AGRONOMY 114 EXAM 2 NAME:________________________
Please mark the best answer on your answer
sheet (must use a No. 2 pencil)
1.
If the water requirement of Variety Ace is 200 units higher than Variety
Diamond during a 150-day growing season, and both crops yield the same, then
a) the irrigation
frequency should be higher for Variety Diamond
b) the wilting
point of the soil will be reached sooner using Variety Ace
c) sprinkler
irrigation would be more suitable for Variety Diamond than Variety Ace
d) then the soil
of Variety Diamond was probably sandier than the soil of Variety Ace
e) the amount of
water needed for irrigation would be higher for Variety Diamond than Variety
Ace
2.
A trained seed analysts in official seed testing laboratories typically
conduct the following tests
a) germination and cracked seeds
b) germination
and purity
c) seedling vigor
and purity
d) protein and
oil
e) germination
and carbohydrates
3.
For an organic farmer which goal of tillage is most important for
obtaining good crop stands
a) seed bed preparation
b) incorporating
residues
c) mixing
fertilizer
d) controlling
weeds
e) conserving
soil
4.
Seed is likely to be planted on a ridge in a
a) semi-arid area
with sandy soil
b) semi-arid area
with loam soil
c) humid area
with clay loam soil
d) humid area
with sandy soil
e) subhumid
area with loam soil
5.
Dormancy in planting alfalfa seed is
a) good insurance
for stand loss after planting
b) desirable in 3
year-old stands
c) desirable in
northern climatic regimes
d) influenced by
soil organic matter
e) not
particularly useful in establishing alfalfa fields
6.
If soil from an old riverbed were transported by a strong wind, in what
order would you expect the particles to drop as wind speeds decrease?
a) sand, silt,
clay
b) sand, clay,
silt
c) clay, sand,
silt
d) silt, clay,
sand
e) clay, silt,
sand
7.
You are a plant breeder and have been assigned the task of adapting a
completely new plant species into a specific area where this crop has never been
grown before. The principal method of
plant breeding you would first use would be
a) backcross
hybridization
b) cloning
c) hybridization
d) introduction
e) selection
8.
Plants that reproduce sexually go through gametogenesis,
pollination and fertilization. During gametogenesis,
a) meiosis
increases the number of chromosomes from haploid to diploid
b) the male
gametes are transferred to the female gametes
c) the male and
female gametes are fused together
d) meiosis
occurs, and haploid microspores and megaspores are produced
e) there is
triple fusion and the development of triploid pollen cells
9.
You have been growing seed for a seed company and planted 100% yellow
soybean seed. You know that yellow seedcoat color is recessive to brown seed coat color. When you harvest the certified soybean seed
you find one brown seed. Out of
curiosity you plant it and harvest seed from it. What ratio would you expect?
a) 3 browns, 1 yellow
b) all yellow
c) 3 yellows, 1 brown
d) 1 brown, 2 light yellows, and 1 yellow
e) ˝ brown and ˝ yellow
10.
Summer-fallowing
a) is used when
irrigation is economical
b) eliminates
water loss from the field
c) is
conventional tillage minus the use of a moldboard plow
d) permits the
conservation of moisture from one growing season so a crop may be produced the
second season
e) is
accomplished by maintaining a short but complete ground cover
11.
The success of "delayed seedbed preparation" depends upon
a) waiting until
the crop seedlings are firmly established
b) tilling to a
depth of 6 inches or less after planting the first time
c) not bringing
new-weed seeds to the surface
d) acceptance by
the farmer of "minimum tillage philosophy"
e) tilling fast
enough to "throw" small weed seedlings out of the soil while injuring
few crop seedlings
12.
Which of the following would you normally expect to encounter when
switching from a clean tillage system to a slot (no-till) planting system?
a) earlier
planting
b) more crop
residue interference with seed placement
c) drier soils in
early spring
d) greater
dependence on mechanical weed control
e) greater soil
erosion
13.
For a typical 80 ha (200 A) farm in the Midwest
a) most of the
annual water used is for livestock rather than for crops
b) a family of 4
will probably use more water annually than 100 acres of corn and soybeans
c) more soil
water is retained in plants than is transpired
d) nearly 100% of
the total annual water used on the farm is evaporated or transpired
e) photosynthesis
accounts for nearly 100% of the farm water use
14.
