Title: Default for MASTER-AGRI-1153-HB-Pralle
Course: MASTER-AGRI-1153-HB-Kern

Q: Which of the following is (are) considered necessary features for an area to be delineated as a wetland?
- hydric soils
- shallow standing water
- aquatic vegetation
- organic soils
- all choices are correct
A: all choices are correct

Q: A soil is said to be waterlogged or saturated when nearly all of the soil pores are filled with water.
- True
- False
A: True

Q: Respiration by the roots of upland plants usually depletes the O2 in the soil just outside of the root.
- True
- False
A: True

Q: Alternate freezing and thawing of soils results in the "heaving" of plants and the destruction of shallow building foundations.  This effect is due primarily to _____.
- the expansion of water when it freezes
- the wetting and drying of swelling-type clays
- pressure from upward movement of water from lower horizons
- the breaking down of soil aggregates due to freezing and thawing
- the hydration of adsorbed cations on the soil colloids
A: the expansion of water when it freezes

Q: The redox potential is a measure of _____.
- molecular oxygen content
- the tendency of a substance to accept or donate electrons
- carbon dioxide content
- the ferric ion content
- the balance between hydrogen and hydroxyl ions in solution.
A: the tendency of a substance to accept or donate electrons

Q: ___________ soils are saturated long enough during periods of enough biological activity to cause anaerobic conditions to occur and redoximorphic features and other hydric soil indicators to form.
- Organic
- Sodic
- Hydric
- Alkaline
- Acidic
A: Hydric

Q: The _________________ of a soil is determined by three primary factors:  a) solar radiation,  b) the specific heat of the soil, and  c) energy needed to evaporate soil water.
A: temperature

Q: The drainage of certain wetlands has resulted in extreme soil acidity. This is due primarily to which of the following processes that take place when the soil is drained?
- oxidation of organic materials to produce organic acids
- reduction of iron to low valent states that stimulate acidity
- release of nitric acid due to oxidation of nitrogen compounds _
- high redox potential characteristic of aerated soils
- oxidation of sulfur-bearing minerals that produces sulfuric acid
A: oxidation of sulfur-bearing minerals that produces sulfuric acid

Q: If you want to increase the pH of a soil from 5.5 to 7.0, which of the following would you use?
- burned limestone
- sulfur
- saw dust
- bat guano
A: burned limestone

Q: Sulfur can be used to increase soil acidity and to reduce alkalinity.
- True
- False
A: True

Q: Nitrogen fertilization is a significant cause of acidity in many cultivated soils.
- True
- False
A: True

Q: Alkalinity simply refers to pH levels above neutral (>7.0) and is not to be confused with alkali conditions which involve high levels of exchangeable sodium.
- True
- False
A: True

Q: ___________ tend to accumulate naturally in some soils of arid and semiarid regions because there is insufficient rainfall to flush them from the upper soil layers.
- Organic matter
- Gravel
- Salt
- Limestone
A: Salt

Q: Sodic soils have the sodium levels of saline-sodic soils without the moderating influences of the neutral salts.
- True
- False
A: False

Q: Which of the following human actions is most apt to result in a long term increase in soil pH?
- application of NH_4^- containing fertilizers
- application of farm manure
- irrigation with high sodium salt-containing waters
- emission of gases from automobiles
- application of unlimed sewage sludge
A: irrigation with high sodium salt-containing waters

Q: Phosphorus availability in acid soils is constrained by the presence of significant quantities of reactive ______.
- Iron
- Calcium
- Boron
- Nitrogen
A: Iron

Q: In strongly acid soils, Aluminum plays a very significant role.  The colloidal complex is dominated by Al^3+ ions and associated hydroxy-aluminum ions (e.g. Al(OH)^2+) complemented by a low level of adsorbed H^+ ions.  Much of the Al^3+ and H^+ is bound tightly in the organic matter and on clay crystal edges, and is not readily exchangeable.
- True
- False
A: True

Q: The total acidity in soils is the sum of the active, exchangeable (salt replaceable) and residual pools of soil acidity.
- True
- False
A: True

Q: The three forms of soil acidity suggest that a mechanism exists to resist rapid and uncontrolled drastic changes in the active pool of soil acidity.  This resistance is called ___________________.
- Buffering
- Trifecta
- Osmosis
- Anhydrous ammonia
A: Buffering

Q: Adding the proper amount of  _____________ to soil raises the pH of acidic soils.  It not only maintains the levels of exchangeable calcium and magnesium but also in so doing also provides a chemical and physical environment that encourages the growth of most common plants. Ground calcite (CaCO_3) and dolomite (CaCO_3 - MgCO_3) are the primary carbonate sources that are widely used around the world.
- Nitrogen
- Lime
- Sulfur
- Innoculant
A: Lime

