Name: 
 

2008 National Agronomy Test



Multiple Choice
Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
 

 1. 

Prolonged applications of animal manure or biosolids can result in a build up of which of these nutrients?
a.
Phosphorus
b.
Nitrogen
c.
Potassium
d.
Sulfur
 

 2. 

The secondary nutrients are:
a.
Calcium, manganese, and sulfur
c.
Copper, magnesium, and sodium
b.
Calcium, magnesium, and sulfur
d.
Sulfur, calcium,and phosphorus
 

 3. 

Mary Hill owns a wheat farm in Kansas. The soil tests show she needs to apply 45 lbs. of nitrogen per acre to meet her crop goals. She has decided to apply anhydrous ammonia which contains approximately 82% nitrogen to her half section (320 acres) which will be in crop. If anhydrous ammonia costs $.62 per pound, what will it cost her to fertilizer?
a.
$10,888
c.
$34.02
b.
$27.90
d.
$8,928
 

 4. 

Your rice plant has yellow lower leaves. The newer leaves appear green. The intermediate leaves show yellowing from the tip down the midvein. Which nutrient deficiency possibly caused this damage?
a.
Phosphorus
b.
Sulfur
c.
Boron
d.
Nitrogen
 

 5. 

Which of the following crops which consumes the most nitrogen whether as commercial fertilizer or as biologically fixed nitrogen?
a.
Corn
b.
Potatoes
c.
Alfalfa
d.
Cotton
 

 6. 

Given the atomic weight of potassium is 39.1 and oxygen is 16, what is the percentage of potassium in 100 pounds of K2O?
a.
83%
c.
39.1%
b.
42%
d.
none of these are correct
 

 7. 

A soil is classified as “acid” if it has a pH
a.
Below 6.5
c.
That is neutral
b.
Higher than 7.5
d.
Has no pH
 

 8. 

Which of the following soil components has the largest surface area per cubic foot of soil?
a.
Sand
b.
Silt
c.
Clay
d.
Metals
 

 9. 

Which of the following soil types would have the highest Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC)?
a.
Sand
c.
Silt loam
b.
Sandy clay loam
d.
Muck
 

 10. 

Which of the following is NOT a micronutrient needed for plant growth?
a.
Boron
b.
Iodine
c.
Zinc
d.
Manganese
 

 11. 

The endosperm is ____________ to an emerging seed?
a.
The starchy food source
c.
Protection for the plumule
b.
The first root
d.
The embryo
 

 12. 

Hybrid corn variety 3257 is ready for picking in 110 days in Fairfield, Michigan but it takes 120 days for the same corn to be ready in Fairfield, Washington. The best explanation for this difference in:
a.
Rainfall
c.
Sub-soil structure
b.
Degree days
d.
Soil texture
 

 13. 

In corn production, VE refers to:
a.
Emergence
c.
Silking
b.
3rd leaf collar
d.
Tassel emergence
 

 14. 

The first true leaves on a soybean plant are __________.
a.
Cotyledons
c.
Trifoliate
b.
Unifoliate
d.
Parallel veined
 

 15. 

Which of the following species has a spiked inflorescence?
a.
Tomato
c.
Timothy
b.
Kentucky bluegrass
d.
Oats
 

 16. 

Which of the following weed species is a biennial?
a.
Pigweed
c.
Wild carrot
b.
Canada thistle
d.
Johnsongrass
 

 17. 

In small grain production (rice, wheat, rye, barley, or oats), which of the following leaves is most important to grain fill?
a.
The flag leaf
c.
All leaves are equally important
b.
Leaves produced while tillering
d.
None of these are correct
 

 18. 

What role does phosphorus play in a plant?
a.
It is a primary component of cellulose
b.
It is used for energy storage and transfer
c.
It is part of the lignin in a plant
d.
It is a primary compound in sugars
 

 19. 

On a grass plant which part is a clasp-like structure located where the blade attaches to the stem?
a.
Ligule
c.
Auricle
b.
Apical meristem
d.
Root
 

 20. 