Which of the following does not result in the production of a pure line?
a) synthetic
variety
b) pedigree method
c) inbreeding of
maize lines for later hybridization
d) bulk method
e) backcross method
15.
This primary tillage implement is used mainly in areas with limited
rainfall.
a) sweep plow
b) powered rotary
tiller
c) disk plow
d) moldboard plow
e) field
cultivator
16.
The chemical and physical properties of soils are largely controlled by
what factor(s) that reduce(s) the loss of essential nutrients by attracting
ions to its surface.
a) microorganisms
b) humus and clay
c) coarse soil
structure
d) available
water
e) the proportion
of sand and salt
17.
Draining excess moisture from the soil generally promotes the following
condition
a) shallower rooting
zone
b) cooler soil
c) decreased soil
aeration
d) increased
activity of aerobic microorganisms
e) increased weed
control problems
18.
Which of the following combinations of soil particles would have the
greatest micropore space? Assume an equal volume with only the ratios
within the volume changing.
a) 50% clay and 50% sand
b) 50% clay and 50% silt
c) 50% sand and 50% silt
d) 30% sand, 30% silt and 40% clay
e) 85% clay and 15% sand
19.
A soybean field has plants in low lying areas that contain yellow
leaves. Upon completion of a soil test,
these low areas were found to have a soil pH of 8.0. The yellow leaves were probably caused by a
a) magnesium
deficiency
b) phosphorus
deficiency
c) potassium
deficiency
d) calcium deficiency
e) iron deficiency
20.
The lowest test weight required to meet U.S. No. 2 grade standards would
be found for grains that normally are transported with their hulls attached
such as
a) soybeans
b) corn
c) wheat
d) oats
e) grain sorghum
21.
High salt levels in the soil profile
a) make
vegetables tastier
b) reduce the
amount of available water
c) increase total
water
d) decrease total
water
e) occur more
often in humid areas
22.
Certified seed is classified according to generation. The following is a correct order of names for
the increase of seeds listed.
a) breeder -
certified - foundation - registered
b) breeder -
foundation – registered - certified
c) certified -
registered - foundation
d) foundation -
certified- registered
e) foundation -
breeder - registered-certified
23.
Assume you have some wheat seed and you want to plant it but you have
not had it tested. You need to know
within two days how many seeds could be expected to emerge in the field. You will have the following test completed
a) cold test
b) germination
test
c) purity
analysis
d) sodium
hypochlorite test
e) tetrazolium
test
24.
The "C" horizon is
a) characterized
by clay accumulation
b) high in
organic matter
c) the parent
material of a soil
d) located above
the "B" horizon
e) the zone of
fibrous root proliferation
25.
What is the likely reason for poor alfalfa emergence when the alfalfa
seed was broadcasted on the soil surface with a companion crop and disked and
harrowed in the soil?
a) poor depth
placement of seed
b) lack of soil
coverage of the majority of seed
c) poor choice of
the companion crop
d) poor
fertilizer placement resulting in fertilizer burn
e) low
photosynthetic rates of alfalfa seedlings
26.
Which of the following statements about "time" and
"soils" is true?
a) young soils
usually have more profile development than older soils
b) formation of
residual soils takes place in a relatively short time
c) young soils
usually have more eroded soil surfaces than mature soils
d) mature soils
usually have better developed external drainage
e) glacial soils
are usually not affected by time
27.
Which of these pairs of terms are matched correctly?
a) glacial-residual
b) water-loess
c) wind-alluvial
d) water-lacustrine
e) water-colluvial
28.
A seed lot whose seeds stain red in the Tetrazolium
(TZ) test, but remain firm and do not imbibe water during germination are
likely
a) hard seed
b) non-viable
seed
c) non-vigorous
seed
d) annual row
crop seed
e) old seed
29.
