2013 AGRONOMY KANSAS FFA CDE
AGRONOMIC QUIZ
Contestant No.
Contestant Name________________________
Score________
WRITE ANSWERS ON BLANKS USING CAPITAL LETTERS – (4 points each)
A___ 1. Which of the following Kansas crops is used as grain for human food or livestock feed, plus it is
commonly used to produce oil, high fructose sweetener, biofuel (ethanol), silage, and industrial
products such as biodegradable trash bags and packing peanuts?
A) corn
E
B) alfalfa
D) sunflower
E) soybean
2.A crop planted to protect the soil from erosion, add nitrogen to the soil (if a legume is used), and
“trap” nutrients to reduce losses during the time between two crop seasons is called a:
A) fallow crop
D
C) wheat
B) intercrop
C) pulse crop
D) companion crop
E) cover crop
3. Which of the following conditions would not likely be a result of using a no-till system that
leaves crop residue on the soil surface versus incorporating the residue with tillage?
A) more water infiltration
B) cooler soil temperature
C) less soil moisture loss by evaporation
D) less overwintering of insect and disease pests
E) less wind and water erosion
D___ 4. Which of the following is a livestock health problem that is most likely to occur with cattle grazing
lush growing, cool season pastures (fescue, bromegrass, wheat) with low magnesium levels in the
forage? Symptoms start with staggers and may terminate with convulsions, coma, and death.
A) fescue toxicosis
B) prussic acid poisoning
C) nitrate toxicity
D) grass tetany
E) alkaloid poisoning
A___ 5. Both corn and sorghum growing under drought stress may accumulate toxic levels of which of the
following substances, especially in the lower part of the stems? It is more likely when high rates of
N fertilizer or manure have been applied. It may also still be present at toxic levels in silage or hay
made from affected plants.
A) nitrate
B) Salmonella
C) aflatoxin
D) vomitoxin
E) E. coli
C___ 6. Which of the following acids is formed in good quality silage and gives the silage its distinct
sweet smell.
A) acetic acid
B
B) prussic acid
C) lactic acid
D) propionic acid
E) butyric acid
7. The standard weight per bushel for canola is:
A) 32 pounds
B) 50 pounds
C) 56 pounds
D) 60 pounds
E) 100 pounds
D
8.Because most soybean varieties grown in Kansas continue to produce more leaves and stems after
they begin flowering, their growth habit is called:
A) dioecious
C
B) monoecious
C) biennial
D) indeterminate
E) determinate
9. Application of a starter fertilizer placed below and beside the seed with a fertilizer unit on a row
crop planter while planting sunflowers is called:
A) sidedressing
B) topdressing
C) banding
D) broadcasting
E) foliar application
B___10. Which of the following phosphorus fertilizer carriers is a liquid?
A) Monoammonium Phosphate – MAP (11-52-0)
B) Ammonium Polyphosphate – APP (10-34-0)
C) Triple Superphosphate – TSP (0-46-0)
D) Diammonium Phosphate – DAP (18-46-0)
E) All of the above are liquid carriers
E
11. Corn rootworms cause damage to corn by:
A) feeding on the roots during both the larval and the adult stage
B) feeding on the roots during the larval stage and feeding in the stalks during the adult stage
C) feeding on the roots during the adult stage and feeding on the stalks during the larval stage
D) feeding in the roots during the larval stage and feeding on the silks during the adult stage
E) feeding in the stalks during the larval stage and feeding on the silks during the adult stage
C___12. The stages of the life cycle of an alfalfa weevil with complete metamorphosis are:
A) egg, adult
B) egg, nymph, adult
C) egg, larvae, pupae, adult
D) larvae, nymph, pupae, adult
E) egg, larvae, adult
C___13. A crop consultant finds a lot of aphid “mummies” when scouting for aphids on alfalfa. These
aphid mummies are evidence of biological control by:
A) lace wings
C
B) lady bugs
C) parasitic wasps
D) predator mites
E) Bt bacteria
14. Soybean varieties adapted to Kansas are commonly in maturity groups:
A) 00, 0, I
B) I, II, III
C) III, IV, V
D ) V, VI, VII
E) all of the above varieties are adapted, but they just have to be planted at different times
B___15. The term "inoculated seed" when used in soybean production refers to:
A) seed treated with a fungicide to prevent seedling diseases
B) seed treated with nitrogen fixing bacteria to insure nitrogen fixation
C) seed treated with a chemical to protect the seedlings from herbicide injury
D) seed treated with an insecticide to prevent wireworm damage in the soil
E) inoculated soybean seed would include treatment for all of the above
D___16. Which of the following is the most important cool season, introduced, perennial forage grass
crop grown primarily in Eastern Kansas for pasture and hay?
