Opportunities in Horticulture
Name the three components of agricultural education as emphasized in FFA (write all three).
Instruction; FFA; SAE.
Name two areas of the horticulture industry that involve producing plants for other locations or public settings.
Nursery production (growing plants under intensive management for use elsewhere) and public horticulture (design & maintenance of public gardens, parks, arboretums).
Name the three main parts of the pistil (female flower part).
Stigma; style; ovary
What term describes the rapid uptake of water by a seed that softens the coat and begins germination?
Imbibition
What is the difference between self-pollination and cross-pollination (one sentence)?
Self-pollination transfers pollen from a flower’s anther to its own stigma (or to the stigma of another flower on the same plant); cross-pollination transfers pollen between different plants, promoting genetic diversity.
Give one example of an SAE (Supervised Agricultural Experience) that would fit under “placement” and one example that fits under “entrepreneurship” in horticulture.
Placement example — working (paid or volunteer) at a commercial nursery; Entrepreneurship example — running a small floral design business selling arrangements.
Which commonly produced U.S. crop is most widely produced and often used for food and industrial products?
Corn
What is the difference between angiosperms and gymnosperms in one sentence?
Angiosperms are vascular plants that produce seeds enclosed in fruit, whereas gymnosperms are vascular plants with “naked” seeds not enclosed in fruit.
What is transpiration and name one benefit it provides to a plant.
Transpiration is the loss of water vapor from plant leaves through stomata; it helps pull water and nutrients from roots and cools the plant.
Give two asexual propagation methods and a brief description of each.
Cuttings — sections of stem or leaf are placed in medium to develop roots and become new plants; Division — physically splitting bulbs, corms, or clumps into multiple plants that each grow independently.
Match the job to its primary focus: floriculture, pomology, turfgrass management, or viticulture. Which one focuses mainly on grapes and wine production?
Viticulture.
Define “precision” in the context of horticultural technology (one sentence).
Precision refers to technologies and approaches that apply inputs or monitor crops at fine scales (e.g., site-specific sensors, GPS-guided applications) to increase efficiency and reduce waste.
What tissue carries water and minerals from roots to leaves, and which carries sugars from leaves to other parts?
Xylem carries water and minerals upward; phloem carries sugars (photosynthates) to other parts.
Give the basic relationship (in words) between photosynthesis and respiration in plants.
Photosynthesis converts light, carbon dioxide, and water into sugars and oxygen; respiration breaks down sugars with oxygen to release energy, carbon dioxide, and water for cellular processes.
What does “F1 hybrid” mean and one advantage of using F1 hybrids in horticulture?
F1 is the first-generation hybrid from crossing two genetically uniform parent varieties; advantage — hybrid vigor (often improved uniformity, yield, or vigor).
Explain how students can be recognized through FFA for outstanding SAE work — name at least two pathways or awards mentioned in the source materials.
Students can be honored at state and national levels through proficiency awards and STAR awards (or degrees/career development event recognition).
Identify three categories of hazards in horticulture and give a brief example of each.
Chemical hazard — improper pesticide storage; Biological hazard — plant pathogens or contaminated soil; Ergonomic (physical) hazard — repetitive strain from improper lifting or awkward postures.
Define “biennial” and give one example of a stage that typically occurs in its second year.
Biennial plants complete their life cycle in two growing seasons; in the second year they typically flower and set seed before dying.
Identify the plant hormone that commonly promotes cell elongation and apical dominance, and name a hormone that promotes cell division and bud formation.
Auxins promote cell elongation and apical dominance; cytokinins promote cell division and bud formation.
List two benefits and two drawbacks of sexual propagation (seed-based) compared to asexual propagation.
Benefits — genetic diversity (improves adaptability), often cheaper for large-scale production; Drawbacks — offspring may not be true-to-type, can have variable quality and longer time to maturity.
Compare the primary responsibilities of a landscape designer versus a landscape contractor. Include at least two differences in duties.
Landscape designer focuses on plan creation, aesthetic design, planting plans, and client consultation; landscape contractor interprets blueprints, bids projects, schedules and performs installation, and manages crews and equipment.
Describe two ecosystem or human benefits of horticulture beyond producing food (give specific examples).
Plants clean air by absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen (improves air quality); plantings reduce wind erosion and moderate temperatures by providing shade and cooling urban areas. (Also: timber and fiber products, habitat for wildlife, medicinal resources.)
Explain three structural differences between monocot and dicot stems or roots (give clear, specific contrasts).
1) Vascular bundles: monocots have scattered vascular bundles in the stem; dicots have them arranged in a ring. (2) Leaf venation: monocots typically have parallel venation; dicots have netted (reticulate) venation. (3) Root systems: monocots often have fibrous root systems; dicots commonly have a taproot system. Provide examples where useful.
Describe how stratification and scarification overcome different dormancy types and give an example of when each would be used.
Stratification uses cold/moist treatment to break physiological dormancy often found in seeds requiring winter cues (e.g., some temperate tree seeds); scarification physically or chemically weakens a hard seed coat to permit water uptake in seeds with physical dormancy (e.g., certain legumes).
Explain tissue culture and describe one situation in which tissue culture is the preferred propagation method over cuttings or seed.
Tissue culture is a laboratory technique that uses sterile plant cells or tissues to regenerate large numbers of genetically identical plants under controlled conditions; preferred when cloning disease-free, rare, or high-value cultivars, or rapid multiplication is needed (e.g., producing many identical ornamentals or virus-indexed stock).