Plant Breeding
& Genetics
& Genetics
Soil Science
Nearest Crop Relative
Agronomy
Minor Crops
100
These are the random alterations of a DNA sequence, which includes insertion, deletion, point ____, frameshift _____, etc., and are the ultimate source of genetic variation.
Mutations
100
This is the quantity of water in a soil, expressed as a ratio. It can be either volumetric or gravimetric, and is normally represented as (θ).
Soil Water Content
100
Johnsongrass (S. halepense)
Sorghum / Milo (Sorghum bicolor)
100
This is the purpose of the root nodules on legumes (family Fabaceae), through a symbiotic relationship with Rhizobium bacteria, (although a few other groups of the eurosids also do this). In 2024, researchers found a special organelle, called a nitroplast, in an algae species.
Nitrogen Fixation
100
Cucumis melo - This cultivated member of the Curcurbitaceae is known in its wild form as "muskmelon," common in this area. It is thought to have originated somewhere in the Middle East, and seeds and rootstocks have been traded since antiquity. They are commonly found in fruit salads and at salad bars.
Cantaloupe (also Honeydew, Snake Melon, Oriental Melon, and more)
200
This is the group of enzymes that copies and replicates DNA by assembling nucleotides as it "scans" the genome. Because it can only copy DNA in the 5' to 3' direction, that means there is a leading strand and a lagging strand, with Okazaki fragments.
DNA Polymerase 
200
These exist in large numbers in the soil and play important roles in breaking down organic matter, releasing nutrients, and improving soil structure. They include bacteria, fungi, protozoa, actinomycetes, and nematodes. One teaspoon of fertile soil can contain more of these than there are people on earth.
Soil Microorganisms
200
Morning-glories (Ipomoea spp.)
(I. purpurea shown here)
Sweet Potato (Ipomoea batatas)
200
This form of irrigation increases efficiency by delivering water directly to the root zone, either on or beneath the soil surface. Dating back to buried clay pots in 1st century BCE China, systems today use a complex network of tubing, valves, pumps, pressure regulators, etc..
Drip Irrigation
200
Prunus amygdalus - This close relative of peaches and plums is not a true nut, but is in fact a drupe with a hard shell. The tiny brain region, the Amygdala, is shaped like and named after this water-intensive nut. Over 80% of the world's supply is grown in California.
Almond
300
This is the process of repeatedly crossing a hybrid with one of its parent lines, the recurring parent, with the goal of reaching an offspring with a similar elite genotype/morphology, plus the target gene(s) from the donor parent.
Backcrossing
300
This is the measure of the "non-kinetic" energy of water in a soil solution relative to a standard reference state. Has gravitational, pressure, matric, and osmotic components. Soil water flows from high areas to low areas in terms of this property.
Soil Water Potential
300
Bamboo
There is one genus native to North America, Arundinaria, pictured here.
(Ignore bamboo shoots, etc.)
Wheat, Barley (subfamily Pooideae)
Rice (subfamily Oryzoideae)
BOP Clade (vs PACMAD Clade)
300
This type of herbicide translocates throughout the vascular system of the plant, killing the entire plant rather than only the contact areas.
Systemic Herbicide
300
Linum usitatissimum - Meaning "most useful," this blue-flowered plant has provided food and fiber for thousands of years, with the very earliest evidence dating back 30,000 years. It is the source of linen, made from its bast fibers, and linseed oil. The seeds are often consumed today as a health food. Today, France produces a majority of this crop.
Flax
400
This is the genus of Gram-negative bacteria that is capable of horizontal gene transfer with plants (in nature it causes plant tumors), and was/is the method for producing most conventional GMOs, especially pre-CRISPR. Unlike CRISPR, it inserts the gene semi-randomly.
Agrobacterium
400
This is the soil order characterized by a deep, high organic matter, nutrient-enriched A horizon, typically between 60 and 80 cm (24-31 in) in depth. It covers most of the American Great Plains, and is both the most agriculturally productive and economically important soil order.
Mollisol
400
Burr Medic, California Burclover (Medicago polymorpha)
Alfalfa (Medicago sativa)
400
It's the number you should all know...
Quick!! How many square feet are in an acre?
43560
400
Asimina triloba - Found from the eastern US towards east Texas, this relative of soursop and custard apple in the Annonaceae family is the largest edible fruit native to the United States. An early American folk song asks: "Where oh where is dear little Nellie? - Way down yonder in the ______ patch!" The lone breeding program in the country is at Kentucky State University.
Pawpaw (American Pawpaw)
500
This is the term for the asexual development of a seed or embryo without fertilization, creating large amounts of genetically identical progeny. It can be either facultative or obligate (debatable!). It can form species complexes, which are also known as agamic complexes.
Apomixis
500
This is a soil's ability to hold and exchange positively charged ions on its particle surface. It is usually measured in moles of electric charge per unit mass, or cmolc/kg. It is highest in histosols and organic matter, and lowest in ultisols and sand.
Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC)
500
Spanish Moss (Tillandsia usenoides)
and the locally common Ball Moss (Tillandsia recurvata) 
Pineapple (Ananas comosus)
Both are in the family Bromeliaceae
500
Rather than applying an amount of fertilizer that maximizes crop yield, this is the practice of finding an adjusted rate that maximizes return on fertilizer investment. You can find it by making a fertilizer-crop yield curve, and factoring in fertilizer cost.
(Economic) Optimized Fertilizer Rate
500
Myristica fragrans - For centuries the spice trade was dominated by the seeds of this tree, native to the Banda Islands of Indonesia (the English would go on to trade these islands back to the Dutch in 1667 in return for New York). Two spices are derived from the fruit, the namesake one from the seed, and mace from the red aril surrounding the seed. Today it is a common spice used for pumpkin pie.
Nutmeg