Score ______________ / 200

Final exam

Section I: The biotic environment and other topics since exam #2 (72 pts.)

Multiple choice. (46 pts.)

Please read these carefully. Only one response correctly answers the question, or completes the statement. Circle the corresponding letter (a, b, c, d, or e).

1. A statistic is

a. a way of proving cause and effect

b. a characteristic of a population

c. a way of eliminating error

d. all of the above

e. none of the above

2. Most of the earth's available carbon occurs:

a. in the atmosphere, as CO2

b. in the oceans, in solution

c. in tropical rainforests, lawns, and other green vegetation

d. all of the above

e. none of the above

3. In South Florida's sandy soils, the most serious nematode pest of turf is:

a. ring

b. sting

c. stubby

d. root knot

e. stubby root

4. A chlorinated hydrocarbon pesticide that was featured in the 1962 book "Silent Spring," by Rachel Carson

a. atrazine

b. chlordane

c. DDT

d. diethylstilbestrol

e. lysergic acid diethylamide

5. An example of inductive reasoning is:

a. If it rained 45 inches last year, and 55 inches this year, then it rains about 50 inches per year

b. If caterpillars chew leaves, and the turf leaves are chewed, then there must be caterpillars in the turf

c. If atrazine destroys matchweed, and the lawn has matchweed, then applying atrazine to the lawn will destroy the matchweed

d. all of the above

e. none of the above

6. LD50 is used to measure:

a. mobility in the soil

b. solubility

c. acute toxicity

d. chronic toxicity

e. half-life

7. What is the best source of information on the right application rate and manner of applying a pesticide?

a. University of Florida recommendations

b. the label

c. a college textbook

d. the MSDS

e. none of the above

8. Pythium is frequently detected in samples sent to the Florida plant disease clinic, because:

a. the Pythium nematode occurs in warm climates

b. Pythium is a serious disease of turfgrass

c. Pythium is a weak pathogen which occurs in rotting vegetation

d. all of the above

e. none of the above

9. Commercial advertisements to use a particular lawn care product are mostly:

a. fraudulent

b. validated by University research

c. approved by the E.P.A.

d. vaguely worded

e. scientific

10. Some pesticides disrupt the nervous system by inhibiting the enzyme

a. amylase

b. b - galactosidase

c. testosterone

d. cholinesterase

e. insulin

11. Pesticide residues in the turf environment can be reduced through:

a. hydrolysis

b. UV deactivation

c. microbial degradation

d. all of the above

e. none of the above

12. Pesticides that are absorbed into a plant are called:

a. preemergence

b. systemic

c. postemergence

d. contact

e. biological

13. Weeds are a symptom of:

a. overwatering

b. nematodes

c. scalping

d. all of the above

e. none of the above

14. Herbicides should be sprayed when there is little or no

a. turfgrass

b. insects

c. weeds

d. wind

e. soil moisture

15. A weed is:

a. a rapid colonizing species

b. a plant which is not wanted

c. an adaptation to disturbed habitats

d. all of the above

e. none of the above

16. Most turfgrass diseases are caused by:

a. bacteria

b. viruses

c. mycoplasmas

d. rotifers

e. fungi

17. The body of a fungus is composed of numerous thread-like filaments called:

a. webbing

b. hyphopodia

c. haustoria

d. hyphae

e. ascospores

18. The first step in preventing pest problems is to:

a. use organic matter

b. plant resistant cultivars

c. sample for nematodes

d. use organic fertilizer

e. establish an action threshold

19. Thatch contains:

a. dead, decomposing matter

b. living sponge layer of stolons

c. undecomposed organic matter

d. all of the above

e. none of the above

20. In our chinch bug experiment, the amount of whitish excreta was an indicator of:

a. host suitability

b. feeding activity

c. host suseptibility

d. all of the above

e. none of the above

21. Which south Florida lawn weed is an indicator of wet conditions?

a. spurge

b. dollar weed

c. goose grass

e. sandspur

d. cocklebur

22. University/experiment station turfgrass experiments are often limited in their applicability because:

a. environmental conditions can vary among years

b. environmental conditions can vary among locations

c. turfgrass is a biological system which is by nature somewhat unpredictable

d. all of the above

e. none of the above

23. Randomization is used in an experiment in order to reduce:

a. falsifiability

b. bias

c. error

d. all of the above

e. none of the above

Short answer. (26 pts.)

24. Fill in the missing cells in this table. (16 pts.)

Table 1. Characteristics of important groups of turfgrass insects.

25. Explain three reasons why a pesticide application may fail to alleviate symptoms of turf injury. (6 pts.)

26. What are two reasons that scouting for insects is often infeasible? (4 pts.)

Section 2: Grasses form and function, soils (78 pts.)

Multiple choice. (48 pts.)

