Nursery Landscape General Knowledge Exam

2009 District

The state tree of Missouri is

a. red oak.b. silver maple.c. hawthorn.d. dogwood.

• d

Which of the following statements is correct? a. Monocots have a vascular cambium.b. Monocots have netted venation on their leaves.c. Monocots have vascular bundles each containing xylem and phloem.d. Monocots increase in height as a result of growth of an apical meristem.

• c

Which of the following is an example of a dicot?

a. lilyb. tall fescuec. irisd. euonymus

• d

What would be the texture of a soil with 15% clay, 30% sand, and 60% silt?

a. clay loamb. sandy clay loamc. silt loamd. silty clay loam

• c

Which of the following would be most likely to lower the pH of a clay loam soil from 7.5 to 5.5?

a. applying gypsumb. applying ground limestonec. applying urea fertilizerd. applying agricultural sulfur

• d

The most effective way to control henbit would be

a. applying a broadleaf herbicide in spring.b. applying a broadleaf herbicide in fall.c. applying a pre-emergence herbicide in spring.d. applying a pre-emergence herbicide in fall.

• d

Which of the following is considered a warm season turfgrass?

a. Perennial Ryegrassb. Kentucky Bluegrassc. Tall Fescued. Zoysiagrass

• d

The term describing the venation pattern on this leaf is

a. pinnate.b. truncate.c. parallel.d. palmate.

• a

The term describing this type of leaf is

a. simple.b. pinnately compound.c. palmately compound.d. None of these is correct.

• c

Which of the following is a bacterial disease commonly affecting non-resistant apples and crabapples?

a. anthracnoseb. black spotc. fire blightd. apple scab

• c

What are plants that flower when the nights are longer than a critical length?

a. short-day plants b. long-day plantsc. long-night plantsd. day-neutral plants

• a

A stomach poison type of insecticide would be most likely to control

a. bagworms.b. whitefly.c. thrips.d. mites.

• a

The LD50 of an insecticide indicates a. the quantity required to kill 50% of the insects sprayed.b. the time after spraying when 50% of insects will be killed if they eat treated foliage.c. the time required for 50% of the chemical to decompose after spraying.d. the quantity required to be lethal to at least 50% of mammals in a test.

• d

When mowing grass, the goal should be to avoid cutting off more than

a. one half of the grass blade.b. one third of the grass blade. c. one quarter of the grass blade.d. one eighth of the grass blade.

• b

Which of the following is most likely the cause of chlorosis of the foliage of a pin oak tree in which the veins are green and interveinal areas are yellow?

a. a soil pH of 4.5b. nitrogen deficiencyc. a soil pH of 7.8d. potassium deficiency

• c

When would the shadow of a tree be the longest in Missouri?

a. March 1b. June 21c. August 10d. September 21

• a

The physical properties of plants that are most important as visual elements in a landscape design are

a. size, scale, and line.b. form, texture, and color.c. form, scale, and balance.d. symmetry, color, and form.

• b

The correct way to write the name for Red Sunset red maple is

a. Acer rubrum “Red Sunset.”b. Acer rubrum ‘Red Sunset.’c. Acer Rubrum Red Sunset.d. Acer rubrum ‘Red Sunset.’

• d

Xylem and phloem in a dicot develop from cells produced by

a. the intercalary meristem.b. the vascular cambium.c. the cork cambium.d. the apical meristem.

• b

The soil ball on a shade tree with a stem caliper of 2 inches should be about

a. 10 inches in diameter.b. 20 inches in diameter.c. 24 inches in diameter.d. 30 inches in diameter.

• c

Which signal word will be on the label if a pesticide is moderately likely to cause acute illness from oral, dermal, or inhalation exposure?

a. cautionb. dangerc. warningd. poison

• c

The “field capacity” of a soil is

a. the amount of gravitational water that it contains.b. the amount of water it contains after drainage.c. the amount of water it contains when plants are wilting.d. the amount of water it contains when saturated.

