Soil Sci Lec (1.1 - 1.3)

Question 1

It is a living, dynamic system which forms at the interface between the atmosphere and lithosphere

Answer 1

Soil

Question 2

What are the factors of soil?

Answer 2

1. climate
2. living organisms
3. parent material
4. topography/relief
5. time

Question 3

Soil is composed of?

Answer 3

• solid phase (45% mineral particles, 5% OM)
• air/gaseous phase (25%)
• water/liquid phase (25%)

Question 4

Exert significant direct and indirect influences on the supply and availability of most nutrient elements.

Answer 4

soil minerals

Question 5

The fraction of the soil that consists of plant or animal tissue in various stages of decomposition

Answer 5

organic matter

Question 6

Not the reservoir of nutrient ions except for those that are not adsorbed by the solid phase or incorporated in the organic matter

Answer 6

liquid phase

Question 7

• contains a number of gases of which nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide and water vapor are the most important
• constantly moves from the soil pores into the atmosphere and from the atmosphere into the pore space

Answer 7

gaseous phase

Question 8

Functions of soil as far as plants are concerned

Answer 8

• Provides anchorage to root
• Acts as a store house of water and nutrients for plant growth
• Acts as home of flora and fauna
• Provides space for air which creates healthy environment for the biological activity of soil organisms

Question 9

the supply and absorption of chemical compounds needed for growth and metabolism

Answer 9

Nutrition

Question 10

chemical compounds required by an organism

Answer 10

Nutrients

Question 11

takes into account the interrelationships of mineral elements in the growth medium as well as their role in plant growth

Answer 11

Plant Nutrition

Question 12

the mechanism by which nutrients are converted to cellular material or used for energetic purposes

Answer 12

Metabolic Processes

Question 13

encompasses the various reactions occurring in a living cell in order to maintain life and growth

Answer 13

Metabolism

Question 14

• the quality of a soil that enables it to provide essential chemical elements in quantities and proportions for the growth of specified plants
• the capacity of the soil to provide crops with essential plant nutrients in right amount and available forms

Answer 14

Soil Fertility

Question 15

the capability of soil to produce specified crop yield under well defined and specified systems of management of inputs and environmental conditions

Answer 15

Soil Productivity

Question 16

it is the nutrient enrichment of bodies of water

Answer 16

Eutrophication

Question 17

In Greek, Mesopotamia means ____

Answer 17

land between two rivers

Question 18

what were built for irrigation of crops in mesapotamia

Answer 18

canals

Question 19

involves clearing of land—usually with the assistance of fire— followed by phases of cultivation and fallow periods

Answer 19

Shifting cultivation

Question 20

used as a common method in clearing and preparing lands

Answer 20

Slash and burn

Question 21

in the golden age of greeks, ____ was used to increased productivity and prolonged land use

Answer 21

manure

Question 22

____ was used to increased productivity of soils

Answer 22

marl

Question 23

Saline soils could be detected by?

Answer 23

taste test

Question 24

true or false

in the golden age of greeks, wood ashes & saltpeter were found to be harmful

Answer 24

False

They were found to be beneficial

Question 25

published a book on agricultural practices

Answer 25

pietro de crescenzi

Question 26

# true or false Sir Francis Bacon believed that water is the main plant nourishment and that soil kept plants upright and insulated from extreme temperatures

Answer 26

True

Question 27

his willow tree experiment "proved" that water was the sole nutrient of plants

Answer 27

Jan Baptista Van Helmont

Question 28

believed that plant growth is influenced by something other than water

Answer 28

John Woodward

Question 29

believed that roots ingest soil particles and cultivating the soil made it easier for plants to take up soil

Answer 29

Jethro Tull

Question 30

Jethro Tull wrote the book ____ and developed the horse hoe and the seed drill

Answer 30

Horse and Hoeing Husbandry

Question 31

# true or false **de Saussure** believed that soil provides only small amounts of nutrients required by plants and that plants obtain C from the air.

Answer 31

true

Question 32

# true or false **John Woodward** introduced the Humus Theory, wherein plants live on humus-derived extracts (C, H, O, N) from which they are able to rebuild more complex plant tissue. He also believed that fertilizer salts and lime are good because they promote humus and organic matter breakdown.

Answer 32

false | The correct answer is **Albrecht Thaer**

Question 33

believed that the increase in mass of the plant as it grows could not be due only to uptake of CO2, but also to the uptake of H2O

Answer 33

de Saussure

Question 34

what is the name of the theory that Albrecht Thaer introduced?

Answer 34

Humus Theory

Question 35

A student of Thaer, concluded that salts in humus extracts were real plant nutrients. He also came up with a list of compounds required for plant growth and discussed the idea of fertilizers

Answer 35

Philip Carl Sprengel

Question 36

Popularized the Law of the Minimum

Answer 36

Justus Von Liebig

Question 37

states that growth is controlled not by the total of resources available, but by the scarcest resource (limiting factor).

