Chapter 4

Question 1

Allelopathy

Answer 1

where one plant emits chemicals from the roots that suppress growth of other plants

The chemical inhibition of one plant (or other organism) by another, due to the release into the environment of substances acting as germination or growth inhibitors.

Question 2

Conservation tillage

Answer 2

in more humid climates leaves residues on the surface to protect against water erosion.

is any
method of soil cultivation that
leaves the previous year’s
crop residue (such as corn
stalks or wheat stubble) on
fields before and after planting
the next crop, to reduce soil
erosion and runoff.

increase plant nutrient availability from organic materials. A program of crop residue management aimed at reducing erosion by leaving some or all crop residues on the soil surface

Question 3

Continuous cropping

Answer 3

Same crop is grown each year.

Question 4

Conventional tillage

Answer 4

The main form of tillage since the invention of the moldboard plow, involves two stages, primary and secondary tillage.

Question 5

Cover crop

Answer 5

A close-growing crop grown primarily for the purpose of protecting and improving soil between periods of regular crop production or between trees and vines in orchards and vineyards.

Question 6

Crop rotation

Answer 6

Practice of growing a series of dissimilar types of crops in the same space in sequential seasons for various benefits.

Question 7

Double cropping

Answer 7

Harvesting two crops from the same field in the same year.

Question 8

Dryland Farming

Answer 8

The practice of crop production in low-rainfall areas without irrigation.

Question 9

Fallow

Answer 9

Cropland left idle in order to restore productivity

Question 10

Lister plows

Answer 10

Equipped with two moldboards mounted back to back, resulting in a pattern of 10-inch-high ridges and furrows across the field.

Question 11

Moldboard plow

Answer 11

Traditional plowing tool which shears off a section of soil, tips it upside down, fractures it along several planes and buries any organic material on the soil surface, leaving the surface very rough with a series of ridges and furrows.

buries crop residues, resulting in a clean field that is easy to cultivate.

Question 12

Mulch-till

Answer 12

Any reduced tillage system other than strip-, no- or ridge-till that leaves at least one third of the soil surface covered with crop residue.

retains a high percentage of crop residue on the surface of the soil.

Question 13

No-till

Answer 13

Planting a crop directly into an unprepared seedbed. The tillage involved in planting is nothing more than opening the soil for the purpose of placing seed at the intended depth. This usually involves opening a small slit or punching a hole into the soil. Usually no cultivation occurs during crop production. Weed control is achieved entirely by surface applied and contact herbicides. Also referred to as zero tillage or slot planting.

 Involves planting crops directly into crop residue that has not been tilled at all.
 Specialized planters cut a slot through residues, insert the seed and fertilizer and close the slot.
 Contact, systemic and pre-emergent herbicides used to control weeds with no cultivation
 Heavy cover of dead vegetation may reduce weed competition.
 Best preserves soil organic matter and organic matter content actually rises.
 Most reduces the greenhouse gas production and stores the most soil carbon.
 Greater number of biopores open to the

Question 14

Primary tillage

Answer 14

Breaks up soil and usually buries residues.

Question 15

Rangeland

Answer 15

is an uncultivated area used for livestock grazing

o Important because it occupies a large portion of the land surface of the U.S.; up to 50% may be rangeland ecosystems.
o Provides food and important wildlife habitat.
o Grazing patterns affect soil properties and cover on rangeland.
o Soil is compacted on heavily grazed land.
o Diversity of plant cover is maintained by moderate grazing

Question 16

Ridge-till

Answer 16

Seed is planted on 6-inch ridges with crop residues swept into the shallow furrows.

 Involves planting row crops
on permanent ridges about
4-6 inches high.
 Previous crop’s residue is
cleared off ridge-tops into
adjacent furrows to make
way for the new crop being
planted on ridges.
 Maintaining the ridges is
essential and requires
modified or specialized
equipment
 Ridges warm up and dry more quickly than soil in other tillage systems.
 Ridges oriented across the slope reduce runoff and erosion.
 Oriented perpendicular to prevailing winds, ridges reduce wind erosion and help trap snow.

Question 17

Saline Seep

Answer 17

Small area of saline soil resulting from summer fallow.

Question 18

Secondary tillage

Answer 18

Produces a fine seedbed by a series of operations that break up the soil into smaller and smaller pieces.

often involves a two-step harrowing
process using implements like a disc harrow and a
finishing harrow to break up the clods and produce a
fine seedbed.
o Depending on the soil type and condition these steps are often modified.
o If the soil has good tilth, deep tillage by plowing may not be needed and only a tandem disc will be used.
 Eliminating a pass through the field, reduces compaction and saves time and fuel.

Question 19

Strip-till

Answer 19

With no primary tillage, a specialized implement tills a band of soil and plant seeds into the band.

Involves planting crops directly into residue that has been tilled only in narrow strips with the rest of the field left untilled.

Question 20

Sustainable agriculture

Answer 20

Agriculture that, over the long-term, enhances environmental quality and the resource base on which agriculture depends; provides for basic human food and fiber needs; is economically viable; and enhances the quality of life for farmers and society as a whole.

Question 21

Tillage

Answer 21

is the preparation of the soil to provide a favorable environment for seed placement and germination and crop growth.

alters physical soil properties, such as structure, moisture and temperature.

