Plant and Soil Relationships
Exam Materials
Course Introduction
This course explores the intricate interactions between plants and the soils in which they grow, emphasizing the physical, chemical, and biological properties of soils that influence plant health and productivity. Topics include soil composition and structure, nutrient cycling and availability, water movement and retention, soil pH and salinity, and the role of soil microorganisms in supporting plant growth. The course also examines how different plant species adapt to various soil conditions and how land management practices affect the plant-soil system. Through lectures, laboratory exercises, and field studies, students gain a comprehensive understanding of the fundamental principles underlying plant and soil relationships and their implications for sustainable agriculture and ecosystem management.
Recommended Textbook
The Nature and Properties of Soils 14th Edition by Nyle C. Brady
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20 Chapters
838 Verified Questions
838 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/study-set/3989
Page 2
Chapter 1: The Soils Around US
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42 Verified Questions
42 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/80115
Sample Questions
Q1) A, B, C, and E horizons can be found in any true soil.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q2) Soil occupies the ______part of the regolith.
A)upper
B)lower
C)younger
D)both B and C
Answer: A
Q3) In a typical mineral soil in optimal condition for plant growth, approximately what percentage of the pore space would be filled with water and what percentage filled with air?
A)10% water and 90% air
B)90% water and 10% air
C)25% water and 25% air
D)50% water and 50% air
E)25% water and 75% air
Answer: D
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Page 3
Chapter 2: Formation of Soils From Parent Materials
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53 Verified Questions
53 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/80116
Sample Questions
Q1) Glacial till can be recognized by the distinct layering of different kinds of particles.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q2) The presence of iron in a mineral generally increases its resistance to chemical breakdown.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q3) The topmost horizon in most humid region forest soils is the A horizon.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q4) Marine sediments are typical parent materials in coastal plain areas.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
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Chapter 3: Soil Classification
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47 Verified Questions
47 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/80117
Sample Questions
Q1) Andisols are found mostly near recently active volcanoes.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q2) Soil Taxonomy, the classification system used in the United States, was developed by C.
E.Marbut and associates in the 1940s.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q3) Epipedons are diagnostic subsurface horizons that are one of the primary means of classifying soils in the United States.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q4) Mollisols are characterized by a deep epipedon that is high in organic matter.
A)True
B)False Answer: True
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Chapter 4: Soil Architecture and Physical Properties
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43 Verified Questions
43 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/80118
Sample Questions
Q1) If a dry soil high in certain types of ____ is moistened, it is likely to swell up with enough force to crack pavements and building foundations.
A)humus
B)iron
C)clay
D)silt
E)any of the above
Q2) Soil consistence changes with changes in soil water content.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Roots of most plants have difficulty growing through soil if the bulk density is greater than 1.0 Mg/m<sup>3</sup>.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Compared to a similar soil under native vegetation, a soil with a long history of conventionally tilled cropping would have less micropore space.
A)True
B)False
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Page 6
Chapter 5: Soil Water: Characteristics and Behavior
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39 Verified Questions
39 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/80119
Sample Questions
Q1) The magnetic resonance technique of estimating soil moisture levels can also be used to estimate salt contents.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Which of the following statements concerning applications or capabilities of soil moisture measuring devices is (are) true for the tensiometer?
A)requires "destructive sampling" for each measurement
B)good to turn on automatic irrigation at -50 kPa
C)used to turn on irrigation when soil moisture potential reaches -200 kPa
D)would give the same reading for both a loamy sand and a silt loam if both contained 15% moisture
E)both A and D
Q3) Although the total soil water content of a clay soil is about the same as a nearby well structured silt loam, the clay will likely provide more available water to plants because of its higher volume of small pores.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 6: Soil and the Hydrologic Cycle
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44 Verified Questions
44 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The water potential at the leaf surfaces expressed in kPa is most likely to be _____.
A)-10
B)33
C)-33
D)-500
E)-31,000
Q2) Corn plants are generally more efficient in the use of water than is alfalfa.
A)True
B)False
Q3) The likelihood of polluting groundwater with pesticides and plant nutrients is enhanced by _____.
A)the presence of macropores in the soil
B)light tillage of the upper centimeter or so of soil
C)the use of tillage to control weeds
D)the production of oats rather than wheat
E)conventional tillage as a choice compared with conservation tillage
Q4) The average residence time for water in clouds over the ocean is about one year.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 7: Soil Aeration and Temperature
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41 Verified Questions
41 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/80121
Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following practices would encourage higher soil temperatures in the spring in a humid-temperate area?