A) alfalfa
B) big bluestem
C) bermudagrass
D) tall fescue
E) sudangrass
C___17. “Yellowberry” in hard red winter wheat seed is an indicator of:
A) wheat scab disease infection
B) excess moisture, above the 14% level required for safe storage
C) low protein, below the normal level of about 12%
D) high test weight, above the normal level of about 60 pounds per bushel
E) heavy feeding by greenbugs during the vegetative growth period
B___18. Which of the following is an advantage of center pivot sprinkler over furrow irrigation?
A) less evaporation loss with sprinkler
B) more uniform application of water with sprinkler
C) less energy required to pump and distribute water with sprinkler
D) lower equipment maintenance costs with sprinkler
E) all of the above
C___19. A material added to a spray mixture to increase spreading or retention of the spray solution on plant
leaves is called the:
A) active ingredient
B) inert ingredient
C) surfactant
D) carrier
E) formulation
D___20. Which set of conditions would result in the greatest amount of spray drift?
A) low boom height, low pressure, and small nozzle size
B) low boom height, high pressure, and large nozzle size
C) high boom height, low pressure, and large nozzle size
D) high boom height, high pressure, and small nozzle size
E) high boom height, low pressure, and small nozzle size
D
21. The greatest yield reduction due to drought stress in grain sorghum generally results when the
stress occurs during the:
A) seedling emergence stage resulting in poor stands
B) vegetative stage resulting in less tillering
C) growing point differentiation stage resulting in fewer heads initiated
D) boot stage resulting in poor head emergence
E) grain filling stage resulting in low test weight grain
D___22. Syngenta Agrisure Artesian™ and Pioneer Optimum AquaMax™ corn hybrids recently
introduced are:
A) Genetically engineered for drought tolerance
B) Genetically engineered for glyphosate, glufosinate, and 2,4-D herbicide resistance
C) Genetically engineered for gray leaf spot and stalk rot resistance
D) Conventionally bred for drought tolerance
E) Conventionally bred for increased nitrogen use efficiency
B___23. Nearly all commercial hybrid corn sold in the United States is all bagged by seed count. The
standard seed count for these hybrid corn seed bags is:
A) 60,000
B) 80,000
C) 100,000
D) 120,000
E) 140,000
D___24. Crops genetically engineered for resistance to glyphosate herbicide would be indicated by
the patented trade name:
A) Liberty Link®
B) Clearfield®
C) YieldGard®
D) Roundup Ready® E) BollGard®
D___25. Some new corn hybrids like Pioneer Optimum® AcreMax™ now include “RIB” technology which
means:
A) There is no longer any non-Bt refuge required since there are multiple resistance genes
in these new hybrids (stacked traits).
B) The non-Bt refuge requirement has been increased to 30% of the field since rootworm
resistance was reported in the Corn Belt last year.
C) The non-Bt refuge requirement is reduced from 20% to 5% of the field, but it must still be
planted in a separate area.
D) The non-BT refuge seed is mixed in the bag with the Bt seed, thus no separate refuge area
needs to be planted.
E) None of the above, “RIB” technology has nothing to do with refuge since it is a new herbicide
resistance trait, and has been the case with Roundup Ready, there is no refuge requirement for
crops with herbicide resistance.
D___26. The wheat diseases leaf rust, wheat scab and loose smut are all caused by:
A) viruses
B) bacteria
C) nematodes
D) fungi
E) adjuvants
A___27. Barley yellow dwarf virus is a common wheat disease that is vectored primarily by which of the
following?