Q: Normal alkaline soils are characterized by all but which one of the following?
- low levels of available iron
- high levels of molybdenum
- high levels of exchangeable sodium
- low levels of available manganese
- low levels of available boron
A: high levels of exchangeable sodium

Q: The cation exchange capacities of alkaline soils are generally higher than those of acid soils (Vertisols excepted).  Which of the following characteristics of alkaline soils most likely accounts for this high CEC?
- high humus content
- high content of hydrous oxides of iron and aluminum
- high exchangeable calcium
- high exchangeable sodium content
- high content of 2:1 type clays
A: high content of 2:1 type clays

Q: Normal alkaline soils often exhibit deficiencies of available iron and manganese.
- True
- False
A: True

Q: Saline soils are characteristic of arid and semiarid areas with poor internal drainage.
- True
- False
A: True

Q: Sulfuric acid is sometimes added to irrigation water to help in the reclamation of sodic soils.
- True
- False
A: True

Q: Conservation tillage can help reduce salt build up by reducing surface evaporation.
- True
- False
A: True

Q: Which of the following groups of organisms are responsible for greatest amount of organic matter decomposition in soils?
- macrofauna
- larvae
- mesophauna
- Microfauna
- microflora
A: microflora

Q: ____________  and ____________ are the two most important groups of microscopic animals living in soils that have both beneficial and negative effects on the soil and plant growth conditions.
- nematodes, protazoa
- earthworms, gophers
- moles, nematodes
- beetles, larvae
A: nematodes, protazoa

Q: Earthworms are encouraged by soils high in organic matter, lime, and with good drainage. Very acid and very sandy conditions, as well as extensive tillage, are detrimental to most earthworms.
- True
- False
A: True

Q: Like other ecosystems, soil ecosystems are characterized by ___________________ that include many species at each of the main trophic levels including primary producers, primary consumers (include herbivores and detritivores), secondary and tertiary consumers.  The diversity of soil organisms is an important factor of soil quality and ecosystem function.
- food webs
- biomass
- layers
- none of the above
A: food webs

Q: A healthy soil community is likely to minimize problems with plant ______________, which cause economic yield losses, through a complex set of ecological interactions, including microbial antagonisms, development of disease suppressive soils, and induced systemic resistance.
- fertilizers
- biomass
- Pathogens
- all of the answers are correct
A: Pathogens

Q: Soil microflora consists of algae, bacteria, fungi, and actinomycetes. Even though the microflora is much for numerous and diverse, the impact it makes on the soil ecosystem is enhance in many ways by the presence of _____________.
- fauna
- soil seed bank
- rhizosphere
- nitrogen
A: fauna

Q: Most anaerobic organisms in soils are ____________.
- macrofauna
- termites and ants
- earthworms
- Bacteria
A: Bacteria

Q: Carbon cycles from the atmosphere to plants to soil organic matter and back to the atmosphere.
- True
- False
A: True

Q: The oceans act as a buffer for atmospheric carbon dioxide by dissolving or releasing large quantities, but fossil fuel burning and soil organic matter depletion add more carbon to the atmosphere each year than the oceans take out, resulting in rising levels of carbon dioxide that are believed to be the main cause of ___________________.
- acid rain
- global warming
- nautical phasmidation
- 2, 4, 5 - T (agent orange)
A: global warming

Q: Soils with more than 20 to 30% organic matter (depending on clay content) are termed organic soils and are classified in the Histosols order in Soil taxonomy.
- True
- False
A: True

Q: ___________ mined from Histosols are commercially used for potting media and mulches. They are light weight, hold much water, and have a high nutrient holding capacity (though often low in nutrient as found).
- Organic matter
- Peats
- Fertilizers
- Soil colloids
A: Peats

Q: Soil organic matter content is determined by the balance between humification and oxidation of the plant residues that reach the soil. Greater plant productivity generally results in greater amounts of residues and hence greater soil organic matter.
- True
- False
A: True

Q: Soil organic matter influences plants directly when plants take up growth stimulating components, and when plants are affected by allelopathy. An allelopathy is defined as:
- refers to the chemical inhibition of one species by another. The "inhibitory" chemical is released into the environment where it affects the development and growth of neighboring plants.
- when two plants that share the same growing space exhibit the same characteristics as they mature and develop.
- refers to the need for plants to grow with other plants in a form of relationship meeting each others needs and aspirations.
- no answers are correct
A: refers to the chemical inhibition of one species by another. The "inhibitory" chemical is released into the environment where it affects the development and growth of neighboring plants.

