Soil Management

Question 1

The continued capacity of soil to function as a vital living ecosystem that sustains plants, animals, and humans (USDA definition)

Answer 1

soil quality

Question 2

The ability of soil to produce plants

Answer 2

soil productivity

Question 3

Fresh sources that decompose rapidly, soil organisms, and stable material called humus

Answer 3

soil organic matter

Question 4

The practice of growing crops without using deep tillage that completely turns the soil over and disturbs soil structure

Answer 4

no-till

Question 5

Plants grown for their contribution to soil, water, and plant relationships, and also their potential benefit to management of pests, pathogens, and weeds (also called green manures)

Answer 5

cover crop

Question 6

Fertilizers made through industrial processes or mined from deposits in the earth and purified, mixed, blended, or altered for ease of handling and application

Answer 6

chemical fertilizer

Question 7

Fertilizers that came from previously living things. In scientific terms, it means carbon fixed biologically.

Answer 7

organic fertilizer

Question 8

A fertilizer that has a legal definition. The USDA certified organic program determines that these materials can be used in certified production systems. There can be an overlap with some chemical (those that are mined) and some organic materials

Answer 8

USDA organic fertilizer

Question 9

What soil functions can be used to indicate soil quality?
A. Regulating the flow of water
B. Supporting biodiversity
C. Serving as a filter and buffer for materials
D. Reservoir and site for cycling of nutrients
E. All of the above

Answer 9

E

Question 10

Soil structure can impact
A. Biological diversity
B. Topography
C. The flow of water in soil
D. Climate
E. both A and C

Answer 10

E

Question 11

List some ways that liming can improve soil fertility

Answer 11

Raise the soil pH, add calcium and magnesium, enhance beneficial microbial activity through the aggregating actions of calcium

Question 12

True or False: All cover crops are either legumes or grasses

Answer 12

False

Question 13

True or False: Productive soils are a result of more than just the plant nutrients they contain

Answer 13

True

Question 14

A common grass cover crop that can usually establish even under cooler late fall conditions

Answer 14

cereal rye

Question 15

A legume cover crop that can add N to the soil when it decomposes, can be slow to establish and is often combined with a grass

Answer 15

hairy vetch

Question 16

A mineral component of soil that can be used as a conditioner and can actually reduce porosity if added in too small an amount to a clayey soil

Answer 16

sand

Question 17

A material that is the result of biological breakdown of organic matter

Answer 17

compost

Question 18

Residues from animals that can provide nutrients and organic matter but should be used cautiously in food production due to food safety hazards

Answer 18

manures

Question 19

A cover crop that can reduce compaction due to large roots

Answer 19

forage radish

Question 20

A shorter season cover crop that is often seeded in late spring or summer between a spring and fall crop, good for pollinators

Answer 20

buckwheat

Question 21

What are some impacts of tillage in a garden soil or landscape bed?

Answer 21

reduces soil structure, brings weed seeds to the surface, increases microbial activity, aerates the soil, weed control, incorporates organic matter

Question 22

________ fertilization is commonly used before planting, while __ is used after plants are in the ground

Answer 22

Broadcast, side dressing

Question 23

Which of the following is NOT an example of an organic fertilizer?
A. Bloodmeal
B. Compost
C. Superphosphate
D. Bonemeal

Answer 23

C.