A) Bird cherry oat aphid
B) Wheat curl mite
C) Fall armyworm
D) Hessian fly
E) Chinch bug
C
28. Corn reproductive growth stages start with silking (R1) and end with physiological maturity (R6).
The descriptive terms for the other four reproductive stages, in sequential order from R2 through
R5, is:
A) blister  milk  dent  dough
B) milk  dough  blister  dent
C) blister  milk  dough  dent
D) milk  blister  dough  dent
E) dent  blister  milk  dough
D
29. Nitrogen from fertilizer or manure may sometimes be lost from crop fields, and thus may harm
the environment, by:
A) leaching into groundwater (contaminating wells used for drinking water)
B) runoff into surface water (contributing to eutrophication of lakes and streams)
C) denitrification releasing a “greenhouse gas” (potentially contributing to climate change)
D) all of the above are possible ways nitrogen may be lost from soils under certain conditions
E) none of the above are significant, since nitrogen is so tightly held in the soil
D___30. The terms suspension, saltation, and surface creep refer to processes involved in:
A) leaching of nutrients into groundwater
B) movement of airborne spray particles away from the intended area of application
C) transport of disease pathogens from one plant to another
D) wind erosion
E) water erosion
SEE AGRONOMIC CALCULATIONS ON THE FOLLOWING PAGES
AGRONOMIC CALCULATIONS
Two part questions are 6 points each. One part questions are 4 points each. To receive full credit, show
calculations and place answer in the box. Round to the nearest tenth unless otherwise indicated.
Useful conversions: 43,560 ft2/acre, 2,000 lb/ton, 12 inches/foot, 5280 ft/mile
31.
You are calibrating a row crop planter. You find an average of 83 corn seeds dropped per 50 foot
of travel by each planter unit. The planter has 30-inch row spacing.
a. Calculate the seeding rate in seeds per acre.
b. Calculate the distance between each seed within
within the row (in inches).
32.
7.2 inches/seed
Your nutrient recommendation calls for 69 pounds P2O5 per acre for grain sorghum. Fertilizers
available are UAN (32-0-0), TSP (0-46-0), and KCl (0-0-60).
How many tons of this fertilizer are needed
for a 160 acre field?
33.
28,923 seeds/ac
12.0 tons TSP/ac
You are estimating irrigated corn yield at dough stage to determine how much to sell on
contract. The plant population is 26,000 plants/acre. Assume one ear per plant. You find
that an average ear has a count of 16 rows with 54 kernels per row. The estimated corn
kernel weight is 1600 kernels per pound.
Using the standard weight per bushel for corn,
what is the estimated yield in bushels per acre?
250.7 bu/ac
34. You are calibrating a sprayer. You collect 25.6 fluid ounces or water in one minute from an
individual nozzle. Nozzle spacing is 20 inches and the speed of travel is 5 miles per hour.
(Hint: 128 fluid ounces per gallon).
a. Use the following formula to determine the
sprayer application rate in gal/acre (GPA).
GPA =
11.9 gal/min
5940 x GPM
MPH x Nozzle Spacing in Inches
b.
35.
If the sprayer has an 800 gallon tank and a
40 foot boom, how many acres will be
sprayed with one tankful?
67.2 ac/tank
Calculate the cost per pound of active ingredient (a.i.) to show which of the following pesticide
formulations is least expensive: (round to the nearest cent)
a. Weed-Out 60DF (60% a.i. dry flowable)
at a cost of $3.80 per pound of product.
$6.33/ lb a.i.
b. Weed-Out 4L (4 pounds a.i. per gallon liquid)
at a cost of $23.50 per gallon of product.
$5.88/ lbs a.i.
36. You wish to apply 1 inch of water to your field which is under a center pivot irrigation system on
a quarter section in western Kansas. Your well capacity is 700 gallons per minute. There are
27,154 gallons per acre-inch.
How many hours will it take to complete a full
circle and apply the 1 inch of water to the field?
(Hint: a quarter section center pivot covers 125 acres)
80.8 hours/field