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Hour Exam #1

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ORH 3222C - Turfgrass Culture 24 September 2001

Multiple choice. (51 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.                   The basic unit of the grass inflorescence is the:

a)                   radicle

b)                   spikelet

c)                   floret

d)                   anther

e)                   glume

2.                   The most commonly used cool-season turfgrass, which has rhizomes, is:

a)                   Festuca arundinacea

b)                   Agrostis palustris

c)                   Cynodon dactylon

d)                   Poa pratensis

e)                   Lolium perenne

3.                   The approximate number of grass species in the world is:

a)                   1 million

b)                   20,000

c)                   400

d)                   10,000

e)                   250,000

4.                   What is true of the seedling leaves of grasses:

a)                   there is one seedling leaf, called a radicle

b)                   there are two seedling leaves

c)                   there is one seedling leaf, called a coleoptile

d)                   there is no seedling leaf, only adventitious leaves

e)                   grasses have glumes instead of leaves

5.                   The production of carbon dioxide from turf, involving the consumption of carbohydrates, is:

a)                   photosynthesis

b)                   respiration

c)                   evapotranspiration

d)                   translocation

e)                   denitrification

6.                   In 1985 the southern chinch bug was discovered feeding on, and causing massive damage to, Stenotaphrum secundatum cv. ‘Floratam’ in a sod farm.  This discovery and subsequent research proved:

a)                   Floratam was never resistant to the southern chinch bug

b)                   The southern chinch bug overcame Floratam

c)                   Floratam lost its resistance

d)                   Something other than chinch bugs, such as fungus, was present

e)                   Herbicide damage

7.                   The scientific name for St. Augustinegrass:

a)                   Paspalum notatum

b)                   Stenotaphrum secundatum

c)                   Eremochloa ophiurioides

d)                   Poa pratensis

e)                   Festuca arundinacea

8.                   Compared with most other higher plants, grasses

a)                   have intercalary meristems

b)                   are insect pollinated

c)                   have showy flowers

d)                   do not tolerate close grazing

e)                   are ornamental rather than utilitarian

9.                   Argentine is a cultivar of

a)                   bermudagrass

b)                   zoysiagrass

c)                   centipedegrass

d)                   St. Augustinegrass

e)                   bahiagrass

10.               In establishing turf areas, what practice should occur between rough grading and final seedbed preparation?

a)                   removal of vegetation

b)                   spraying out noxious perennial vegetation with glyphosate (Roundup)

c)                   planning how to use the area

d)                   planting seed, sprigs, or plugs

e)                   installation of irrigation

11.               Who invented the lawn mower in 1830?

a)                   Nick Christians

b)                   Edwin Budding

c)                   James Beard

d)                   George Toma

e)                   Henry David Thoreau

12.               A golf course superintendent wants to fertilize 4 acres of fairway with 1 pound of N per thousand square feet.  "Bad news," says her assistant, "there's only 20 bags of fertilizer left, in 50-pound bags." What is the fertilizer minimum analysis that will be sufficient?

a)                   45-0-0

b)                   21-0-0

c)                   16-4-8

d)                   10-10-10

e)                   6-6-6

13.               Which species has high recuperative ability, is responsive to high rates of N fertilization, and is suitable for full-sun environments?

a)                   bahiagrass

b)                   centipedegrass

c)                   zoysiagrass

d)                   bermudagrass

e)                   St. Augustinegrass

14.               Compared with C4 grasses, C3 grasses:

a)                   have enhanced growth in environments with high levels of carbon dioxide

b)                   thrive in warm climates

c)                   are efficient at photosynthesis at high illumination

d)                   are less likely to stain clothing

e)                   have thick-walled cells surrounding the vascular bundles

15.               The first known use of turfgrass was in:

a)                   Spain

b)                   Japan

c)                   the British Isles

d)                   Australia

e)                   Bermuda

16.               A species of turfgrass that came from China:

a)                   St. Augustinegrass

b)                   bahiagrass

c)                   centipedegrass

d)                   tall fescue

e)                   Poa trivialis

17.               Please identify the turfgrass illustrated below:

a)                   St. Augustinegrass

b)                   bahiagrass

c)                   centipedegrass

d)                   Poa pratensis

e)                   tall fescue

Short Answers (49 pts)

18.   Explain how you would solve a turf problem.  What clues would you look for?  (Shape, color, other factors?)

19.   What biological characteristics of grasses make them suitable for use in a wide variety of conservatio uses?  (Environmental advantages, etc.)

20.   A 50 pound bag of 21-0-0 fertilizer is applied to a 3300 ft² lawn.  How many pounds of nitrogen are applied per thousand square feet? (Show your work)

21.   How does the size of a planting unit (seed, sprig, plug, or sod) affect the likelihood of establihsment success?

22.   On the following map to the U.S., draw the rough boundaries of different climate zones affecting the growth of turfgrass and label the map with the grasses that grow in these regions.