Moisture stress in drought conditions
a) increases the
ability of the plant to obtain water from the soil particle film
b) is caused by
the suction with which the soil holds moisture and the osmotic pressure of the
soil solution
c) is when all
the macropores of the soil are filled with water
d) is a condition
which occurs when a soil is at field capacity
e) occurs in a
clay loam soil at a lower percent moisture than in a sandy loam soil
30. To be able to legally sell oat seed for
planting purposes the following is a requirement
a) the seed must not contain certified weed seed
b) the seed must be tested for germination within the last 2
years
c) the seed must be registered seed
d) germination percentage, if not known, must be listed as 0%
e) no primary noxious weed seed can be present
31.
Higher plant populations of corn and soybean usually have greater evapotranspiration than lower populations because they
a) have greater etiolation
b) allow greater
evaporation from the soil
c) cause a
reduction in transpiration but an increase in evaporation
d) produce a
greater leaf area index
e) have less
lodging
32.
Spreading ground limestone on soil to reduce soil acidity is a common
agricultural practice. Which is not a benefit of liming acidic soils?
a) improves soil
texture
b) benefits soil
organisms that decompose organic material
c) increases the
availability of phosphorus and potassium
d) adds some
nutrients like calcium
e) lowers the
amount of hydrogen ions in the soil solution
33.
Which must exist in order for the plant breeder to select superior
plants?
a) an F1
generation
b) an artificial
hybridization
c) a homogeneous
population
d) genetic
variation
e) a changing
environment
34.
Irrigation frequency for a crop would increase for a(n)
a) heavier soil
compared to a sandier soil
b) deeper rooted
crop compared to a shallower rooted crop
c) crop of LAI =
3 compared to one at LAI = 4
d) area that has
an average vapor pressure deficit of 5 compared to 15
e) soil in a semi
arid region compared with one in a sub humid region
35.
Given that the tropics are characterized by high temperatures, high
levels of rainfall, and very weathered soils, which of the following statements
describes the topsoils of a tropical rainforest?
a) poor
differentiation of horizons
b) absence of O
horizons
c) high in
alluvium
d) very deep
e) acid pH
36. Crop species vary in the degree of tolerance
to saline soil conditions. Which crops would
be most sensitive to saline soil environments?
a) forage clovers
b) forage grasses
c) small grains
d) cereal crops
e) fiber crops
37.
PLS is a numerical index of seed quality that includes measurements of
a) germination
and seedling vigor
b) germination
and damaged kernels
c) germination,
broken kernels and foreign material
d) germination,
dormancy, other crops
e) germination
and purity percentages of the seed lot
38.
Soybean variety A is resistant to phytophthora
root rot (RR) but is low yielding and variety B is susceptible (rr) but high yielding. You are developing a new variety C by the
backcross method.
a) the plants in
the third backcross generation are all resistant
b) resistant
plants are crossed to variety B in successive backcross generations
c) resistant plants are crossed to variety A in successive backcross
generations
d) the plants in
variety C would look more like those in variety A than those in variety B
e) after six
backcrosses to variety B the plants would still be highly heterogeneous
39.
A major reason for hybridizing two lines of a self pollinated crop in a
breeding program is
a) to combine the
desirable traits of two parents into a pure line progeny
b) to develop a
F1 hybrid variety
c) to develop a
synthetic variety
d) to develop
double crosses
e) to develop dioecious plants
40.
What is the most significant contribution of soil organic matter?
a) its influence
on soil structure and increasing soil porosity
b) by increasing
the parent material
c) the black
color which absorbs heat and warms up the soil
d) the salt
content of the organic matter which increases the osmotic pressure of the soil
solution
e) the reduction of the available water in the soil at the
permanent wilting percentage
41.
Which term is used in Special Grade Designations in grain grading?
a) Ergoty
b) Heat Damage
c) Dockage
d) Durum
e) Sample Grade
42.
If low % germination seed is used for planting a crop, which of the following
is true?
a) a low
germination % will reduce stands but seedlings will be more vigorous than
normal
b) a low
germination % will increase yield but reduce seedling vigor
c) a low
germination % will increase yield and stand counts (plants/square foot)
d) a low
germination % will reduce yield and seedling vigor in weedy fields
e) a low
germination % will increase seedling vigor and reduce yield
43.
