ICAR AIEEA-PG — Forestry/Agroforestry & Silviculture (Major Subject Group 09) · India · National Testing Agency for ICAR
Original practice questions written to the published syllabus · not past papersSoil formation under forest, the forest floor, soil classification and site quality, nutrient cycling, and conserving and reclaiming forest and degraded soils.
In the exams: IFoS Forestry Paper I Section B (forest soils, soil conservation and watershed management); ICAR AIEEA-PG Group 09 (forest soils, classification and conservation); ICAR AICE-JRF 59 Unit 8
How our questions for ICAR AIEEA-PG spread across the units of Forest Soils & Soil Conservation. Difficulty: 18 easy, 45 medium, 6 hard.
| Physical properties: texture, structure, bulk density, water holding | 8 | |
| Chemical properties: pH, cation exchange, base saturation | 8 | |
| Soil classification: USDA Soil Taxonomy and WRB | 8 | |
| Forest soil fertility, fertilisation of plantations | 7 | |
| Forest floor: litter, humus forms (mor, moder, mull) | 6 | |
| Nutrient cycling in forest ecosystems | 6 | |
| Problem soils: saline, alkaline, lateritic, acid, waterlogged | 6 | |
| Soil-forming factors and processes under forest | 5 | |
| Soil and site quality: soil-site relationships | 5 | |
| Soil erosion under forest and after disturbance | 5 | |
| Soil conservation measures on forest land | 5 |
Choose an answer, then open the working. Each explanation says why the right answer is right and why the others are not.
Annual litterfall is 4 t ha⁻¹ and the steady-state forest floor holds 20 t ha⁻¹. What is Olson's decomposition constant k and the mean residence time?
D. k = 0.2 per year; 5 years
k = litterfall / forest floor mass = 4/20 = 0.2; mean residence = 1/k = 5 years. 15 years is the time for about 95% loss (3/k), not the mean residence.
Further reading: See the manual sources: Binkley and Fisher; Brady and Weil; Keys to Soil Taxonomy; WRB 2022; USDA Handbook 60; Likens and Bormann
Deeply weathered soils with an oxic horizon, low CEC and dominance of kaolinite and oxides under humid tropical forests belong to the order:
D. Oxisols
Oxisols (Ferralsols in WRB). Mollisols are grassland soils; Gelisols have permafrost.
Further reading: See the manual sources: Binkley and Fisher; Brady and Weil; Keys to Soil Taxonomy; WRB 2022; USDA Handbook 60; Likens and Bormann
Which order consists of organic soils such as peats?
B. Histosols
Histosols are organic soils; Entisols and Inceptisols are weakly developed mineral soils.
Further reading: See the manual sources: Binkley and Fisher; Brady and Weil; Keys to Soil Taxonomy; WRB 2022; USDA Handbook 60; Likens and Bormann
In the Soil Taxonomy name 'Udult', the suffix '-ult' indicates the order Ultisols and 'Ud-' indicates:
A. A humid (udic) moisture regime
Ud- comes from udic, a humid moisture regime; aquic gives Aqu-, aridic Ar-, cryic Cry-.
Further reading: See the manual sources: Binkley and Fisher; Brady and Weil; Keys to Soil Taxonomy; WRB 2022; USDA Handbook 60; Likens and Bormann
Diammonium phosphate is labelled 18-46-0. What does it supply per 100 kg?
C. 18 kg N and 46 kg P₂O₅
Fertiliser grades list N, P₂O₅ and K₂O percentages in that order.
Further reading: See the manual sources: Binkley and Fisher; Brady and Weil; Keys to Soil Taxonomy; WRB 2022; USDA Handbook 60; Likens and Bormann
Why can site index not be measured directly on recently cleared bare land?
C. There are no dominant trees to measure
Direct measurement needs trees; indirect methods (soil, vegetation, models) are used instead.
Further reading: See the manual sources: Binkley and Fisher; Brady and Weil; Keys to Soil Taxonomy; WRB 2022; USDA Handbook 60; Likens and Bormann
Irrigation water contains Na 20, Ca 6 and Mg 2 mmolc L⁻¹. What is its sodium adsorption ratio?
D. 10
SAR = 20 / √((6 + 2)/2) = 20/√4 = 10. 5 divides by (Ca + Mg)/2 without the square root; 2.5 divides by Ca + Mg.
Further reading: See the manual sources: Binkley and Fisher; Brady and Weil; Keys to Soil Taxonomy; WRB 2022; USDA Handbook 60; Likens and Bormann
Which statement about erosion protection in forests is correct?
A. Litter protects soil more than the canopy does
Drops from tall canopies can hit bare soil with high energy; litter cover is the key protection.
Further reading: See the manual sources: Binkley and Fisher; Brady and Weil; Keys to Soil Taxonomy; WRB 2022; USDA Handbook 60; Likens and Bormann
Which is an off-site cost of erosion from forest land?
A. Sedimentation of reservoirs and streams
Off-site costs occur downstream; the others are on-site losses of productivity.
Further reading: See the manual sources: Binkley and Fisher; Brady and Weil; Keys to Soil Taxonomy; WRB 2022; USDA Handbook 60; Likens and Bormann
Outsloping a forest road surface and installing rolling dips are measures to:
A. Shed water before it gains erosive force
Frequent drainage prevents flow from accumulating along the road surface and ditches.
Further reading: See the manual sources: Binkley and Fisher; Brady and Weil; Keys to Soil Taxonomy; WRB 2022; USDA Handbook 60; Likens and Bormann
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