Among various factors, both increasing population and changing diets are expected to

play a part in the requirement to increase food production between now and 2050.
Which of the following is the more important factor requiring increased food
production?
a. To increase yields in a changing climate.
b. To reduce inputs while maintaining yields.
c. To cope with the increase in population.
d. To cope with the change in diet.
e. To manage with less fresh water.

The ratio of energy in versus energy out in primary agricultural production in less
developed countries is 1:6, whereas in developed countries it is 1:1.6. The reason that
less developed countries have a better ratio is:
a. Populations in less developed countries are generally larger.
b. Less inputs in terms of agrochemicals, fertilisers, and energy to operate
farm equipment are used in less developed countries.
c. Yields are higher in developed countries.
d. b and c above are correct
e. a and c above are correct

When plants are grown in artificial media, problems with plant support can arise
when:
a. You have a large plant and a light medium.
b. Loam composts are used.
c. Windy conditions pertain.
d. a and b above are correct.
e. a and c above are correct.

Peat composts:
a. Have a low cation exchange capacity
b. Have a high cation exchange capacity
c. Don’t absorb P anions
d. Don’t absorb any anions
e. Allow precise control over nutrients available to plant roots.

When making a “garden compost”, the ideal starting parameters are:

a. 70 % moisture and 15:1 Carbon to Nitrogen ratio.
b. 70 % moisture and 30:1 Carbon to Nitrogen ratio.
c. 60 % moisture and 15:1 Carbon to Nitrogen ratio.
d. 60 % moisture and 30:1 Carbon to Nitrogen ratio.
e. 50 % moisture and 15:1 Carbon to Nitrogen ratio.

Seed propagation tends to be cheap because:

 a. it is a natural method of reproduction for plants.
b. seedling vigour arises.
c. many viruses are not transmitted to seeds from their parents.
d. new cultivars or varieties of plant are produced.
e. large multinational companies supply the seeds.

The advantages of selecting seeds from a wild stand when choosing a seed source are:
a. specific mothers are guaranteed to give seedlings with specific traits.
b. seeds with local provenance are considered better because they have
evolved from lines which are suited to the area.
c. seeds can be collected before ABA moves from the leaves to the seeds,
thus meaning that physiological dormancy can be avoided.
d. answers b & c are true.
e. answers a, b and c are true.

Acid scarification:
a. is a suitable treatment for seeds with immature embryo dormancy.
b. is a suitable treatment for seeds with biochemical dormancy.
c. is a suitable treatment for seeds with physical dormancy.
d. involves the use of NaOH to break down the seed coat.
e. c & d above are true.
Seeds of plants such as ash (Fraxinus excelsior) and holly (Ilex aquifolium) exhibit:
a. physical (hard seed-coat) dormancy.
b. immature embryo dormancy.
c. biochemical (ABA-induced) dormancy.
d. b& c above.
e. a, b and c above are true.

Physiological dormancy can be overcome by:

a. Cold moist stratification involving keeping seeds dry and cool in a fridge
(0-5oC range)
b. Cold moist stratification involving keeping seeds damp and cool in a
fridge (0-5oC range)
c. Scarification involving cutting the seed coat to allow water to penetrate
d. Cytokinin treatment to encourage germination
e. b & d above are true.

The second cultivation of a seedbed, when done by hand, is often done using a garden
fork. If this cultivation were done by machine, it would probably be done using a:
a. plough
b. cultivator
c. harrow
d. roller
e. seeder
The no-dig system of growing crops:
a. relies on large-scale agricultural equipment to do the digging.
b. relies on significant annual inputs of mulch.
c. relies on significant annual inputs of micro-organisms.
d. is really only suitable where soil drainage is good.
e. would not have been traditionally used in coastal parts of Ireland.

When preparing the seedbed and adding nutrients:

a. organic manures are those from a certified organic farmer.
b. organic manures are manures purchased as “bag fertiliser” such as 10 10
20.
c. organic manures are manures with organic matter such as animal dung,
spent mushroom compost, or compost from a compost heap.
d. organic manures incorporated into the soil are very likely to leach
nutrients into the groundwater.
e. It can be easily calculated exactly what the available nutrients from the
manure will be.

