2013 State FFA Crops Contest
Insect Practicum Key
Name: _____________________________________
FFA Chapter: _______________________________
Contestant No.: ______________________________
All questions are worth 3 points, except questions 6 and 7 which are worth 4 points each.
1. Insect damage often reflects the style of feeding done by the insect. For example, wilting would be
caused by insects with piercing and sucking mouthparts while those with biting and chewing
mouthparts would cause defoliation. What kind of damage would you expect to see from Japanese
beetles?
a. defoliation
b. leaf drop
c. stem clipping
d. wilting
2. Crop rotation is an example of what kind of pest management tactic?
a. biological control
b. cultural control
c. genetic control
d. pheremonal control
3. For crop rotation to work well, the pest must:
a. have a very limited host range
b. a relatively immobile feeding stage
c. both of the above
d. neither, crop rotation will function well regardless
4. Corn rootworm adults damage corn by:
a. clipping silks, thereby reducing fertilization so ears don't completely fill
b. direct feeding on kernels, decreasing the amount of harvestable grain
c. feeding and tunneling in the roots of the plant
d. feeding on root hairs causing premature termination of root development
5. A two-year rotation of corn and soybean has historically been used as a control for corn rootworm.
In this management tactic, rootworms overwintering in last year's corn will emerge this year into
soybean, which they cannot eat. This tactic is now less effective in some production areas. Why?
a. corn rootworm have developed alternate hosts, breaking the lack of food caused by the
rotation
b. corn rootworm strains have developed that remain in the egg stage for two years,
defeating the crop rotation
c. more mobile corn rootworm larvae have developed that can travel to neighboring corn
fields
d. rootworm strains have developed that can feed on soybean
Scouting for injurious crop pests is a standard best management practice. The objective of scouting
for insects is to identify the insects present in your fields, determine which ones are or may become a
problem, and assess numbers and damage so a decision on action can be made. This means sampling
for insects and examining plants.
6. While it is thought soybean aphids first colonize large fields on the southern edge, they are not
there for very long and disperse readily across the whole field. What sampling pattern would be
appropriate to scout for soybean aphid?
a. follow a box pattern - walking the perimeter of the field
b. follow a W pattern across the field - entering at one end of the field and exiting at the
same end
c. scout along one transect from the southern edge to the middle of the field
d. scout only the southern edge of fields
7. There are five grasshopper species in Minnesota that tend to be agricultural pests, none of them like
to lay eggs in tilled soil. If you were scouting for them in the spring, what pattern would likely be
most useful?
a. follow a box pattern - walking the perimeter of the field
b. follow a W pattern across the field - entering at one end of the field and exiting at the same
end
c. follow an X pattern across the field - diagonally crossing the field in two directions
d. follow a Z pattern across the field - entering at one end of the field and exiting at opposite
corner
8. At what frequency should scouting be done?
a. daily
b. weekly
c. monthly
d. it depends on the crop stage and growing conditions
9. The economic damage caused by the European corn borer is due to:
a. destruction of vegetative plant parts
b. flower destruction
c. kernel feeding in storage
d. removal of plant fluids
10. European corn borer can be controlled by:
a. early planting
b. growing Bt corn hybrids
c. maintaining at least a 2-year crop rotation
d. none of the above
11. The most important insect pest of soybean in the northern Great Plains is currently soybean aphid.
This invasive species was first reported in 1999. The most important damage caused by soybean
aphid to commercial soybean is by:
a. defoliation
b. disease transmission
c. flower destruction
d. sap feeding
12. The damaging stage of soybean aphid is the larvae.
a. true
b. false
13. Why?
a. aphids have nymphs, not larvae
b. aphid larvae don’t feed
c. aphid larvae are the reproductive stage
d. aphid larvae are present only in the winter
14. The economic threshold for controlling soybean aphid with insecticides recommended by
university extension services in all soybean producing states is:
a. 50 aphids per plant when any plants have aphids
b. 100 aphids per plant when at least 25% of plants have aphids
c. 250 aphids per plant when most plants have aphids
d. treat when any aphids are present
15. Insects pests of stored grain are more likely to present problems under which conditions
a. high temperature and high moisture
b. high temperature and low moisture
c. low temperature and high moisture
d. low temperature and low moisture
16. Which of the following is not an important stored grain insect:
a. bruchid weevil
b. cereal leaf beetle
c. indian meal moth
d. sawtoothed grain beetle
2013 State FFA Crops Contest
Soils Practicum Key
Name: _____________________________________
FFA Chapter: _______________________________
Contestant No.: ______________________________
Questions 1-4 (3 pts each):
