Soil Chem Unit Test Flashcards
Nitrogen is considered the main growth element
true
phosphorus moves little in soil
true
high levels of potash lead to weak plant stems
false
sulfur is stored in the soild by the cation-extange complex
false
Many trace elements are part of enzyme activity
true
raising soil phosphorus to very high levels will promote exceptionally heavy bloom
false
a plant well supplied with nitrogen photosynthsizes more efficiently that one low in nitrogen
true
calcium deficiencies are uncommon on crops that are grasses
true
calcium is mostly stored in soil organic matter
false
sulfur is an important part of protien
true
the three primary nutrients tend to have balancing nutritional effects. For example, high nitrogen tends to produce vegetatiive growth at the expense of stem strength. The effect is counteracted by:
A) potassium
B) Phosphorus
C) iron
D) sulfur
B) phosphorus
The form of nitrogen that can be lost by leeching and dentrification is
A) organic nitrogen
B) ammonium nitrogen
C) nitrate nitrogen
D) gaseous nitrogen
C) nitrate nitrogen
Most of the nitrogen in the soil is in the form of
A) organivc nitrogen
B) ammonium nitrogen
C) nitrate nitrogen
D) nitrate nitrogen
C) ammonium nitogen
One of the following is a description of a soil that may not be able to supply enough phosphorus to a young plant. which soil is it?
A) a soil with a ph of 6.5
B) A soil with a low-cationextange capacity
C) a soil with many mychdhu
D) a cold wet soil
D) a cold wet soil
Extangeable Potassium
A) occupies the cation-extange complex
B) occupies the pores between soil particles
C) is part of organic matter
D) is in mineral form
A) occupies the cation-extange complex
Chlorophyll contains
A) Calcium
B) magnesium
C) Sulfur
D) Potassium
C) SUlfur
which secondary macronutrient in the soil as an anion and is stored mostly in organic matter?
A) Calcium
B) Magnesium
C) Sulfur
D) Potassium
C) sulfur
Iron chlorosis is sometimes seen on soybeans, most often when growing on __ soi
A) coarse
B)Organic
C) Acid
D) Calcareous
D) calcareous
A concern with trace elements, but usually less of a problem with macronutrients, is
A) possible toxicity
B) widespread shortage
C) lack of good fertilizers
D) effect on soil microorganisms
A) possible toxicity
Which soil is most likely to be low in calcium
A) a calcareous soil
B) A heavy clay soil
C) acid sands
D) loess plains
C) Acid sands
SOMETIMES ONE SHOULD CHECK FOR MAGNEDE DEFICIENCY WHEN SUSPECTING AN IRON DEFICIENCY. WHY?
Because magnese is essential for proper Iron absorption.
SOME LANDSCAPERS PUT A PHOSPHATE FERTILIZER IN THE PLANTING HOLE WHEN PLANTING TREES. WHY?
Putting the fertilizer promotes root development and is crucial for energy transfer
EXPLAIN WHY POTASSIUM SHORAGES CAUSE LODGING
Potassium maintains the structural integrity of plants by regulating water balance & strengthening cell walls.
A lack of this causes the plant to be prone to breaking and bending
WHY IS MAGNESIUM MORE COMMONLY DEFICIENT IN SOILS THAN CALCIUM?
Magnesium is more commonly deficient in soils than calcium because it leeches from the soil easier.
A COMMON DEFICIENCY SYMPTOM IS A LOSS OF NORMAL GREEN COLOR IN LEAF, WHAT IS THIS CALLED AND WHY DOES IT HAPPEN?
Called Chlorosis, this occurs when there is a deficiency of chlorophyll. Usually it can be a sign of nitogen deficiency in the soil, as it creates cholorphyll.
TREATMENT OF HORTICULTURE CROPS SUCH AS CANTALOUPE TO ENSURE GOOD CALCIUM CONTENT INOROVES THIER STORAGE LIFE. WHY?
its maintains the cell structure, which further maintains firmness, texture, and quality of a crop for a longer period of time.
SOME GARDEN FLOWERS, IF FERTILIZED INCORRECTLY, PRODUCE VIGOROUS VEGETATION BUT FEW FLOWERS. NAME THE ERROR AND EXPLAIN IT
when the flowers have too much nitrogen it promotes excessive leaf and stem growth. Therefore the problem is an inbalanced fertilizer.
IN MAKING COMPOSTS, WE USUALLY TRY TO MIX SOME CARBONACEOUS MATERIAL WITH SOME NITROGENEOUS MATERIAL. THIS MAY SOMETIMES BE DESCRIBED AS BROWN STUFF, AND GREEN STUFF.
EXPLAIN WHY THERE IS SOME CORRELATION BETWEEN GREEN AND NITROGENOUS AND BROWN AND CARBONCEAOUS
The correlation has to do with thier compositiion and decomposition process. Green materials are rich in nitrogen. brown materials provide a source of carbon. Together they provide the right carbon-to-nitrogen ration in the compost pile.