Some of the advantages of transplanting vegetable seedlings as opposed to direct

drilling are:
a. Field space is saved for a period.
b. More advanced plants which are better able to survive are placed in the
field.
c. Harvest dates may be earlier.
d. Emergence of an early generation of pests may be avoided.
e. All of the above are true.

When designing a rotation for vegetable crops:

a. A rotation of three or four years should be considered minimal.
b. A rotation of three or four years should be considered maximal.
c. Consideration needs to be given to the effect of stem eelworm of onion on
following potato crops.
d. Consideration needs to be given on the effect of clubroot on onion crops.
e. It needs to be borne in mind that low soil pH helps reduce clubroot
infection.

Reasons for implementing a rotation of vegetable crops include:

a. To keeps soils relatively free of disease spores (sanitation).
b. To alternate shallow and deep cultivation, so that at some time during the
rotation, the field is cultivated deeply.
c. So that lime can be applied when the crop which benefits most from it is in
the soil
d. So that organic manures and inorganic fertilisers can be used in an optimal
manner
 e. Only three of the above are true.

In an Irish growing situation, in order to have lettuce ready for harvest in late January:
a. It must be sown outside in November.
b. It must be sown under cover (e.g. unheated glasshouse) in November.
c. It must be sown in August and covered in cloches in September
d. It must be sown in September and covered with floating fleece in October.
e. It must be sown in September and covered with floating fleece
immediately.

Which of the following is a naturally-occurring form of vegetative propagation:

a. Layering
b. Leaf cuttings
c. Budding
d. Grafting
e. Stooling

The rooting zone of a cutting should be kept warm to help root establishment, but the
shoot should be kept cool to reduce growth in this zone. This is achieved by:
a. Choosing an intermediate temperature.
b. Only taking cuttings in winter.
c. Keeping cuttings in a fridge prior to placing them in the rooting medium.
d. Using a mechanism such as a misting unit or closed case to keep shoots
moist and cool, while simultaneously warming the root zone.
e. a & c above are correct.

The reasons that budding and grafting may be practiced include:

a. To join incompatible plant species.
b. To bring plants into a fruiting stage earlier in their lives by minimising
jeuvenility.
c. To confer rootstock characteristics to the entire plant such as small size,
fruitfulness, suitability to certain soils etc.
d. a & c above are correct.
e. b & c above are correct.

Symptoms of nutrient deficiency in younger leaves are indicative of:

a. A deficiency that occurred when the leaves were younger.
b. A deficiency of a non-mobile nutrient.
c. A deficiency of a mobile nutrient.
d. Nitrogen deficiency.
e. Phosphorus deficiency.
N is not usually tested for in soil analysis because:
a. Analytical methods to measure N in the laboratory are unreliable.
b. Much N in soils is in the bodies of micro-organisms and not immediately
available to plants.
c. N is seldom deficient in soils.
d. N is not an important nutrient in plant growth and development.
e. N availability depends on soil pH

Tissue analysis is preferable to soil analysis to diagnose possible nutrient deficiencies

because:
a. Nutrients that are present in the soil may not be taken up by the plant.
b. Nutrients in soil fluctuate widely.
c. European directives specify tissue analysis as preferable.
d. All of the above.
e. None of the above.

The nitrates directive specifies that the maximum total N input to land should be
170kg per hectare. This is equivalent to:
a. 17 grams per acre.
b. 17 grams per square metre.
c. 170 grams per square metre.
d. 1.7 grams per square metre.
e. 170 grams per acre.

The total number of hours in the range 0-5oC to satisfy the winter chilling
requirements for typical temperate trees and shrubs would be:
a. 100-400 hours
b. 400-1000 hours
c. 1000-1600 hours
d. 1600-2200 hours
e. 2200-2800 hours

Which of the following is not a temperature-associated factor related to plant growth

and productivity:
a. Photoperiod.
b. Temperatures during the growing season.
c. Length of growing season from last spring frost to first frost of autumn.
d. Winter chilling temperatures.
e. Minimum winter temperatures.

