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Subjects · Leaving Cert Agricultural Science

Leaving Cert Agricultural Science: Reseeding & sward composition

How often Reseeding & sward composition comes up on the Agricultural Science papers, every year it was asked, and questions to try.

HL Asked on 5 of the last 5 Higher Level papers, most recently in 2025. banker

OL Asked on 3 of the last 5 Ordinary Level papers, most recently in 2024. most years

Reseeding & sward composition, Higher Level(8 marks)

Quick ones on Reseeding & sward composition.

(a)What is a key advantage of tetraploid ryegrass over diploid ryegrass?
  1. A denser sward that resists poaching
  2. Higher palatability and sugar content
  3. Smaller cells with less water
(b)Why is white clover included in a grass seed mixture?
  1. It makes the soil more acidic, which suits the grass
  2. It resists all weeds and pests in the sward
  3. It fixes nitrogen, reducing fertiliser needs
(c)Which finding would make an old pasture a candidate for reseeding?
  1. A low proportion of perennial ryegrass
  2. Plenty of productive white clover
  3. A soil pH near 6.3
Show the answers

(a) Higher palatability and sugar content

(b) It fixes nitrogen, reducing fertiliser needs

(c) A low proportion of perennial ryegrass

Your turn: Higher Level questions on Reseeding & sward composition.

Higher Level

Asked on 5 of the last 5 Higher Level papers, most recently in 2025. banker

Every paper, year by year

YearWhere it came up
2025Q18
2024Q10, Q13
2023Q17
2022Q13
2021Q13

Links open the State Examinations Commission’s paper for that year.

More Reseeding & sward composition questions

Reseeding & sward composition, 2 marks

What is a multi-species sward?

  1. A sward of a single ryegrass variety
  2. A mix of cereal crops
  3. A mix of grasses, legumes and herbs
Show the answer

A mix of grasses, legumes and herbs

Multi-species swards combine grasses, legumes such as clovers and herbs such as chicory and plantain, aiming for less fertiliser N and better drought tolerance.

Reseeding & sward composition, 3 marks

In a quadrat survey, what does % cover of a species measure?

  1. How many seeds it produced
  2. The share of the ground area it covers
  3. How many quadrats it was found in
Show the answer

The share of the ground area it covers

% cover is the proportion of the quadrat area covered by the species. % frequency is the proportion of quadrats in which it was present.

Reseeding & sward composition, 3 marks

Why does white clover add little growth in early spring?

  1. It needs warmer soil than ryegrass to grow
  2. It survives the winter only as seed in the soil
  3. All its stolons die off completely each winter
Show the answer

It needs warmer soil than ryegrass to grow

Clover starts growing at higher soil temperatures than ryegrass, so its share of the sward and its nitrogen supply peak in summer.

Ordinary Level

Asked on 3 of the last 5 Ordinary Level papers, most recently in 2024. most years

Every paper, year by year

YearWhere it came up
2025Not asked
2024Q13
2023Q13, Q13c, Q13d
2022Q18
2021Not asked

Links open the State Examinations Commission’s paper for that year.

More Reseeding & sward composition questions

Reseeding & sward composition, 2 marks

Why is white clover included in a grass reseed?

  1. It raises the soil pH
  2. It kills weeds in the sward
  3. It fixes nitrogen from the air
Show the answer

It fixes nitrogen from the air

Rhizobium in clover nodules fixes nitrogen, cutting the need for bag fertiliser. Clover also raises the feed value of the sward.

Reseeding & sward composition, 2 marks

A sign that an old pasture needs reseeding is?

  1. A soil pH of 6.3
  2. Little perennial ryegrass left in the sward
  3. Lots of perennial ryegrass in the sward
Show the answer

Little perennial ryegrass left in the sward

Old swards fill up with weed grasses like bent and Yorkshire fog. These grow less and are less digestible, so reseeding pays.

Reseeding & sward composition, 2 marks

A quadrat is used in a pasture to?

  1. Survey the plants growing in a set area
  2. Measure the soil pH of the pasture
  3. Weigh the grass eaten by the cattle
Show the answer

Survey the plants growing in a set area

Thrown at random many times, a quadrat samples the sward. Recording the species in each throw shows the botanical composition.

Other Agricultural Science topics

All of Leaving Cert Agricultural Science