Crop Science Reviewer Flashcards

A comprehensive set of practice flashcards for students preparing for the Licensure Examination in Agriculture in the Philippines, covering key concepts in Crop Science including plant biology, classification, physiology, and farming practices.

What is the systematic definition of Agriculture?

The systematic raising of useful plants and livestock under the management of man.

In terms of world land area, what percentage comprises arable land?

$$10\%$$

By the year $2050$, what is the estimated amount of arable land available per person?

Just over one-tenth of a hectare per person.

What was the annual population growth rate in the Philippines between $2000$ and $2007$?

$$2.04\%$$

The share of agriculture in the Philippine Gross Domestic Product ($GDP$) in $2008$ was ___________.

$$18\%$$

What is Republic Act $8435$ commonly known as?

Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act ($AFMA$), signed in $1997$.

What are domesticated or cultivated plants grown for profit called?

Crops

Differentiate between Agronomy and Horticulture.

Agronomy deals with managing field crops and soils, while Horticulture deals with gardens and plants within an enclosure.

Match these subdivisions of Horticulture: Pomology, Olericulture, and Floriculture.

Pomology focuses on fruits, Olericulture on vegetables, and Floriculture on flowers.

Which research center is responsible for rice research in the Philippines?

$PhilRice$ (Philippine Rice Research Institute)

Define the Artificial System of crop classification.

A system based on convenience where a structure or feature serves as the basis of grouping.

What are 'Annuals'?

Plants that complete their life cycle in $1$ year or less.

What is a 'Trap crop'?

A crop planted to protect the main crop by attracting pests to itself to be later destroyed, such as planting sweet potato to trap rats for a main rice crop.

Define 'Catch crop'.

A short-seasoned crop grown immediately after the failure of the main crop to utilize residual resources.

What are the three main components of a plant cell?

Cell wall, Cytoplasm, and Nucleus.

Identify the function of the Mitochondria.

It serves as the site of respiration, providing energy for plant body maintenance, growth, and development.

What is the primary function of the 'Xylem'?

To conduct water and mineral salts upward through the plant body.

What is the 'Phloem' responsible for?

Distributing dissolved food materials between source and sinks.

Define the 'Apical meristem'.

The tip of the stem and roots responsible for the production of new cells via mitosis.

What are the regions of the root?

Root cap, region of cell division, region of elongation, and region of maturation.

Define 'Dioecious' plants.

Plants where staminate (male) and pistillate (female) flowers are on different plants, such as papaya.

What are 'Orthodox' seeds?

Seeds that dry out naturally on the mother plant to low moisture content ($\le 20\%$) and can be stored at low temperatures, such as rice and corn.

Define 'Recalcitrant' seeds.

Seeds that shed in moist conditions and are killed if moisture content is reduced below critical values ($12-30\%$), such as cacao and jackfruit.

What is 'Parthenocarpy'?

The production of fruit without fertilization, resulting in seedless fruit.

State the chemical equation for Photosynthesis.

$$6CO_2 + 12H_2O \rightarrow C_6H_{12}O_6 + 6O_2 + 6H_2O$$

Compare the first product of $C3$ and $C4$ plant photosynthesis.

$C3$ plants produce a $3-C$ compound ($3-phosphoglycerate$ or $3-PGA$), while $C4$ plants produce a $4-C$ compound ($Oxaloacetate$ or $OAA$).

What is 'Transpiration'?

The loss of water from plants in the form of water vapor.

What is the 'Law of Minimum' formulated by Liebig?

The factor in lowest supply (climatic, edaphic, biological, or genetic) sets the capacity for yield.

Define 'Scarification'.

Any treatment that removes the seed coat or alters it to make it more permeable to water and air.

What is 'Vernalization'?

The treatment of seeds to cold temperatures prior to germination to induce flowering.

Define 'Marcotting' (Air layering).

A propagation method where adventitious roots are induced to form on a stem while it is still attached to the parent plant.

What are the aspects of light important to plants?

Intensity, Duration (day length), and Wavelength (color).

Differentiate between Heliophytes and Sciophytes.

Heliophytes are sun-loving (light saturated at $5,000$ foot-candles), whereas Sciophytes are shade-loving (light saturated at $500$ foot-candles).

What are the four types of Philippine climate under the Corona Classification?

Type I: Pronounced wet and dry; Type II: No dry season with pronounced max rain (Nov-Jan); Type III: No pronounced max rain with short dry season; Type IV: Rainfall distributed throughout the year.

What is the formula for Bulk Density ($B.D.$)?

$B.D. = \frac{W_s}{V_t}$ where $W_s$ is oven-dried weight and $V_t$ is total volume.

What is the ideal soil $pH$ for growing most agricultural plants?

Between $pH\,6.0$ and $pH\,7.0$.

Define 'Monocropping'.

A method of crop production where only one crop is grown annually in the same parcel of land.

What is 'Relay cropping'?

Growing two or more crops together, but seeding or transplanting the second one after the first has flowered but before it is harvested ($Crop\,1 / Crop\,2$).

Define 'Hurdening' in nursery practices.

The process of adapting seedlings to harsher field environments by withholding moisture and reducing temperature for $7-14$ days before transplanting.

What is the 'Dapog' method for rice seedlings?

A method where pre-germinated seeds are sown on cemented or puddled soil, and seedlings are ready for transplanting in $10-14$ days.

Differentiate between Climacteric and Non-climacteric fruits.

Climacteric fruits ripen after harvest with a burst in respiration (e.g., mango, banana), while Non-climacteric fruits do not (e.g., citrus, pineapple).

What is the formula for Return on Investment ($ROI$)?

$$ROI = \frac{\text{Total income or gross return}}{\text{Total cost excluding interest expense}}$$