Balance is important for proper decomposition and the breakdown of nutrient-rich compost
Discuss nitrogen nutrition. know the difference in plants with adequate and too much nitrogen.
levels are important for healthy plant growth.
too much can give plants too much lush foliage, making them suceptible to certain diseases and pests
plant growth can be effected and focus on vegative growth rather than repoductive processes
DISCUSS NITROGEN CYCLE
1) nitrogen fixation- gas is converted from atmosphere into usable form by bacteria or lightning
2) plants take that nitrogen from soil
3) detrification turns the nitrogen back into a gas
DISCUSS PHOSPHORUS NUTRITION
Phosphorus is responsible for energy transfers, root development & flowering. When a plant is low on phosphorus they may have poor root development, weak stems, and stunted growth
What are secondary Nutrients
Calcium, Magnesium, Sulfur
What are trace elements :)
Fe, Zn, Cu, B, Mo, Ni, Mn
Be able to describe how plants use calcium, magnesium, and molybdenum
Calcium- Cell wall formation, tissue integrity, enzyme activation
Magnesium- essential for chlorophyll production, which helps plants convert sunlight to energy
Molybdenum- Micronutrient aids in nitrogen conservation, protien synthesis, and enzyme activation
What are benificial elements
N, P, K, Iron, Mangnese, Zinc
Define Chlorosis
Chlorosis is when a plant leaves turn yellow due to a lack of chlorophyll. It can be caused by nutrient deficiencies or other enviornmantal factors.
Alkaline soil has an excess of hydrogen ions
True
Respiration of soil organisms cause a rise in soil pH
True
Overall nutrient availibility is generally good in the pH range 6.0-7.0
True
Agricultural limes contain calcium
True
Salinity makes some soil water unavailable to plants.
True
Ponding may be used to reclaim saline soils
True
Drip irrigation makes salinity problems worse
False
The pH for soils ranges between 0-14
True
Sodic soils have the worst soil structure
True
One might predict that the soils of Tennessee would be more acidic that those of Kansas.
true
A pH of 3.0 ___ a pH of 6.0
A) twice as acidic as
B) 1,000 times more acidic than
C) twice as basic as
D) 3x more basic than
b) 1,000 times more acidic than
A soil has a pH of 8.0. This soil could be described as being
A) highly base saturated
B) highly aluminum saturated
C) neutral in pH
D) an ideal pH for most plants
C) neutral in pH
Soil acidity occurs mostly
A) in soils formed of calcareous materials
B) in residual soil
C) in regions with a humid climate
A) in soils formed of calcareous materials
Most trace elements are most available
A) in acid soil
B) in neutral soil
C) in alkaline soil
D) in saline soil
B) in neear nuetral soil
A lime is especially useful in sandy soil, where magnesium may be deficient, is
A) burnt lime
B) hydrated lime
C) calcitic lime
D) dolomitic lime
D) dolomitic lime
The slowest-acting lime in this list is
A) coarsely ground calcitic lime
B) finely ground calcitic lime
C) hydrated lime
D) fluid lime
B) finely ground calcitic lime
A soybean grower finds iron deficiencies in his beans. The soil conditions that contributed to this problem might best be corrected by
A) liming the soil
B) mixing ground sulfur into the soil
C) mixing gypsum into the soil
D) mixing pest moss into the soil
B) mixing ground sulfur into the soil
A certain soil has a high electrical conductivity, good soil structure, low sodium, and a pH of about 7.5. This soil is A) Slaine
B) sodic
C) saline-sodic
d) sodic-saline
B)sodic
Problems with soil salinity arise most often
A) in humid regions
B) from irrigation in arid regions
C) when parent materials are saline
D) when costal areas are flooded with salt water
C) when parent materials are saline
Sodium is removed from sodic soils by
A) flooding to leach out salts
B) treatment with gypsum
C) treatment with lime
D) applying extra water during irrigation
A) flooding to leach out salts
Describe how soils become acid
due to factors like leaching of basic nutrients & accumulation of organic acids.
What soil factors affect the ammount of ENP that will be needed to neutralize acidity of a certain soil?
ammount depends on various soil factors including, initial pH if soil, buffering capacity of soil, & desired target pH
What factors affect the ENP of a commercially available lime product? in terms of these factors, what sort of product would have the highest ENP?
includes the purity of the product, the calcium & magnesium content,
a product with high purity high calcium & high magnesium content would have the highest ENP
What is the benifit of a very finely ground lime product? what is the drawback?
The benefit, is from a faster reaction with the soil, however it way leach more easily
You walk by a lawn with alternating narrow strips of green and wider strips of brown grass. What do you suppose happened? Explain.
it could be varitions in soil conditions
You want to plant a bed pf rhododendrons, but will need to lower soil pH. Would the ammount of sulfur you need to add depend on the texture of your soil? why?
yes the ammount does matter. Sandy soils tend to require less sulfur, while clay soils may need more.
for fertilizing your rhododendrons, you select an acid forming fertilizer. What is probably in it that makes it acidic and why?
usually due to the presence of sulfur or iron sulfate. These components help lower soil pH, creating more acidic enviornment
ENP
Equivalent Neutralizing Power