Question 22

where one plant emits chemicals from the roots that suppress growth of other plants

The chemical inhibition of one plant (or other organism) by another, due to the release into the environment of substances acting as germination or growth inhibitors.

Answer 22

Allelopathy

Question 23

in more humid climates leaves residues on the surface to protect against water erosion.

is any
method of soil cultivation that
leaves the previous year’s
crop residue (such as corn
stalks or wheat stubble) on
fields before and after planting
the next crop, to reduce soil
erosion and runoff.

increase plant nutrient availability from organic materials. A program of crop residue management aimed at reducing erosion by leaving some or all crop residues on the soil surface

Answer 23

Conservation tillage

Question 24

Same crop is grown each year.

Answer 24

Continuous cropping

Question 25

The main form of tillage since the invention of the moldboard plow, involves two stages, primary and secondary tillage.

Answer 25

Conventional tillage

Question 26

A close-growing crop grown primarily for the purpose of protecting and improving soil between periods of regular crop production or between trees and vines in orchards and vineyards.

Answer 26

Cover crop

Question 27

Practice of growing a series of dissimilar types of crops in the same space in sequential seasons for various benefits.

Answer 27

Crop rotation

Question 28

Harvesting two crops from the same field in the same year.

Answer 28

Double cropping

Question 29

The practice of crop production in low-rainfall areas without irrigation.

Answer 29

Dryland Farming

Question 30

Cropland left idle in order to restore productivity

Answer 30

Fallow

Question 31

Equipped with two moldboards mounted back to back, resulting in a pattern of 10-inch-high ridges and furrows across the field.

Answer 31

Lister plows

Question 32

Traditional plowing tool which shears off a section of soil, tips it upside down, fractures it along several planes and buries any organic material on the soil surface, leaving the surface very rough with a series of ridges and furrows.

buries crop residues, resulting in a clean field that is easy to cultivate.

Answer 32

Moldboard plow

Question 33

Any reduced tillage system other than strip-, no- or ridge-till that leaves at least one third of the soil surface covered with crop residue.

retains a high percentage of crop residue on the surface of the soil.

Answer 33

Mulch-till

Question 34

Planting a crop directly into an unprepared seedbed. The tillage involved in planting is nothing more than opening the soil for the purpose of placing seed at the intended depth. This usually involves opening a small slit or punching a hole into the soil. Usually no cultivation occurs during crop production. Weed control is achieved entirely by surface applied and contact herbicides. Also referred to as zero tillage or slot planting.

 Involves planting crops directly into crop residue that has not been tilled at all.
 Specialized planters cut a slot through residues, insert the seed and fertilizer and close the slot.
 Contact, systemic and pre-emergent herbicides used to control weeds with no cultivation
 Heavy cover of dead vegetation may reduce weed competition.
 Best preserves soil organic matter and organic matter content actually rises.
 Most reduces the greenhouse gas production and stores the most soil carbon.
 Greater number of biopores open to the

Answer 34

No-till

Question 35

Breaks up soil and usually buries residues.

Answer 35

Primary tillage

Question 36

is an uncultivated area used for livestock grazing

o Important because it occupies a large portion of the land surface of the U.S.; up to 50% may be rangeland ecosystems.
o Provides food and important wildlife habitat.
o Grazing patterns affect soil properties and cover on rangeland.
o Soil is compacted on heavily grazed land.
o Diversity of plant cover is maintained by moderate grazing

Answer 36

Rangeland

Question 37

Seed is planted on 6-inch ridges with crop residues swept into the shallow furrows.

 Involves planting row crops
on permanent ridges about
4-6 inches high.
 Previous crop’s residue is
cleared off ridge-tops into
adjacent furrows to make
way for the new crop being
planted on ridges.
 Maintaining the ridges is
essential and requires
modified or specialized
equipment
 Ridges warm up and dry more quickly than soil in other tillage systems.
 Ridges oriented across the slope reduce runoff and erosion.
 Oriented perpendicular to prevailing winds, ridges reduce wind erosion and help trap snow.

Answer 37

Ridge-till

Question 38

Small area of saline soil resulting from summer fallow.

Answer 38

Saline Seep

Question 39

Produces a fine seedbed by a series of operations that break up the soil into smaller and smaller pieces.

often involves a two-step harrowing
process using implements like a disc harrow and a
finishing harrow to break up the clods and produce a
fine seedbed.
o Depending on the soil type and condition these steps are often modified.
o If the soil has good tilth, deep tillage by plowing may not be needed and only a tandem disc will be used.
 Eliminating a pass through the field, reduces compaction and saves time and fuel.

Answer 39

Secondary tillage

Question 40

With no primary tillage, a specialized implement tills a band of soil and plant seeds into the band.

Involves planting crops directly into residue that has been tilled only in narrow strips with the rest of the field left untilled.

Answer 40

Strip-till

Question 41

Agriculture that, over the long-term, enhances environmental quality and the resource base on which agriculture depends; provides for basic human food and fiber needs; is economically viable; and enhances the quality of life for farmers and society as a whole.

Answer 41

Sustainable agriculture

Question 42

is the preparation of the soil to provide a favorable environment for seed placement and germination and crop growth.

alters physical soil properties, such as structure, moisture and temperature.

Answer 42

Tillage