1. Most agricultural land in Minnesota would be classified as:
a. I-III
b. II-IV
c. VI-VIII
d. VII-VIII
2. In the USDA Land Capability Classification, subclass “e” stands for soils with:
a. climate limitations
b. excessive wetness
c. high erosion susceptibility
d. limitations in the rooting zone
3. In the USDA Land Capability Classification, subclass “w” stands for soils with:
a. climate limitations
b. excessive wetness
c. high erosion susceptibility
d. limitations in the rooting zone
4. A section consists of how many acres?
a. 40
b. 80
c. 160
d. 640
For Questions 5-7, use the provided Figure 1 of Nicollet County, MN and the
accompanying descriptive data (4 pts each):
5. The city of Nicollet is predominantly located in:
a. T109N R28W Section 4
b. T109N R28W Section 19
c. T109N R28W Section 24
d. T109N R28W Section 36
6. There are __ sections within a township.
a. 4
b. 8
c. 32
d. 36
7. Which of the soils has the fewest restrictions for Land Capability class?
a. Blue Earth mucky silt loam
b. Lester loam
c. Le Sueur clay loam
d. Webster clay loam
For Questions 8-12, use the provided Figure 2 (the soil map of T110N R27W Section 22 of
Nicollet County, MN) and the accompanying descriptive data (4 pts each):
8. Based on the map features and described soil types, which soil map unit symbol represents soil
that could be described as peat?
a. 35
b. L85A
c. 86
d. 112
9. Which soil type is most productive for both corn and soybeans?
a. Canisteo clay loam
b. Le Sueur clay loam
c. Nicollet clay loam
d. Webster clay loam
10. The most productive soil types in this map are colored:
a. light blue
b. dark blue
c. brown
d. red
11. The least productive soil types in this map are colored:
a. light blue
b. dark blue
c. brown
d. red
12. From a soil conservation standpoint, which of the following soil map unit symbols represent
soil that would benefit most from conservation tillage?
a. 35
b. L83A
c. 106B
d. 221
For questions 13-14, refer to the soil textural triangle below (3 pts each):
13. A soil with 30% clay, 40% sand, and 30% silt would be classified as:
a. clay loam
b. loam
c. sandy clay loam
d. silty clay loam
14. Which of the following soil types would you expect to have the best drainage?
a. loamy sand
b. sandy clay
c. sandy clay loam
d. sandy loam
Soil Textural Triangle (for questions 12-14)
Key
2013 State FFA Crops Contest
Grain Grading
Sample 1. Barley
Observation Information: Sample is primarily Six-rowed barley with white aleurone layers
Information
No./Percent
Test weight
Moisture
Suitable malting type
Dockage
Skinned and broken
kernels
Diseased barley
Barley that passes
through a 5/64 x ¾
slotted-hole sieve
47.5 lbs/bu.
12.5%
100%
0.7%
3.0%
2.1%
8.0%
Grading factor
Test weight per bushel
N/A
U.S. Grade
U.S. No. 1
Suitable malting type
N/A
Skinned and broken kernels
U.S. No. 1
Dockage 0.7%
U.S. No. 1
Damaged kernels
Thin barley
U.S. No. 2
U.S. No. 2
Grade: U.S. No. 2 Six-rowed Malting Barley, Dockage 0.7%
Factor(s): Damaged Kernels, Thin Barley
Sample 2. Yellow Soybean
Information
Test Weight
Moisture
Splits
Material passing through
an 8/64 round-hole sieve
Field Corn
No./Percent
58.5
9.4%
8.0%
1.0 %
Grading factor
N/A
N/A
Splits
Foreign material
U.S. Grade
U.S. No. 1
U.S. No. 2
0.2%
Grade: U.S. No. 2 Yellow Soybeans
Factors: Foreign material
Foreign material
Sample 3. Hard Red Spring Wheat
Information
Dockage
Dark hard vitreous kernels
Durum kernels
Dockage-free work sample
information:
Test weight
Material through 0.064 x 3/8
oblong hole seive
Sprouted hard red spring wheat
Scab (disease) damaged wheat
Hard white wheat
Total defects
No./Percent
0.7%
80%
1.3%
61.2 lbs/bu
2.8%
0.4%
3.0%
2.5%
Grading factor
NA
Contrasting classes
Shrunken and Broken
Kernels
Damaged Kernels Total
Wheat of Other Classes
(Total) (1.3+2.5=3.8)
2.8% + 3.4% = 6.2%
U.S. Grade
Dockage 1.2%
Dark Northern Spring
U.S. No. 2
U.S. No. 1
U.S. No. 1
U.S. No. 2
U.S. No. 2
U.S. No. 3
Grade: U.S. No. 3 Dark Northern Spring Wheat, Dockage 1.2%
Factors: Defects (Total)