ICFRE Scientist and technical recruitment Vegetative Propagation & Forest Biotechnology: practice questions

1 · Principles of vegetative propagation · medium

Cuttings from side branches of Araucaria grow horizontally like branches for years. This is:

1. Cyclophysis
2. Topophysis
3. Somaclonal variation
4. Apical dominance

2 · Rooting of cuttings: hormones, mist chambers, juvenility · medium

Which low-cost system achieves high humidity for rooting tropical tree cuttings without mist?

1. Non-mist polythene propagator
2. Open beds in full sun
3. Hydroponic flood tables in full sun
4. Dry sand trays

3 · Rooting of cuttings: hormones, mist chambers, juvenility · medium

IBA is often first dissolved in ethanol or alkali, or used as its potassium salt, because:

1. Ethanol increases auxin activity tenfold
2. The acid dissolves poorly in water
3. Water destroys IBA instantly
4. Potassium is the active rooting agent

4 · Grafting and budding techniques · medium

For a graft to succeed, the most critical anatomical requirement is:

1. Matching bark colour of the partners
2. Equal leaf number on scion and stock
3. Contact between the two piths
4. Close contact between the cambia

5 · Grafting and budding techniques · medium

Why do grafted seed orchard trees flower years earlier than seedlings?

1. Rootstocks inject flowering hormones daily
2. Grafting removes all juvenile tissue from roots
3. The scion keeps the maturity of the crown it came from
4. Grafted trees receive more fertiliser

6 · Air layering and other layering methods · hard

Why is air layering rarely used to produce timber plantation stock?

1. Air layers never survive transplanting
2. It is prohibited under certification rules
3. It always produces sterile trees
4. It yields few plants per tree, with mature traits

7 · Clonal nurseries and mini-cutting systems · medium

Compared with field hedge macro-cuttings, mini-cuttings typically:

1. Need much more IBA to root
2. Root faster with less auxin
3. Root only in winter months
4. Produce plants without roots

8 · Clonal nurseries and mini-cutting systems · medium

What is the purpose of the hardening stage before dispatch?

1. To stimulate new shoots on the stock plant
2. To induce roots on fresh cuttings
3. To sterilise the rooting medium
4. To toughen plants for the field

9 · DNA barcoding and timber species identification · hard

For DNA timber identification to stand up in court, which is essential?

1. Validated methods and custody records
2. A single sample tested by any laboratory
3. Matching wood colour to a photograph
4. Using only plastid barcodes for origin

10 · DNA barcoding and timber species identification · medium

An auditor suspects that timber declared as a plantation species is in fact a protected species. The most direct test of the species claim is:

1. Wood anatomy or DNA identification against vouchered references
2. Checking the declared volume against the shipping invoice
3. Stable isotope testing of the region where the logs grew
4. Counting growth rings to confirm the plantation's age