Annual and Perennial Crops — Crop Science Reviewer Questions

Sample Annual and Perennial Crops questions with answers and explanations

Board-style items taken from the Crop Science bank. Every answer is explained, which is the part that makes a review question worth doing twice.

1. A farmer in Bukidnon is choosing between a shallow stony upland and a deep, well-drained loam for a new corn field. Which site is the better initial choice if both have similar access to market?

   • A. The site with the poorest drainage
   • B. The site with the steepest slope
   • C. The shallow stony upland
   • D. The deep, well-drained loam correct

   Why: Corn generally performs better where rooting depth, drainage, and soil tilth permit good root development and nutrient uptake.

2. A low-lying field remains submerged for much of the rainy season. Which crop choice best matches the site's hydrologic condition?

   • A. Upland corn
   • B. Peanut
   • C. Lowland rice correct
   • D. Onion

   Why: Rice is adapted to flooded or submerged production systems, while the other choices require better aeration and drainage.

3. A coastal farm is exposed to saline irrigation water during the dry season. Before recommending a crop variety, which information is most important to verify?

   • A. The variety's salinity tolerance under local conditions correct
   • B. The farmer's preferred planting day
   • C. The seed bag color
   • D. The crop's national average yield only

   Why: Site-specific stress tolerance is more relevant than general yield because salinity can strongly alter genotype performance.

4. A vegetable grower wants to establish white potato in a hot lowland site. Which management decision most directly addresses the crop–site mismatch?

   • A. Apply more nitrogen regardless of temperature
   • B. Move production to a cooler high-elevation site or cool-season window correct
   • C. Increase seeding rate without changing site
   • D. Reduce row spacing to create competition

   Why: Cool-season crops perform best where temperatures are lower; changing site or season addresses the dominant limiting factor.

5. A farm is on a 20% slope with intense monsoon rainfall. Which site-management plan best reduces erosion risk before crop establishment?

   • A. Plow directly up-and-down slope
   • B. Concentrate runoff into unprotected furrows downslope
   • C. Leave soil bare between rows
   • D. Lay out rows along the contour and maintain protective ground cover correct

   Why: Contour-oriented operations and soil cover slow runoff and reduce soil loss on sloping land.

6. Two candidate farms have similar soils, but Farm A is 2 km from a paved road while Farm B requires expensive hauling over 20 km. For a highly perishable vegetable, which factor makes Farm A more suitable?

   • A. More difficult product handling
   • B. Lower transport time and marketing cost correct
   • C. Greater distance from buyers
   • D. Higher number of neighboring houses

   Why: For perishable crops, market access and transport infrastructure strongly affect losses, quality, and profitability.

7. A barangay plans a new irrigated rice area. Soil and climate are suitable, but the watershed cannot reliably supply water in the dry season. What should planners do first?

   • A. Select only taller rice plants
   • B. Plant the full area and assume rainfall will compensate
   • C. Increase fertilizer rate to replace irrigation
   • D. Match the cropping calendar and area planted to dependable water supply correct

   Why: Water-resource status is a primary site-selection constraint and should determine feasible area and season.

8. A farmer has an acidic field at pH 4.7 and wants to plant pineapple. Which interpretation is most appropriate?

   • A. Only flooded crops can use the field at this pH
   • B. pH alone guarantees high yield
   • C. The crop cannot grow below pH 7.0
   • D. The site may be suitable because pineapple tolerates relatively acidic soils, but other soil constraints should still be checked correct

   Why: Crop adaptation is multi-factorial; acid tolerance can make pineapple suitable, but fertility, drainage, and other constraints still matter.

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Annual and perennial crops: organise the comparison

The useful distinction is not simply how long a plant lives. Annual crops complete their life cycle within one growing season and are commonly replanted for each harvest, while perennial crops retain productive structures across seasons. That difference changes land preparation, establishment cost, nutrient timing, weed control, harvest planning and the speed at which a farmer can change varieties or enterprises.

Study management decisions by crop stage

For annuals, give extra attention to seed quality, planting date, population, critical weed competition and the short window for correcting stress. For perennials, separate the establishment phase from mature production and account for pruning, canopy management, rejuvenation and multi-year pest pressure. Board-style questions often describe a field situation and ask for the most appropriate operation, so identify the crop's life cycle and current growth stage before evaluating the choices.

• Compare establishment, maintenance and replacement costs across life cycles.
• Match propagation methods to crop biology and production objectives.
• Relate planting density and canopy development to light, water and yield.
• Recognise how rotations and perennial cover affect soil and pest management.

Other Crop Science topics

• Supplemental Questions — 705 questions
• Computational Questions — 700 questions
• Current News and Concepts — 500 questions
• Agricultural Biotechnology — 400 questions
• Sustainable Agriculture — 250 questions
• Plant Breeding: Conventional Methods — 250 questions

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