A)apply modest levels of organic residues
B)follow no-till practices
C)use a plastic mulch
D)irrigate the soil
E)use the moldboard plow
Q2) The following is the reduced form of the essential element depicted
A)NH<sub>4</sub><sup>+</sup>
B)Fe<sup>3+</sup>
C)CO<sub>2</sub>
D)SO<sub>4</sub><sup>2-</sup>
E)Mn<sup>4+</sup>
Q3) Anaerobic conditions commonly prevail in liberally watered flower pots with mineral soil as the growing medium even though the containers have holes for drainage in the bottom of the pot.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 8: Soil Colloids: Seat of Soil Chemical and Physical Activity
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40 Verified Questions
40 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/80122
Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following silicate clays would be least apt to be formed from the mere alteration of primary minerals?
A)smectite
B)vermiculite
C)chlorite
D)fine-grained micas
E)iron or aluminum oxides
Q2) Humus is an important soil colloid.It differs from 2:1 type minerals in all but one of the following characteristics (select the one).
A)structural framework of the particles
B)CEC dependence on soil pH
C)influence of isomorphous substitution
D)capable of adsorbing cations
E)influence on soil aggregate stability
Q3) The leaf-like structure of silicate clays involves two kinds of horizontal sheets, one dominated by a plane of silicon atoms, the other by a plane of aluminum and/or magnesium.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 9: Soil Acidity
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42 Verified Questions
42 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/80123
Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following would likely grow best on a soil with a pH of 6.0?
A)alfalfa
B)sweet clover
C)tomatoes
D)blueberries
E)cranberries
Q2) Loblolly pine tolerates higher levels of acidity than beech or maple trees.
A)True
B)False
Q3) The presence of neutral salts in an alkaline soil has a tendency to increase the pH of the soil.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Bright brownish or reddish colored soil or saprolite layers encountered during excavation are likely to be result in acid sulfate soil problems if exposed to the air.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 10: Soils of Dry Regions: Alkalinity, Salinity, and Sodicity
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41 Verified Questions
41 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/80124
Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following correctly describes the relationship among the several methods available to measure electrical conductivity (EC) of soils?
A)The saturated paste extract method is the best field method.
B)The four electrode field sensor gives EC values about 2x those of the saturated paste method.
C)The saturation extract procedure is more accurate than the saturated paste method.
D)Electromagnetic induction method requires prongs to penetrate the soil.
E)The saturated paste method takes more time than the four electrode field sensor.
Q2) Saline-sodic soils have electrical conductivities greater than 4 dS/m and a sodium adsorption ratio of less than 13.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Normal alkaline soils often exhibit deficiencies of available iron and manganese.
A)True
B)False
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12
Chapter 11: Organisms and Ecology of the Soil
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41 Verified Questions
41 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/80125
Sample Questions
Q1) Where conditions are favorable, earthworms are known to add several hundred kg/ha of several important nutrients to the soil system.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Mucigel is thought to improve the contact between plant roots and soil particles, thus enhancing the plant uptake of water and nutrients.
A)True B)False
Q3) The addition of large quantities of plant residues to the soil generally ____ the incidence and severity of soil-borne plant diseases.
A)increases
B)reduces
C)has no effect on
Q4) A significant portion of the global production of methane comes from the activity of termites.
A)True B)False
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13
Chapter 12: Soil Organic Matter
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41 Verified Questions
41 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/80126
Sample Questions
Q1) The active fraction of soil organic matter largely accounts for which of the benefits of adding organic matter to soils?
A)increased CEC
B)increased water holding capacity
C)increased microbial activity
D)increased aggregate stability
E)both c and d
Q2) As decomposition of added organic material proceeds, the C/N ratio in the remaining undecomposed material steadily increases.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Sandy soils generally are higher in organic matter than fine textured soils.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Well aerated soils enriched with organic amendments can help reduce the methane load in the atmosphere.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 13: Nitrogen and Sulfur Economy of Soils
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41 Verified Questions
41 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/80127
Sample Questions
Q1) To be practical, a nitrification inhibitor should kill or inhibit _____.
A)Nitrosomonas
B)Nitrobacter
C)either A or B
D)none of the above
Q2) Ammonia losses from the shallow, algae-filled water of a non-tidal wetland are likely to be much greater at night than during the day.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Forests in decline because of acid deposition can often be brought back to high productivity with just a few applications of nitrogen fertilizer.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Pesticides and other chemicals added to soils would be more likely to slow down nitrification than mineralization.