A sample of birdsfoot trefoil seed contains 7%
inert material, 10% alfalfa, 3% common weed seed, 5% hard seed, 16% moisture
and has a germination of 65%
a) it is legal
for sale
b) it is safe for
permanent storage
c) the pure live
seed percentage is below 60%
d) the viable
seed is less than 65%
e) this seed
would be classified as sample grade
44. A
soil was found to have poor drainage because of an impervious layer in the soil
approximately 12 inches deep.
Which of the following most likely would
improve drainage?
a) rotary tillage
b) subsoiling
c) sweep tillage
d) chisel-plow planting
e) till plant
45. How many times must a grain sample of 4000g be
divided through a Boerner divider to obtain two
representative samples of 125g each?
a) 2
b) 3
c) 4
d) 5
e) you can’t
divide a 4000g sample into two, 125g samples and keep both of them
representative of the original sample
46.
Suppose Farmer Amy brought 10,000 bushels of soybeans to a country
elevator which graded No. 1 for Test Weight, No. 3 for heat damaged kernels and
No. 2 for splits. And Farmer Bob brought
in 20,000 bushels of soybeans to the same elevator which graded No. 3 for Test
Weight, No. 3 for splits, and No. 2 for heat damaged kernels. The local elevator would most likely
a) blend the two
lots and ship it on a train as U.S. No. 2 yellow soybeans
b) keep the lots
separate and market it as Farmer Amy’s grain or Farmer Bob’s grain
c) blend the two
lots and ship it as U.S. No. 3 yellow soybeans
d) blend the two
lots and ship it as U.S. No. 3 Mixed soybeans
e) ship 1/6th
of the grain as U.S. No. 1, ˝ of the grain as U.S. No. 3 and 1/3rd
of the grain as U.S. No. 2
47.
Gail Pullen, a 1908 graduate of ISU, farmed 400 acres near Whiting. In
1916 he planted 180 acres to corn and averaged 45 bushels per acre yield.
Today, Gail's daughter-in-law grows corn on the same land, but can regularly
expect to produce 200 to 240 bushels per acre of corn. The major factor
accounting for the differing yield expectations between these two generations
of farmers is the introduction in the 1930's of high yielding corn hybrids that
take advantage of
a) double
fertilization
b) triple fusion
c) segregation
d) heterosis
e) integration
48.
During the 1960's Canadian and Mexican Agronomists developed high
yielding cultivars of wheat ( a self-pollinated crop).
These plant types produced superior
yields because they were genetic dwarfs.
This meant that under high nitrogen fertility they
would not grow tall and lodge, but rather remain small and produce high
yield. Which breeding method do you suppose helped these agronomists to rapidly
identify and select for dwarfness in the F2 and F3
generations?
a) back-cross, with a dwarf recurrent
parent
b) pedigree
method
c) synthetic
method
d) bulk method
e) irradiation
with ultra-violet light
49.
If the test weight of 86,000 pounds of net weight yellow corn is 50 lbs.
per bushel and the weight of a normal bushel of yellow corn is 56 lbs per
bushel, then how many bushels will the farmer be paid
for?
a) 860
b) 86,000 minus 12%
c) 86,000 minus 6 pounds per bushel
d) 1500
e) 1680
50.
The equation P = G + E is often used to explain variability among
plants. Which of the following
statements about this equation is true?
a) E modifies P
b) P is a symbol that represents plants
c) E represents the portion of
heritability that cannot be explained by inheritance and environment
d) plant breeders
genetically manipulate E to obtain the greatest plant improvement
e) G = P + E
AGRONOMY
114 EXAM 1
Item # Answer
1
2
2 2
3
1
4
3
5
5
6
1
7
4
8
4
9
1
10
4
11 3
12
2
13 4
14
1
15
1
16
2
17
4
18
5
19
5
20
4
21
2
22
2
23
5
24
3
25
1
26
4
27
4
28
1
29
2
30
5
31
4
32
1
33
4
34
5
35 5
36
1
37
5
38
2
39
1
40
1
41
1
42
4
43
3
44
2
45
4
46
1
47
4
48 2
49
4
50
1