Nursery Landscape General Knowledge Exam

2010 District

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

The cation exchange capacity (CEC) of a soil is a measure of

a. the ability of the soil to hold negatively charged nutrient ions.B. the ability of the soil to hold positively charged nutrient ions.C. the water holding capacity of the soil.D. the content of hydrogen ions (H+).

• b

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

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

• d

Which of the following is a bacterial plant disease commonly affecting fruit trees that causes branch tips of crabapple trees to die back and can eventually kill an entire tree?

a. anthracnoseb. black spotc. crown galld. fire blight

• d

Which of the following is an example of a warm season annual broadleaf weed?

a. dandelionb. lambsquarterc. field bindweedd. chickweed

• b

The best time to start a bermudagrass athletic field by seeding would be

a. March.b. May.c. July.d. September.

• b

Which of the following is usually the most damaging pest of hawthorn trees?

a. black spotb. rustc. dollar spotd. anthracnose

• b

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", 2-2 ½’ c. 6-9", 9-12", 12-15", 15-18"d. 6-12", 12-18", 18-24", 24-30"

• b

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

a. Rose of Sharon.b. Forsythia.c. Crabapple.d. Star magnolia.

• a

Turf should be mowed often enough so that

a. no more than 1/8 of the grass blade is removed.b. no more than 1/3 of the grass blade is removed.c. no more than 1/2 of the grass blade is removed.d. no more than 2/3 of the grass blade is removed.

• b

Deciduous azaleas are generally considered more reliably hardy in northern Missouri than most evergreen azaleas. Which of the following is an example of a deciduous azalea?

a. Kurume hybrid such as ‘Hino Crimson’b. Exbury hybrid such as ‘Fireball’c. ‘Girard Rose’d. ‘P.J.M’ hybrids

• b

What do monocot plants have that cause them to differ from dicot plants?

a. scattered vascular bundlesb. seed leavesc. vascular cambiumd. netted venation

• a

Which of the following signal words is associated with the skull and crossbones on a pesticide label?

a. cautionb. warningc. toxicd. danger

• d

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

a. henbitb. dandelionc. plantaind. field bindweed

• b

Which of the following is most likely to have its flowers injured by a freeze in spring?

a. Nova Zembla rhododendronb. Saucer Magnoliac. PJM Rhododendrond. Weigela

• b

A soil borne bacterial disease that attacks fruit trees, roses and Euonymus is

a. phytophthora.b. crown gall.c. verticillium.d. fire blight.

• b

Rank the nutrients in a 21-6-12 fertilizer according to the concentration of nutrient from highest to lowest.

a. nitrogen, phosphorus, potassiumb. phosphorus, potassium, nitrogenc. potassium, nitrogen, phosphorusd. nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus

• d

Which of the following would be the best choice as a seeding date for establishment of a tall fescue lawn?

a. April 15b. June 20c. September 1d. November 10

• c

What turfgrass species is illustrated in this diagram?

a. bermudagrassb. bluegrassc. tall fescued. perennial ryegrass

• b

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

• c

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

a. 10 inches in diameter.b. 24 inches in diameter.c. 32 inches in diameter.d. 40 inches in diameter.

• b

A bank with a slope of 15%

a. has a rise of 1 foot for every 7 feet of run (horizontal distance).b. has a rise of 1 foot for every 4 feet of run.c. has a rise of 1 foot for every 15 feet of run.d. has a rise of 1 foot for every 5 feet of run.

• a

When describing a soil, the term “structure” refers to

a. the relative amounts of sand, silt and clay.b. the distribution of particle sizes.c. the size and arrangement of pores in the soil.d. the amount of water and minerals in the soil.

• c

The best way to control a cool season annual, broadleaf weed like chickweed would be to

a. apply a post-emergence herbicide in midsummer.b. apply a pre-emergence herbicide in April.c. apply a pre-emergence herbicide in September.d. apply a post-emergence herbicide in November.

• c

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. None of these is correct.

• a

The three major use areas in a typical residential design are

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

• a

Plants that flower when the night is shorter than a critical length are

a. day-neutral plants.b. short-day plants.c. phototrophic.d. long-day plants.

• d

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

The main benefit derived by a plant from transpiration is

a. energy from breakdown of sugars.b. accumulation of stored food reserves.c. removal of excess water from the root zone.d. cooling of leaf tissue.

• d

The herbicide 2,4-D could be used to control

a. crabgrass and dandelion.b. tall fescue and henbit.c. foxtail and plantain.d. plantain and dandelion.

• d

The term “soil texture” refers to a. the relative amounts of sand, silt, and clay in the soil.b. the amounts of air-filled and water-filled pore space in the soil.c. the crystal shapes of the minerals in the soil.d. None of these is correct.

• a

What can be added to soil to improve the structure, fertility, and permeability of the soil?

a. ammonium nitrateb. sand c. limed. organic matter

• d

Which of the following insects would be most likely to spread a virus from an infected plant to a healthy one?

a. a tent caterpillarb. a Japanese beetlec. a dogwood borerd. a leafhopper

• d

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

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

• d

At which of the following soil pH values would iron be least available to plant roots?

a. 8.5b. 7.2c. 6.2d. 4.5

• a

Increase in height of a grass plant is due to activity of

a. cells in the apical meristem.b. cells in the vascular cambium.c. cells in the intercalary meristem.d. cells in the leaf blade.

• 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 before planting because a. phosphorus can be lost to the air by volatilization.b. phosphorus leaches easily from the soil.c. phosphorous does not move into the soil readily when surface applied.d. phosphorus is highly soluble and likely to move with runoff.

• c

Which of the following is considered a warm season turfgrass?

a. perennial ryegrassb. zoysiac. tall fescued. None of these is correct.

• b

The pH of a soil is a measure of

a. its content of hydrogen ions (H+).b. its ability to exchange positively charged nutrient ions.c. its content of calcium carbonate.d. its content of potassium ions (K+).

• a

The term describing the pruning of several, selected, old canes of forsythia back to the ground to force new, vigorous flowering canes is

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

• a

Which of the following is most likely to be fatal to a yew shrub?

a. bagwormsb. mitesc. anthracnosed. poor drainage

• d