• b

The texture of a soil is determined by

a. the relative amounts of sand, silt, and clay.b. the relative amounts of sand, silt, and organic matter.c. the relative amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.d. the relative amounts of air, water, and solid.

• a

A solubridge (conductivity meter) reading of 7.5 mmho indicates that

a. there is too much nitrogen in the soil.b. the soluble salt level of the soil is in the desirable range.c. the soil needs to be limed.d. the soluble salt level of the soil is too high for most plants.

• d

The zones on the USDA hardiness zone map are determined by

a. the lowest temperature ever recorded in the zone.b. the species of plants which are found in the zone.c. the average yearly minimum temperature in the zone.d. the number of days per year when the temperature in the zone is below 0°F.

• c

Which of the following is the correct series of classifications for grading the height of deciduous or evergreen shrubs?

a. 5-10", 10-15", 15-20", 20-25"b. 6-12", 12-18", 18-24", 24-30"c. 6-12", 12-18", 18-24", 2-2½’d. 6-9", 9-12", 12-15", 15-18"

• c

If a soil test indicates that the soil in a landscape planting is low in phosphorus, a material containing phosphorus should be incorporated into the plant root zone because a. phosphorous does not move into the soil readily when surface applied.b. phosphorus leaches easily from the soil.c. phosphorus can be lost to volatilization.d. phosphorus is highly soluble and likely to move with runoff.

• a

A plant that can be pruned severely in February and still produce flowers in the same season is

a. Flowering Quince.b. Forsythia.c. Star magnolia.d. None of these is correct.

• d

Three morphological features that are helpful in identifying turfgrass species are

a. auricle, ligule, sheath.b. stipule, ligule, auricle. c. cotyledons, collar, blade.d. internode, ventricle, auricle.

• a

A grass plant gets taller by cell division in the

a. apical meristem.b. intercalary meristems.c. vascular cambium.d. bundle sheath.

• b

Which of the following would be the best month to establish a Zoysia lawn by plugging?

a. Marchb. Aprilc. Mayd. September

• c

Pines are best shaped in June because a. pruning earlier causes dieback.b. no growth will come from shoots pruned before June.c. pruning later causes rampant growth.d. branches can be shortened while leaving time for good bud set for next season.

• d

The distance between __________ shows one year’s stem growth on a branch.

a. lateral budsb. leavesc. bud scale scars d. lateral shoots

• c

The pruning technique in which the end of a branch is removed to promote branching by cutting to a lateral branch or bud is called

a. heading back.b. topping.c. thinning.d. shearing.

• a

Which of the following is an example of a cool season, perennial, broadleaf weed?

a. curly dockb. black medicc. field bindweedd. tall fescue

• a

The term “dioecious” means a. male and female flowers are found on the same individual plant.b. male and female flowers are present on the same branch.c. male and female flower parts are found in the same flower.d. male and female flowers are found on different individual plants.

• d

A bank with a slope of 20% a. has a rise of 1 foot for every 3 feet of run (horizontal distance).b. has a rise of 1 foot for every 5 feet of run.c. has a rise of 3 feet for every 1 foot of run.d. has a rise of 1 foot for every 2 feet of run.

• b

When a complete fertilizer is applied to the surface of the soil, the major plant nutrient that moves most slowly into the root zones of plants in the area is

a. nitrogen.b. phosphorus.c. potassium.d. manganese.

• b

The term “transpiration” refers to a. production of sugars and starches within leaves.b. production of energy in leaf cells by breakdown of sugars and starches.c. movement of water out of leaves through stomata.d. dropping of leaves in the fall.

• c

A good reason to substitute London Planetree for American Sycamore in a landscape planting is

a. susceptibility of sycamore to powdery mildew.b. susceptibility of sycamore to fire blight.c. susceptibility of sycamore to anthracnose.d. susceptibility of sycamore to rust.

• c

The three major use areas in a typical residential design are

a. formal, informal, service.b. public, private, service.c. formal, private, service.d. public, informal, service.

• b