27. Compared with most broadleaf (primarily dicotyledonous) plants, grasses have:

a intercalary meristems

b reduced floral parts, i.e., no petals

c parallel veins

d all of the above

e none of the above

28. Probably the only native turfgrass from the United States is:

a. bermudagrass

b. buffalograss

c. centipedegrass

d. creeping bentgrass

e. zoysiagrass

29. In class we observed that fine soil particles, i.e., silt and clay, fall slower in water than coarse particles, i.e., sand. This demonstrates that:

a. fine soils tend to shrink and swell

b. fine particles are more hygroscopic

c. heavy soils tend to dry out more than light sandy soils

d. fine particles have a higher surface area to volume ratio

e. fine soil particles are not different from coarse soil particles

30. The basic unit of the grass inflorescences is called a

a floret

b glume

c spikelet

d bract

e caryopsis

31. Which plant nutrient is present in the atmosphere, and plants take it up through their leaves?

a. carbon

b. nitrogen

c. sodium

d. all of the above

e. none of the above

32. Which nutrient is often limited in availability at high soil pH?

a. aluminum

b. nitrogen

c. sulfur

d. iron

e. calcium

33. The portion of the grass conducting tissue which brings carbohydrates downward to the roots is the:

a. phloem

b. xylem

c. stomata

d. all of the above

e. none of the above

34. The grass subfamily Eragrostoideae includes species adapted primarily to

a. warm, dry areas

b. warm, wet areas

c. cool areas

d. all of the above

e. none of the above

35. A fertilizer is 6-6-0, therefore there is:

a. more N than P

b. the same N as P

c. the same N as K

d. the same P as K

e. no phosphorus

36. How many grass species are there in the world?

a. 1000

b. 2000

c. 5000

d. 10,000

e. 20,000

37. If a lawn is to be mowed to 2 inches, it should be mowed when it is how high?

a. 2.5 inches

b. 3 inches

c. 3.5 inches

d. 4.5 inches

e. none of the above

38. Thatch is produced largely from:

a. leaf clippings

b. roots, stolons, and rhizomes

c. decaying leaf blades

d. seed stalks

e. none of the above

39. The most effective method for dealing with thatch, after it is a problem, is:

a. aerification

b. verticutting

c. topdressing

d. growth regulators

e. none of the above

40. To avoid future problems of compaction, what is the minimum sand content for a turf soil?

a. 50%

b. 75%

c. 90%

d. 95%

e. 99%

41. Compared with broadleaf (primarily dicotyledonous) plants, grasses are well adapted to

a defoliation

b grazing

c fire

d all of the above

e none of the above

42. The warm-season turfgrass with the fastest potential for growth, recuperation from damage, and the greatest responsiveness to N fertilizer is:

a. bahiagrass

b. bermudagrass

c. centipedegrass

d. St. Augustinegrass

e. zoysiagrass

43. Compared with C3 grasses, C4 grasses have

a. more photorespiration

b. higher light compensation points

c. higher response to elevated CO2 concentration

d. all of the above

e. none of the above

44. Which problem is associated with a sandy soil?

a. poor drainage

b. poor aeration

c. leaching of nutrients

d. all of the above

e. none of the above

45. K is the chemical symbol for

a. phosphorus

b. kryptonite

c. potassium

d. manganese

e. calcium

46. What is the most widely used cool-season grass?

a. creeping bentgrass

b. fine fescues

c. Kentucky bluegrass

d. perennial ryegrass

e. tall fescue

47. Bahiagrass avoids drought injury by

a. having a deep root system

b. having a large available soil moisture reserve

c. having the ability to survive defoliation

d. all of the above

e. none of the above

48. How many pounds of 20-0-0 fertilizer will provide 1 pound of N per thousand square feet? (Assume the lawn is 1000 square feet.)

a. 1

b. 2

c. 5

d. 10

e. 20

49. How many square feet are there in an acre?

a. 45,360

b. 46,350

c. 34,560

d. 43,560

e. 45,630

50. How many centimeters are there in an inch?

a. 4.25

b. 2.54

c. 25.4

d. 52.4

e. 5.24

Short answer. (20 pts.)

51. List four examples showing how turfgrass culture enhances the environment.

(4 pts.)

52. List four examples showing how turfgrass culture damages the environment.

(4 pts.)

53. Briefly, give two examples of how global CO2 enrichment may affect the growth and culture of C3 and C4 turfgrasses?

(2 pts.)

54. Draw two irrigation systems, one efficient (high coefficient of uniformity) and the other inefficient. Label the illustrations with the key elements (head, pipe, valve, and source of water). In what five ways do the two irrigation systems differ in efficiency (use arrows, if necessary, to point out inefficiencies)?

(10 pts.)

Conversion problems. (10 pts.)

Set up the problem, based on what's given and what's asked for, multiply by the necessary identities, and convert the units of measurement by cancelling. Do not do any arithmetic. You will not be graded on the answer, only on the setup and conversion.

55. A turf scientist applied 91 g of fertilizer (10-0-0) to a 5 foot X 8 foot plot. What is the rate of application, in pounds nitrogen (N) per thousand square feet?

56. A turf manager wants to apply a 6-2-0 fertilizer at the rate of 1 pound of N per thousand square feet. How many pounds of fertilizer should be applied to a 2000 square foot lawn?

Section 3: Turfgrass reading (50 pts.)

Read the attached scientific paper and answer the following questions.

57. What is the correct citation for the paper, based on the author-year system in the Literature Cited?

58. What was the objective of the study?

59. Why was the study repeated?

60. Relative shoot weight of submerged grasses (as a percent of non-submerged grasses) was used to measure submersion tolerance. Why was the relative shoot weight greater in study II, compared with study I?

61. Meanwhile, St. Augustinegrass showed about the same relative shoot weights in both studies. What might explain this?

62. Why was shoot elongation not used as an indicator of submersion damage?

63. How many replications were there?

64. Speculate what factors may have allowed some grasses to survive better than others.

65. Was the method of inducing submersion damage a fair representation of submersion conditions in the field? (Yes or no). Why?

66. How would you have improved the study?