A)True
B)False
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15
Chapter 14: Soil Phosphorus and Potassium
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39 Verified Questions
39 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/80128
Sample Questions
Q1) For an unfertilized temperate region forested soil with a large amount of interlayer fixed potassium, but a low amount of readily available potassium, the level of readily available potassium is expected to be higher in early spring than in late fall.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Although only about 2 to 5 percent of the total P in most surface soils is in organic form, this form supplies nearly all the P taken up by plants.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Because of the complimentary ion effect, potassium is more readily leached from an acid soil than from a neutral soil.
A)True
B)False
Q4) During the last several decades, modern agriculture in the industrialized countries has tended to deplete cropland soils of their supply of available P.
A)True
B)False
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16
Chapter 15: Micronutrients and Other Trace Elements
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42 Verified Questions
42 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/80129
Sample Questions
Q1) The availability of which of the following micronutrients is commonly affected by soil redox potential?
A)manganese
B)zinc
C)cobalt
D)boron
E)all of the above
Q2) Histosols (organic soils) are typically well supplied with nitrogen and phosphorus but deficient in most micronutrients.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Which micronutrient element is found in the greatest quantity in most soils?
A)B
B)Cu
C)Fe
D)Mn
E)Zn
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Page 17
Chapter 16: Practical Nutrient Management
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40 Verified Questions
40 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Perforation placement is usually used to fertilize _____.
A)row crops
B)turfgrass
C)landscape trees
D)forests
Q2) A cover crop is usually grown for the purpose of _________.
A)improving soil quality
B)saving or recycling nutrients
C)covering expenses for pollution control measures
D)A and B
E)all of the above
Q3) Land application of treated sewage sludge is an effective means of recycling nutrients back to the soil from which they were originally taken.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Broadcast application usually requires less fertilizer to achieve a given level of plant response than does banding.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 17: Soil Erosion and Its Control
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41 Verified Questions
41 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/80131
Sample Questions
Q1) The key to preventing soil erosion by water on both farmland and landscaping job sites is ____.
A)To keep the soil surface covered with vegetation.
B)To provide adequate surface and subsurface drainage.
C)To grade or till the soil until a smooth surface is achieved.
D)To keep the soil moist (with irrigation if necessary).
E)To practice good landscape sanitation by clearing away any weeds and old plant residues.
Q2) The U.S.Department of Agriculture has developed soil-loss tolerance limits (T values) for different soils.Which of the following is the highest T value assigned for most soils in this country (Mg/ha)?
A)5.0
B)15
C)11
D)20
E)2
Q3) Conservation tillage systems are now in use on some 75% of the cropland in the USA.
A)True
B)False
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Page 19
Chapter 18: Soils and Chemical Pollution
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41 Verified Questions
41 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/80132
Sample Questions
Q1) It has been found that continued, repeated application of an organic toxin to a particular soil will _____ the capacity of that soil's microflora to degrade the compound in question.
A)gradually inhibit
B)have no effect on C)gradually enhance
Q2) Which of the following are considered to be "heavy metals" that can contaminate soils and the food chain?
A)cadmium
B)zinc
C)lead
D)copper
E)all of the above
Q3) The principal human health effect of exposure to radon is ____.
A)lung cancer
B)diarrhea
C)bone embrittlement
D)blue baby syndrome
E)none of the above
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Page 20
Chapter 19: Geographic Soils Information
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39 Verified Questions
39 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/80133
Sample Questions
Q1) The various soils in a catena of soils differ from one another primarily as a result of their geologic parent material.
A)True
B)False
Q2) In making a second-order (detailed) soils map, soil scientists typically obtain most of the necessary soil profile information by using _____.
A)soil pits
B)ground penetrating radar
C)satellites
D)soil augers
E)electro-magnetic induction
Q3) Compared to a 50 x 100 cm county soils map, a 20 x 28 cm map of the United States would be considered to be a larger scale map.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Soil mappers use a transect to find the boundaries between adjacent soils in a landscape.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 20: Prospects for Global Soil Quality
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41 Verified Questions
41 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/80134
Sample Questions
Q1) Soils of the tropics will greatly affect future food supplies.Which of the following is correct in relation to these soils?
A)Oxisols and Ultisols dominate the semiarid areas.
B)Oxisols and Ultisols are highly leached and low in available nutrients.
C)Mollisols developed on alluvial parent materials are prized as productive rice soils.
D)Alfisols are widespread in the tropics, especially in humid areas.
E)Aridisols are scarce in the tropics, especially in Africa.
Q2) Many soil quality functions must be measured to define a soil quality indicator property.
A)True
B)False
Q3) In the past 25 years, population pressures have forced more land to come under shifting cultivation, but per hectare yields from the system have declined.
A)True
B)False
Q4) During the 1990s, the rate of increase of food production has declined.
A)True
B)False
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Page 22