Which of the following structures would be considered an underground stem?
a.
Seed
b.
Auricle
c.
Rhizome
d.
Nodule
 

 21. 

Certain genetic lines of corn, soybeans, and cotton have been genetically modified to be tolerant to what commonly used herbicide:
a.
2,4-D
b.
Atrazine
c.
Roundup
d.
Poast
 

 22. 

The broadleaf weeds in your corn field are showing a white coloration. Which of the following herbicide types would most likely cause such injury?
a.
Growth regulator
c.
Amino acid inhibitor
b.
Cell membrane disrupter
d.
Pigment inhibitor
 

 23. 

The movement of pesticides downward through the soil to the water table is called ________.
a.
Runoff
c.
Leaching
b.
Drift
d.
Back-siphoning
 

 24. 

One of the best ways to avoid herbicide resistance from occurring is to:
a.
Continue to use the same herbicide, just at higher rates.
b.
Let weeds that have escaped go to seed.
c.
Use herbicides with different modes of action to control weeds.
d.
Rotate to a different crop but use the same herbicide.
 

 25. 

Looking at the Accent 4DF label what does the DF stand for?
a.
Dispersible flowable
c.
Dissolved formulation
b.
Dry flowable
d.
Dissolved fluoride
 

 26. 

The reason for adding liquid fertilizer solution to pesticide applications is to:
a.
Optimize the pesticide’s activity
b.
Aid in the penetration and absorption of the pesticide
c.
Aid in the translocation of the pesticide to the active side
d.
All of these are correct
 

 27. 

Which of the following statements is found on all pesticide labels?
a.
Keep out of reach of children.
b.
Danger - Fatal if swallowed.
c.
Harmful to fish and wildlife.
d.
Caution - May cause skin irritation.
 

 28. 

Soil herbicides that exhibit differential selectivity is generally based on what?
a.
Placement
b.
Differential metabolism
c.
Physiological morphogensis
d.
Placement AND Differential metabolism
 

 29. 

Paraquat is a contact herbicide extensively used in many cropping systems. This material is not effective against perennial weeds such as ___________.
a.
Eastern black nightshade
c.
Canada thistle
b.
Common lambsquarters
d.
Redroot pigweed
 

 30. 

You are doing a banding application of a pesticide. Your band width  is 12 inches. Your nozzles are 35 inches apart. Your speed is 4.5 MPH. You are using 12 gallons per acre. What is your nozzle output?
a.
0.11 GPM
b.
0.38 GPM
c.
0.32 GPM
d.
0.25 GPM
 

 31. 

Which is the following weeds contains alkaloids that can cause hallucinations or death if ingested?
a.
Wild carrot
c.
Jimsonweed
b.
Common lambsquarters
d.
Dandelion
 

 32. 

Barley yellow dwarf is caused by _________.
a.
Virus
b.
Bacteria
c.
Fungi
d.
Pollution
 

 33. 

Which of the following insects is necessary for pollinating vegetable crops such as cucumber, watermelon, and cantaloupe?
a.
Grasshopper
c.
Honeybee
b.
Gypsy moth
d.
Corn earworm
 

 34. 

Your oat crop has a black growth where the seed should be. This blows in the wind. This disease is probably caused by __________.
a.
Bacteria
c.
Virus
b.
Fungi
d.
Herbicide
 

 35. 

Johnsongrass is a primary noxious weed in most states due to its spread by both seed and rhizome. Which of theses methods would best control this weed?
a.
Plowing
c.
Spring applied fungicides
b.
Cultivation
d.
Fall applied herbicides
 

 36. 

Wheat flour that came from storage has small black insects in it. Which of the following insects is most likely to be the problem?
a.
Colorado potato beetle
c.
Alfalfa weevil
b.
Saw-toothed grain beetle
d.
Flea beetle
 

 37. 

