Hour Test #2 (2 Nov 1999)

Please read these carefully. Circle the one response (a, b, c, d, or e) that most correctly answers the question or completes the statement. Each of the remaining four responses has a flaw with respect to the original statement, even though containing some truth. Multiple choice questions are worth 3 points each.

1. Floratam St. Augustinegrass differs from other cultivars of the species because it has
1. less shade tolerance
2. less chinch bug resistance
3. finer textured than most other cultivars
4. more cold resistance
5. high wear tolerance
2. A practice which has been shown to reduce water use in turf is:
1. magnetic resonance
2. fertilization
3. scalping
4. use of cool-season grasses
5. removal of tree cover
3. The typical grass flower contains:
1. two stigmas and two anthers
2. three stigmas and two anthers
3. anthers or stigmas but not both
4. three anthers and three stigmas
5. two stigmas and three anthers
4. People want to know the sources of information in your story because:
1. that’s part of the scientific method
2. it helps them believe the story
3. it shows good scholarship
4. the teacher loves it
5. they like to read famous quotations
5. Which statement is true about rotary heads vs. spray heads?
1. rotary heads cost more per unit area
2. rotary heads cost more per head
3. rotary heads require more heads per unit area
4. spray heads are not adjustable, while rotary heads are adjustable
5. spray heads require more pressure to operate than rotary heads
6. Two common kinds of turf irrigation systems involve either remote valves operating off a main line, or separate lines going in all directions from central distributor (e.g., of the type often manufactured by K-Rain in Palm Beach County). Which situation is most suitable for the central distributor?
1. long, linear landscapes
2. St. Augustinegrass
3. systems using municipal treated water
4. zones with different use requirements, e.g., shrubs beds vs. turf
5. small landscapes
7. Compared with cool-season grasses, warm-season grasses:
1. more often have a bunch-type growth habit
2. grow better at high light levels
3. use more water
4. are more often propagated by seed
5. are more sensitive to carbon dioxide limitations
8. You are asked, "How many 50-pound bags of urea 45-0-0 must be applied to 1 acre of turf at the rate of 1 pounds N per thousand square feet."
1. 50
2. 45
3. 20
4. 4.5
5. 2
9. The fertilizer urea (45-0-0) is to be applied at the rate of 1 pound N per thousand square feet. How large a lawn can be treated with one bag (50 pounds)?
1. 1000 square feet
2. 5000 square feet
3. 10000 square feet
4. half an acre
5. one acre
10. Which component of turfgrass water relationships is hardest to predict and measure?
1. moisture in the root zone
2. relative humidity
3. percolation rate
4. the evapotranspiration rate
5. precipitation rate from an irrigation system
11. A 50-pound bag of 16-4-8 fertilizer is applied to a 4,000 square foot lawn. What is the application rate in pounds N per 1,000 square feet?
1. 0.5
2. 1
3. 2
4. 4
5. cannot be determined
12. How many acres can be fertilized at 1 pound N per thousand square feet from 20 bags of fertilizer which is 21.5% N, assuming the bags are 50 pounds.
1. 0.5
2. 1.0
3. 2.0
4. 5.0
5. 10.0
13. Turfgrass texture, one of the components of turfgrass quality, is a measure of:
1. the number of shoots per unit area
2. the roughness
3. the leaf width
4. the growth habit
5. the smoothness
   
14. Fifty pounds per acre is equal to:
1. 1 pound per thousand square feet
2. 2 pounds per thousand square feet
3. cannot be determined without the analysis
4. cannot be determined without the ground speed
5. 1 kilogram per hectare
15. If you know the fertilizer urea (45-0-0) is to be applied at the rate of 1 pound N per thousand square feet. How large a lawn can be treated with one bag (50 pounds)?
1. 1000 square feet
2. 5000 square feet
3. 10000 square feet
4. half an acre
5. one acre

 

The following questions are worth 2 points each. Most can be answered by a single word.

16. Sod farmer Paul Grose used one word to describe his reason for stacking the sod slabs in pallets soil-to-soil and grass-to-grass:

 

17. What was a pest problem seen during our tour that may have resulted from Hurricane Irene?

 

18. What is the most important chemical characteristic in a soil analysis?

 

19. The horsepower output from a pump is equal to the discharge multiplied times:
    
    

 

20. The maximum area that can be irrigated by a pumping system can be determined by the allowable irrigation time (e.g., 4 hours every 24 hours), the maximum daily net irrigation requirement (e.g., 1/2 inch) and one other piece of information, which is:

 

21. What shade tolerant variety of St. Augustinegrass did we see in the final stop on the tour?

 

22. Which kind of irrigation valve is in a normally "open" condition, that is, water can flow when there is a loss of control?

 

23. What is the critical range of water velocity in pipes, that is, what is the point at which damage can occur, and the high point at which damage is very likely?

 

24. What characteristic is different between spray heads and rotary heads, making it unwise to mix them on a single irrigation zone?

 

25. What are the important table values for a sprinkler head?

 

26. What is the maximum possible height of suction lift, in feet, at sea level?

 

27. Name a cheap artificial organic nitrogen source:

 

28. Which nutrients are poorly available at high soil pH (name two)?

 

29. According to Phil Busey, several of the turf managers on our tour were concerned with what aspect of their relationship to their clients or bosses?

 

30. Assuming that you lack a manufacturer's table, how do you determine the correct spacing for a sprinkler head?

 

31. A pump provides two things to an irrigation distribution system:

 

The following questions are worth 5 points each. Most can be answered by at most a few sentences or an illustration.

32. What is friction loss in pipes and explain the factors that affect friction loss and how they affect it.

 

 

33. List the 17 nutrients used by plants, group into macronutrients and micronutirents.

 

 

34. Explain one way of increasing soil pH and one way of reducing soil pH.

 

 

35. What is the approximate average annual rainfall in south Florida, the approximate annual evapotranspiration, and a typical value for net irrigation requirement. What are the main reasons that net irrigation requirement can vary greatly from month to month and from grass to grass.

 

 

The following questions are worth 15 points each.

36. Your friend has asked you to help design or possibly retrofit an existing irrigation system so it actually works. This is for a home lawn. What are all the questions that you need to answer before you can get started designing?

 

 

 

 

 

37. Your boss has asked you to develop a preparation plan for any hurricanes that might occur next year. List in outline form all the kinds of preparedness that you think your turf facility must undertake. Emphasize primarily the things that are necessary to insure survive and quick recovery of the turf operation, whether it be a sod farm, golf course, equestrian center, or public park.