Q: The ratio of carbon to nitrogen in organic residues exerts a major influence over the rate of decomposition and the balance between immobilization and mineralization. In material with a C/N ratio greater than 25, nitrogen is likely to be immobilized from the soil solution causing a period of _______________ to occur.
- clinical mastitis
- nitrogen depression
- greenhouse effect
- leaching
A: nitrogen depression

Q: Nitrogen is a component of which essential plant compounds?
- proteins
- chlorophyll
- enzymes
- DNA
- each of these answers are correct
A: each of these answers are correct

Q: Plants obtain nitrogen from the soil by taking up ______.
- soluble anions
- soluble cations
- soluble organic compounds
- all answers are correct
A: all answers are correct

Q: Negatively charged nitrate ions are not adsorbed by negatively charged humus and clay and therefore move through most soil profiles with the drainage water. This process can contaminate groundwater and eventually surface waters.  It is called _____________.
- leaching of nitrate
- nitrification
- fixation
- volatilization of nitrate
A: leaching of nitrate

Q: The overall process by which plant-available mineral nitrogen is released from organic compounds is termed ____________.  It is a major source of nitrogen for plant uptake, even in fertilized agricultural soils.
- mineralization
- immobilization
- volatilization
- denitrification
A: mineralization

Q: The reverse of mineralization is termed _____________, a process by which microbes incorporate mineral nitrogen from the soil solution into the organic compounds in their cells. Most (>95%) of soil N is in organic forms that are protected from loss but not directly available to plants.
- anti-mineralization
- immobilization
- volitolization
- fixation
A: immobilization

Q: Sulfur is a constituent of several amino acids and vitamins found in both plants and animals.  However, it is NOT an important factor in determining the nutritional quality of foods.
- True
- False
A: False

Q: Sulfur oxides, along with those of nitrogen, are the source of the acids that caused _____________, a widespread environmental problem thought to be responsible for killing fish in lakes, killing trees in forests, and depleting soils of their nutrients.
- acid rain
- nitrogen fixation
- sulfuric rain
- Chernobylization
A: acid rain

Q: In order for nitrate to form from soil organic matter, _____ must be present in the soil.
- Nitrosomonas
- Nitrobacter
- both are required
- at least one of the options is required
A: both are required

Q: Compared to gypsum, elemental sulfur is sometimes considered a more desirable fertilizer material because _____
- it contains a higher concentration of Nutrient Sulfur, pound for pound and is more efficient to apply.
- it causes less soil acidity than gypsum.
- plants respond to sulfur more rapidly.
- all answers are correct
A: it contains a higher concentration of Nutrient Sulfur, pound for pound and is more efficient to apply.

Q: In various parts of the world, soil phosphorus is associated with which of the following environmental problems?
- Acid rain
- eutrophication of lakes because of a build-up of soil P in the watersheds
- both are answers are correct
- no answers are correct
A: eutrophication of lakes because of a build-up of soil P in the watersheds

Q: Water containing more than 45 ppm nitrate (10 ppm nitrate-nitrogen) is considered unfit as drinking water because of the danger of methemoglobinemia (Blue Baby Syndrome) in human infants and ruminant livestock.
- True
- False
A: True

Q: The majority of P is lost by leaching because of the strong affinity for P by soil iron and aluminum.
- True
- False
A: False

Q: Most P losses occur as P in removed plant and animal biomass, P adsorbed to eroded sediment, or P dissolved in runoff water.
- True
- False
A: True

Q: ________________ is an essential macronutrient for plants (and for all animals as well). Its many roles include cellular energy transfer via ATP, genetic inheritance via DNA, protein and enzyme synthesis via RNA, and cellular membrane function via phospholipids.
- Phosphorus
- Potassium
- Sulfur
- Nitrogen
- Calcium
A: Phosphorus

Q: _______________ serves mainly osmotic functions and enzyme activation functions.  Deficient levels lead to low rates of many plant metabolic processes, low disease and drought tolerance, late maturity, and, in severe cases, can be diagnosed by the occurrence of necrotic margins on the older leaves.
- Potassium
- Nitrogen
- Phosphorus
- Sulfur
- Calcium
A: Potassium

Q: Although large amounts of potassium can be productively used by certain high potassium demanding crops (e.g. potato or alfalfa), some plants may take up potassium beyond the amount needed for optimum growth, a potentially wasteful phenomenon known as __________________.
- luxury consumption
- potassium imbibation
- wasteful nutrification
- Living like Larry
- Jack Horner's Syndrome
A: luxury consumption

