Wisconsin Pesticide Applicator Exam Review:
Turf & Landscape Actual Exam Questions And
Answers Verified 100% Correct
Ch.2 Explain what determines whether a given plant is a weed -
ANSWER Weeds are unwanted plants
Ch.2 List the two main goals of weed management - ANSWER
1. Minimize weed competition
2. Limit the weed's reproduction so that you can still manage the
weed population in future years
Ch.2 Describe ways that weeds can pose problems in turf and
landscapes (7) - ANSWER -Interfere with management practices
-Produce chemical inhibitors that directly retard the growth of
desirable plants (allelopathy)
-Create a poor impression on customers
-Interferes with pesticide applications
-Support insect pests and plant diseases or provide cover for
rodents
-Are poisonous, allergenic, or irritating to people or pets
-Dry out or die and become fire hazards
Ch.2 Distinguish grasses from broadleaf plants and woody from
herbaceous plants - ANSWER -Grasses (Monocots): most
common weeds; have a single seed leaf (cotyledon) when they
germinate; narrow leaves with parallel viens
-Broadleaves (Dicots): have 2 seed leaves when they germinate;
veins form a net-like or branching pattern; can be broken down
into Woody and Herbaceous plants
--> Woody: have thickened outer layer on stems (bark)
--> Herbaceous: lacks bark
, Ch. 2 Describe the life cycles and propagation of annual,
biennial, and perennial plants - ANSWER -Annuals: live less than
12 months; most seeds germinate the following year, some are
dormant taking several years; prolific seed producers. -->
Summer Annuals: germinate from seed in spring, flower/produce
seeds in summer, die in late summer/early fall. --> Winter
Annuals: germinate from seed in fall, overwinter as low-growing
plants, flower/produce seeds in spring, then die. -Biennials: live
for 2 growing seasons; germinate from seeds in spring or summer
and produce a rosette of leaves, overwinter in rosette stage,
flower the following year, produce seed, and die. -Perennials: live
for at least 2 years, sometimes longer; may reproduce by seed or
spread vegetatively (stolons, rhizomes, spreading roots, tubers,
bulbs)
Ch.2 Outline what is needed to kill annual, biennial, and
perennial weeds and when it is easiest to do so - ANSWER
Annuals: kill the whole shoot by tillage or with herbicides during
seeding stage.
--> Summer Annuals: kill with tillage or herbicides during seeding
stage.
--> Winter Annuals: kill with tillage or herbicides during seeding
stage.
-Biennials: best controlled with herbicides during rosette stage.
Perennials: controlled by repeatedly tilling or with herbicides that
translocates to all plant parts.
Ch.2 Distinguish the difference between preplant, preemergence,
and postemergence herbicide applications - ANSWER -Preplant:
done before planting.
-Preemergence: usually (not always) done after planting but
before plants/weeds emerge.
,-Postemergence: done selectively after plants/weeds emerge;
timing is important; if the desirable plant is smaller or larger than
the growth stage listed on the label, it may be damaged by the
herbicide.
Ch.2 Explain the effects of soil texture, organic matter, and pH
and herbicide persistence on herbicide activity - ANSWER -Fine
textured soils or soils with high organic matter often require higher
herbicide rates than soils with coarser texture or low organic
matter.
-Some herbicides prohibit product use on certain soils with a light
texture, low organic matter, or high pH to guard against excessive
plant damage or herbicide persistence.
-Excessive leaching on sandy soils with shallow water tables may
result in groundwater contamination.
Ch.2 Describe how and when to make a basal-bark treatment -
ANSWER -Apply spray to lower 18 inches of stems
-Thoroughly wet stem, crown, and exposed roots
-Can make treatments throughout the year as long as the bark is
not wet or when snow or water prevent spraying to the ground
Ch.2 Describe how and when to make an effective cut-stump
treatment - ANSWER -Recommended for plants with thick bark
or trunk is greater than 5 inches in diameter.
-Thoroughly wet plant so runoff covers barks, crown buds,
exposed roots, root collar, outer portion of cut surface. -Should
be applied to cut surface before exposed plant tissue dries,
within 2-3 hours.
Ch.2 List steps to take when applying herbicides to minimize
adverse effects in urban areas - ANSWER -Prevent spray drift,
drift of volatile products, runoff.
, -Spray when weeds are most susceptible so the minimum amount
of herbicide results in maximum weed control.
-Use less volatile formations
-Apply on days when temps are less than 80 degrees F
-Avoid spraying during midsummer; garden plants and vegetables
are more susceptible.
-Avoid applying herbicides on dry, compacted soils
-Keep pesticides off impermeable surfaces
Chapter 2 Know the Law - ANSWER State and local laws
require landowners to control certain weeds to prevent their
spread and distribution
Ch.3 Define plant disease and what causes it - ANSWER Any
harmful change in the physiology and/or structure of a plant
caused by some outside agent.