Which of the following climatic factors are likely to affect the performance of
pollinating insects such as bees?
 a. Wind and photoperiod
b. Photoperiod and temperature
c. Wind and temperature
d. Wind and cloudiness
e. Photoperiod and cloudiness

For leaves to photosynthesise at their maximum rate, they require:

a. 40% of full sun
b. 50% of full sun
c. 60% of full sun
d. 70% of full sun
e. 80% of full sun

A short-day response in Poinsettia (Christmas Star plant) is:

a. production of runners
b. germination of seeds
c. shoot elongation
d. production of red bracts (and flowering)
e. none of the above

In plants the phytochrome system is regulated by the interchange between Pr

(Phytochrome red) and Pfr (Phytochrome far red). During long days:
a. You would expect more Pr.
b. You would expect equal quantities of Pr and Pfr.
c. You would expect more Pfr.
d. Pr is produced from ATP
e. Pfr is produced from ATP

Rainfall can have an effect on disease incidence. In the case of diseases such as potato
blight and apple scab, wet seasons can:
a. inhibit the spread of the disease
b. encourage the spread of the disease
c. cause potato blight to infect apples
d. cause apple scab to infect potatoes
e. b, c & d above are true

Permeable windbreaks such as those formed by rows of alder (Alnus) species are
good because:
a. They reduce wind speed by about 90 %
b. They are about 50% permeable
c. They keep their leaves during the winter
d. They cause wind turbulence
e. They are effective at reducing wind speed at distances up to 80 times their
own height.

Potatoes grown in Carlow from 1979 to 1983 showed yield benefits from irrigation:
a. Only once in five years
b. Never in five years
c. Twice in five year
 d. Three times in five years
e. Four times in five years

When plants are grown in tissue culture, in general it is correct to say that:
a. high auxin levels encourage shoots
b. high auxin levels encourage roots
c. high cytokinin levels encourage roots
d. High cytokinin levels encourage callus
e. High auxin levels encourage callus.

Why have the editors of Nature biotechnology and New Scientist magazine advised
against the use of genetically modified grain crops to produce medicinal proteins?
a. Because it is easier to extract the proteins from root crops.
b. Because of dangers to pests that can be found in grain.
c. Because of the history of contamination of unmodified grain crops with
GM grains in the past.
d. Because such grains would not produce good quality bread.
e. None of the above are true. The editors of Nature biotechnology and New
Scientist are in favour of using grain crops to produce medicinal proteins.

In research commissioned by the UK food standards agency, it was found that in three
of seven volunteers without colons, gut bacteria had adopted genes from genetically
modified soya given to them in a single meal. Prior to this study, this was a theoretical
risk warned about by anti-GM food activists, as bacteria living in humans could take
up genes from food that would make them resistant to antibiotics, or confer other
advantages on them.
As a consequence of this study the food standards agency:
a. Recommended that further follow-up studies be undertaken.
b. Banned GM foods in the UK.
c. Said that GM soya does not represent a significant risk to human health.
d. Banned GM foods in the UK pending results of further studies.
e. Recommended that people who had their colons surgically removed avoid
consuming GM foods.
The Cry1Ab protein (an insecticidal protein) is produced in maize plants genetically
transformed using genes from a bacteria called Bacillus thuringiensis. When pests of
this plant eat the maize this protein enters their system and poisons them. When
naturally occurring parasites of the pests feed on the pests, they are also negatively
affected. The normal test to check on effects of the protein on non-target organisms is
to feed them the pure protein and evaluate results. Recent studies have shown that
when the non-target organisms were fed transformed plant tissue rather than the pure
protein, the effects were actually more harmful. This implies that:
a. To predict the effects of a GM toxin, the existing test based on feeding the
pure protein should be replaced with a feeding test using material as it is
found in the genetically modified plant.
b. The existing tests are underestimating the effects of GM toxins on non-
target maize parasitoids.
c. There are other toxins in the plant tissue.
d. All the above are true.
e. A & b above are true.