This disease spreads by water splash and causes problems with water uptake in the plant as it grows in the vascular tissue. The cause is most likely a ________.
a.
Bacteria
c.
Virus
b.
Fungi
d.
Fungicide damage
 

 38. 

Which of the following weeds would most likely be controlled by a lipid synthesis inhibitor herbicide such as Poast?
a.
Simple perennial broadleaves
c.
Annual broadleaves
b.
Annual grasses
d.
Creeping perennial broadleaves
 

 39. 

Of the beetles listed which is the smallest?
a.
Lady beetle
c.
Flea beetle
b.
Colorado potato beetle
d.
Japanese beetle
 

 40. 

Mushrooms are __________.
a.
Fungi
b.
Bacteria
c.
Virus
d.
Mycoplasm
 

 41. 

Environmental concerns require farmers to recognize the danger of excessive nitrogen (N) application rates. What form of applied commercial N or form of N resulting from soil organisms altering applied N and manure is most subject to leaching loss from soil?
a.
Organic N forms (proteins, amino acids, amines, etc)
b.
Urea forms of N
c.
Nitrate nitrogen
d.
Ammonium nitrogen
 

 42. 

You are planting a field of red kidney beans 1000’ X 697’. The seed you purchase is 99% pure and has a germination rate of 92%. You want to plant 60 pounds of viable seed (PLS) per acre. How many actual bags of seed should you buy? The seed comes in 50 pound bags.
a.
22
b.
20
c.
19
d.
18
 

 43. 

You are spraying a field at 7 MPH. Your nozzle output is 0.32 GPM. The nozzles are 32 inches apart. How much spray mixture do you need per acre?
a.
5.6 gallons/acre
c.
12.7 gallons/acre
b.
8.5 gallons/acre
d.
2.0 gallons/acre
 

 44. 

You are estimating the plant population for your cotton field. In 17 feet 5 inches you counted 18 plants. What is your average plant population per acre?
a.
17,500
b.
18,000
c.
36,000
d.
180,000
 

 45. 

You are deciding on nitrogen fertilizer for your 128 acre dent corn field. The recommendation for the crop is for 225 pounds of nitrogen per acre. Which of the following options is most economical? You have all needed equipment for all applications.
a.
Anhydrous ammonia (82-0-0) at $728 per ton.
b.
Urea (46-0-0) at $475 per ton.
c.
Ammonium nitrate (33-0-0) at $1340 per ton.
d.
28% liquid nitrogen (2.99 pounds N per gallon) at $3.58 per gallon.
 

 46. 

The PSNT (pre-sidedress nitrogen test) is used when corn is what stage of growth to estimate the soil’s potential for mineralizing N from organic sources in the soil?
a.
When the corn is rapidly growing and at least 18 to 24 inches tall.
b.
When the corn has just emerged from the soil and is at the 1 to 2 leaf stage.
c.
When the corn is about 12 to 14 inches tall and is about to enter its rapid growth phase.
d.
When the corn is beginning to tassel.
 

 47. 

Mass flow uptake of nutrients is increased by all but which of the following factors?
a.
High intensity sunlight
b.
High available soil water levels
c.
High winds combined with low relative humidity
d.
Cloudy, cool weather
 

 48. 

The water pH of a soil is an accurate measure of what?
a.
The amount of soluble salts in a soil
b.
The lime requirement of a soil
c.
The concentration of hydrogen ions in the soil solution
d.
The amount of free lime in the soil
 

 49. 

The Certified Organic operations, which of the following fertilizers can be used on acid soils and still provide P for crop uptake?
a.
Rock phosphate
b.
Raw manure
c.
Ammonium polyphosphates (DAP and MAP)
d.
Triple superphosphates
 

 50. 

By cutting alfalfa too late in the fall, the farmer will:
a.
Increase his yield for the next year
b.
Destroy alfalfa weevil wintering over
c.
Increase the carbohydrate reserves stored in the crown
d.
Weaken the stand next spring or reduce yields next spring
 



 
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