input such as time or labour. Quality may be measured by damage, appearance or another stated criterion. Do not treat these outcomes as interchangeable.
If several methods are introduced together, a higher yield does not identify which method caused the change. A controlled comparison changes one main factor at a time or uses a design that accounts for the other differences.
Pause and explain
Several methods change and total harvest rises. What is the strongest conclusion?
Worked example
A farm adds machinery, herbicide and fertiliser at once. Its total harvest rises from 20 to 32 tonnes. What can be concluded?
Show the worked solution
- Several production methods changed together.
- No area or controlled comparison is supplied.
Answer The total harvest increased by 12 tonnes after the changes. The data alone cannot identify which method caused the increase or whether yield per hectare rose.
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Write your answer and reasoning first. Use a hint only if you are stuck. The model solution is for self-checking; your written work is not automatically marked.
Match each constraint with a method: insect damage to leaves; weeds competing for light; low supply of a mineral ion; and a long harvesting time across a large area.
Give me a hint
Use the target or production constraint.
Compare my reasoning
- Insect damage: insecticide.
- Weed competition: herbicide; mineral-ion supply: fertiliser; large-area operations: machinery.
Use an insecticide for insect pests, a herbicide to control weeds, a chemical fertiliser to supply mineral ions and agricultural machinery to manage larger areas and improve efficiency.
Look for these in your work
- All four methods matched
- Roles distinguished
A farm harvest rises from 25 to 40 tonnes after machinery and fertiliser are introduced. What two additional comparisons would help interpret the change?
Give me a hint
Separate land and treatment effects.
Compare my reasoning
- Compare cultivated area to calculate yield per hectare.
- Use comparable plots or seasons that isolate the fertiliser and machinery changes.
Record area to calculate yield per hectare, and use controlled comparisons where the machinery or fertiliser change can be assessed separately. Total harvest alone does not identify the cause.
Look for these in your work
- Area denominator requested
- Method effects separated
A report describes a breeding programme that selected high-yielding crop plants for three generations. Which method is involved, and how is its timescale different from a herbicide application?
Give me a hint
Compare biological selection with a field treatment.
Compare my reasoning
- Choosing and breeding parents is selective breeding.
- It acts across generations rather than one crop treatment.
The method is selective breeding. It selects parents and offspring over generations, whereas a herbicide is a crop-management treatment that controls weeds in a field.
Look for these in your work
- Method identified
- Timescales distinguished
Common mistakes
- Assigning weed control to an insecticide
- Comparing totals without area or input
- Attributing a combined change to one method
What can you explain now?
Which listed method reduces competition from weeds?
Compare with the explanation
Herbicide
Herbicides control weeds.
After trying it yourself, choose your next review. This is your self-assessment.
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Make it stick
Name all five production methods in this section and give one measure needed to compare their effects fairly.
If you needed the solution, close it and solve the problem again from a blank page. A correct answer is stronger when you can explain the reason for each step.