Ch.3 List examples of the major groups of plant pathogens (7) -
ANSWER -Fungi (blights)
-Oomycetes (downy mildews) -Nematodes (root rot)
-Bacteria (fire blight
-Phytoplasmas (corn stunts)
-Viruses (soybean mosaic)-Viroids (potato spindle tuber)
Ch.3 Describe how the major groups of plant pathogens are
spread from plant to plant - ANSWER -Fungi: wind, rain splash,
insect vectors
-Oomycetes: wind, rain splash, transfer of infested soil
-Nematodes: transfer of infested soil, infested planting stock
-Bacteria: rain splash, insect vectors, tools
-Phytoplasmas: only by insect vectors
-Viruses: insect vectors, mechanical transmission, rubbing of
infected leaf to another, seed borne, vegetative propagation
Turf & Landscape Actual Exam Questions And
Answers Verified 100% Correct
Ch.2 Explain what determines whether a given plant is a weed -
ANSWER Weeds are unwanted plants
Ch.2 List the two main goals of weed management - ANSWER
1. Minimize weed competition
2. Limit the weed's reproduction so that you can still manage the
weed population in future years
Ch.2 Describe ways that weeds can pose problems in turf and
landscapes (7) - ANSWER -Interfere with management practices
-Produce chemical inhibitors that directly retard the growth of
desirable plants (allelopathy)
-Create a poor impression on customers
-Interferes with pesticide applications
-Support insect pests and plant diseases or provide cover for
rodents
-Are poisonous, allergenic, or irritating to people or pets
-Dry out or die and become fire hazards
Ch.2 Distinguish grasses from broadleaf plants and woody from
herbaceous plants - ANSWER -Grasses (Monocots): most
common weeds; have a single seed leaf (cotyledon) when they
germinate; narrow leaves with parallel viens
-Broadleaves (Dicots): have 2 seed leaves when they germinate;
veins form a net-like or branching pattern; can be broken down
into Woody and Herbaceous plants
--> Woody: have thickened outer layer on stems (bark)
--> Herbaceous: lacks bark
, Ch. 2 Describe the life cycles and propagation of annual,
biennial, and perennial plants - ANSWER -Annuals: live less than
12 months; most seeds germinate the following year, some are
dormant taking several years; prolific seed producers. -->
Summer Annuals: germinate from seed in spring, flower/produce
seeds in summer, die in late summer/early fall. --> Winter
Annuals: germinate from seed in fall, overwinter as low-growing
plants, flower/produce seeds in spring, then die. -Biennials: live
for 2 growing seasons; germinate from seeds in spring or summer
and produce a rosette of leaves, overwinter in rosette stage,
flower the following year, produce seed, and die. -Perennials: live
for at least 2 years, sometimes longer; may reproduce by seed or
spread vegetatively (stolons, rhizomes, spreading roots, tubers,
bulbs)
Ch.2 Outline what is needed to kill annual, biennial, and
perennial weeds and when it is easiest to do so - ANSWER
Annuals: kill the whole shoot by tillage or with herbicides during
seeding stage.
--> Summer Annuals: kill with tillage or herbicides during seeding
stage.
--> Winter Annuals: kill with tillage or herbicides during seeding
stage.
-Biennials: best controlled with herbicides during rosette stage.
Perennials: controlled by repeatedly tilling or with herbicides that
translocates to all plant parts.
Ch.2 Distinguish the difference between preplant, preemergence,
and postemergence herbicide applications - ANSWER -Preplant:
done before planting.
-Preemergence: usually (not always) done after planting but
before plants/weeds emerge.
,-Postemergence: done selectively after plants/weeds emerge;
timing is important; if the desirable plant is smaller or larger than
the growth stage listed on the label, it may be damaged by the
herbicide.
Ch.2 Explain the effects of soil texture, organic matter, and pH
and herbicide persistence on herbicide activity - ANSWER -Fine
textured soils or soils with high organic matter often require higher
herbicide rates than soils with coarser texture or low organic
matter.
-Some herbicides prohibit product use on certain soils with a light
texture, low organic matter, or high pH to guard against excessive
plant damage or herbicide persistence.
-Excessive leaching on sandy soils with shallow water tables may
result in groundwater contamination.
Ch.2 Describe how and when to make a basal-bark treatment -
ANSWER -Apply spray to lower 18 inches of stems
-Thoroughly wet stem, crown, and exposed roots
-Can make treatments throughout the year as long as the bark is
not wet or when snow or water prevent spraying to the ground
Ch.2 Describe how and when to make an effective cut-stump
treatment - ANSWER -Recommended for plants with thick bark
or trunk is greater than 5 inches in diameter.
-Thoroughly wet plant so runoff covers barks, crown buds,
exposed roots, root collar, outer portion of cut surface. -Should
be applied to cut surface before exposed plant tissue dries,
within 2-3 hours.
Ch.2 List steps to take when applying herbicides to minimize
adverse effects in urban areas - ANSWER -Prevent spray drift,
drift of volatile products, runoff.
, -Spray when weeds are most susceptible so the minimum amount
of herbicide results in maximum weed control.
-Use less volatile formations
-Apply on days when temps are less than 80 degrees F
-Avoid spraying during midsummer; garden plants and vegetables
are more susceptible.
-Avoid applying herbicides on dry, compacted soils
-Keep pesticides off impermeable surfaces
Chapter 2 Know the Law - ANSWER State and local laws
require landowners to control certain weeds to prevent their
spread and distribution
Ch.3 Define plant disease and what causes it - ANSWER Any
harmful change in the physiology and/or structure of a plant
caused by some outside agent.
Ch.3 List examples of the major groups of plant pathogens (7) -
ANSWER -Fungi (blights)
-Oomycetes (downy mildews) -Nematodes (root rot)
-Bacteria (fire blight
-Phytoplasmas (corn stunts)
-Viruses (soybean mosaic)-Viroids (potato spindle tuber)
Ch.3 Describe how the major groups of plant pathogens are
spread from plant to plant - ANSWER -Fungi: wind, rain splash,
insect vectors
-Oomycetes: wind, rain splash, transfer of infested soil
-Nematodes: transfer of infested soil, infested planting stock
-Bacteria: rain splash, insect vectors, tools
-Phytoplasmas: only by insect vectors
-Viruses: insect vectors, mechanical transmission, rubbing of
infected leaf to another, seed borne, vegetative propagation