Q: Deficient levels of Potassium lead to low rates of many plant metabolic processes, low disease and drought tolerance, late maturity, and, in severe cases, can be diagnosed by the occurrence of necrotic margins on the older leaves.
- True
- False
A: True

Q: Match the following nutrient deficiencies with the symptoms.
- New leaves are distorted and irregularly shaped. Causes blossom-end rot. | Calcuim
- General yellowing of older leaves toward the bottom of the plant. Newer leaves are often light green in color. | Nitrogen
- Leaf tips sometimes appear burnt, older leaves turning a dark green or reddish-purple. | Phosphorus
- Older leaves may wilt, look scorched at the outer margins, beginning at the base of the leaf. | Potassium
- Interveinal chlorosis (Yellowing occurs between the veins of the young leaves, veins stay dark green) | Iron, Zinc and Manganese symptoms
- Younger leaves turn yellow first, sometimes followed by older leaves (the reverse of Nitrogen symptoms) | Sulfur

Q: Match the following fertilizer descriptions to there common names:
- Urea, white dry granular source of Nitrogen | 46-0-0
- Diammonium Phosphate, dry granular | 18-46-0
- Monoammonium Phosphate, dry granular | 11-52-0
- Anhydrous Ammonia, NH3, Nitrogen fertilizer applied as a gas | 82-0-0
- Muriate of Potash, KCL, Pink granular fertilizer | 0-0-60
- Liquid source of Nitrogen, Brown color, 28 to 32% UAN (urea-ammonium nitrate) | 28-0-0

Q: Most micronutrients function as components, or activators of various enzymes that control all aspects of plant physiology. The deficiency of many of the micronutrients produces characteristic symptoms on the plant which can be useful in making a diagnosis. A small dose of a needed micronutrient can often produce a dramatic increase in plant growth and vigor.
- True
- False
A: True

Q: ____________ is the most plentiful cation on the exchange complex of nearly all soils that are not so acidic as to have a high aluminum saturation. For this reason, deficiencies of this nutrient are quite rare for most plants, except in very acid soils.
- Sulfur
- Cacium
- Phosphorus
- Nitrogen
A: Cacium

Q: Match the following soil conservation concepts and descriptions:
- Farming with the terraces, perpendicular to the slope of the ground to reduce water erosion. | contour tillage/farming
- Farming narrow strips perpendicular to the slope, alternating grass, close-growing crops or fallow with cultivated crops. | contour strip cropping
- A raised, nearly level strip of earth usually constructed on the contour. Designed to make land suitable for farming and to prevent accelerated erosion by diverting water slowly either to a grassy area or waterway or tile outlet drainage system. | terrace systems
- Grass covered areas shaped to receive water that has been diverted from the area of crop production. Usually a drainage point for terraces. | grassed waterways
- Growing and raising crops without little or no use of tillage of the soil. Increases field residue levels and reduces erosion. Requires more reliance on chemical control of pests. | no-till farming
- Dead plant material from the prior crop that reduces soil erosion and soil evaporation and increases the total organic matter of the cropland. | Crop residue

Q: The revised universal soil-loss equation (RUSLE) differs from USLE in all ways but one of the following.
- reflects the effects of raindrops striking the soil
- accounts for seasonal changes such as freezing and thawing
- divides the year into 15 day intervals for the cropping sequence factor
- uses greatly modified soil erodibility factors
- considers the effects of surface or near-surface residues at different times of the year
A: uses greatly modified soil erodibility factors

Q: Modern nutrient management is designed to _____________.
- cost-effectively produce quality plants
- protect or improve environmental quality
- protect or improve soil quality
- conserve nutrient resources
- all answers are correct
A: all answers are correct

Q: Concentrated animal production as is practiced in modern industrial agriculture usually results in nutrient excesses in the area of the livestock operation.
- True
- False
A: True

Q: Match the following - 2 points each
- Phosphorus is the essential component of this "energy currency", which is an organic compound that drives most biochemical processes. | Adenosine Triphosphate ATP
- Overfertilization | Eutrophication
- Found in relatively high levels in most mineral soils, generally greater than that of any other major nutrient element. With the exception of those consisting of mostly quartz sand. | Potassium
- This element is not as suceptable to leaching as the other mentioned in this chapter. | Phosphorus

Q: Sheet, rill and gully erosion are all caused by _________________.
- Wind
- Water
- Gravity
- Glaciers
A: Water

Q: The term for soil dust particles being transported parallel to the ground surface and forced upward in to the atmosphere, only returning to the earth's surface when the wind subsides or when precipitation washes them down.
- saltation
- dust bowl
- soil creep
- suspension
- loess
A: suspension