Answer 37

law of the minimum

Question 38

who developed the law of the minimum?

Answer 38

Carl Sprengel

Question 39

Dry matter is composed of?

Answer 39

5% mineral elements & 95% C, H, O

Question 40

# true or false Plants are composed of 10% dry matter and 90% water

Answer 40

true

Question 41

* are the fundamental materials of which all matter is composed * any substance that cannot be decomposed into simpler substances by ordinary chemical processes

Answer 41

elements

Question 42

The term essential mineral element was proposed by?

Answer 42

Arnon and Stout

Question 43

what are the criterias for essentiality

Answer 43

1. Plants cannot complete their life cycle without the element 2. Deficiency symptoms for the element can be corrected only by supplying the element in question 3. The element must be directly involved in plant metabolism or a component of an essential plant constituent 4. Most plants need this element to survive

Question 44

required by bacteria responsible for nitrogen fixation in legumes

Answer 44

cobalt

Question 45

Two ways to classify the essential elements

Answer 45

1. Classified by whether it is used in large or small amounts 2. Classified by its function in the plant

Question 46

what are the primary nutrients

Answer 46

1. Nitrogen 2. Phosphorus 3. Potassium

Question 47

what are the secondary nutrients

Answer 47

1. calcium 2. magnesium 3. sulfur

Question 48

what are the micronutrients

Answer 48

* zinc * copper * manganese * iron * boron * molybdenum * chlorine * nickel

Question 49

what are the elements that belong in group 1

Answer 49

* C * H * O * N * S

Question 50

# true or false the elements **P** & **B** belong to **group III**

Answer 50

false | they belong to group II

Question 51

what are the elements that belong to group III

Answer 51

* K * Mg * Ca * Mg * Cl * Ni

Question 52

what are the elements that belong to group IV

Answer 52

* Fe * Cu

Question 53

* Forms the organic components of plants * Plants assimilate these nutrients via biochemical reactions involving oxidation and reduction

Answer 53

group 1

Question 54

a component of plant structural parts

Answer 54

Ca

Question 55

Nonspecific functions, involved in establishing osmotic potential

Answer 55

group 3

Question 56

* Esterification with native plant alcohol with importance in stabilizing cell walls and bio membranes * Phosphate esters are involved in energy transfer

Answer 56

group 2

Question 57

Present predominantly in a chelated form in prosthetic group, enable electron transport by valency change

Answer 57

group 4

Question 58

Constituent of carbohydrates; necessary for photosynthesis

Answer 58

carbon

Question 59

Maintains osmotic balance; important in numerous biochemical reactions; constituent of carbohydrates

Answer 59

hydrogen

Question 60

Constituent of carbohydrates, necessary for respiration

Answer 60

oxygen

Question 61

Constituent of proteins, chlorophyll and nucleic acids

Answer 61

nitrogen

Question 62

Constituent of many proteins, coenzymes, nucleic acids and metabolic substrates; important in energy transfer

Answer 62

phosphorus

Question 63

Involved with photosynthesis, carbohydrate translocation, protein synthesis, etc.

Answer 63

potassium

Question 64

A component of cell walls; plays a role in the structure and permeability of membranes

Answer 64

calcium

Question 65

Enzyme activator, component of chlorophyll

Answer 65

magnesium

Question 66

Important component of plant proteins

Answer 66

sulfur

Question 67

Believed to be important in sugar translocation and carbohydrate metabolism

Answer 67

boron

Question 68

Involved with oxygen production in photosynthesis

Answer 68

chlorine

Question 69

* A catalyst for respiration; a component of various enzymes * Component of cytochromes and nitrogenase

Answer 69

copper

Question 70

Involved with chlorophyll synthesis and in enzymes for electron transfer

Answer 70

iron

Question 71

Controls several oxidation-reduction systems and photosynthesis

Answer 71

manganese

Question 72

Involved with nitrogen fixation and transforming nitrate to ammonium

Answer 72

Molybdenum

Question 73

Necessary for proper functioning of the enzyme, urease, and found to be necessary in seed germination

Answer 73

Nickel

Question 74

involved with enzyme systems that regulate various metabolic activities

Answer 74

Zinc

Question 75

Important Plant nutrition principles

Answer 75

* Plants require nutrients in balanced amount * Sufficient concentration of nutrients should be present in plant leaves at any time

Question 76

# true or false At early growth stages, the highest concentration of nutrients are found in leaves, and the lowest in leaves near harvest

Answer 76

true

Question 77

Pattern of nutrient uptake follows a ____

Answer 77

sigmoid curve