1. Mulching is covering the ground with either an organic or a synthetic coating. Suitable for mulching: compost, mowed grass, straw, wood from broadleaved trees, sawdust, fallen leaves, unwashed sheep wool. What are the benefits of mulching (several correct answers)?
2. Wireworms that harm potato tubers are the larvae of golden-yellow or orange-brown coloured beetles living in the soil. Which beetle family do the wireworms belong to?
3. In the case of mixed cropping, various plants are grown close to each other as mixed crop. Which plants are grown together (several correct answers)?
4. Companion plants are suitable food plants, herbs, and ornamental plants grown together with main garden crops to create more favourable growing conditions for main crops. Plants can both promote and prevent each other’s growth through biochemical effects. For this reason, it is important to know which plants are compatible with each other and which plants are not. Which pairs of plants are suitable for growing together (several correct answers)?
5. Who are these so-called ‘three sisters’ from South America – one plant grows tall by itself, the second plant climbs to heights with the support of the first plant (and enriches the soil with nitrogen), and the third plant ensures soil coverage and moisture retention?
6. What does the label F1 on the seed packet mean?
7. While in nature we talk about different species, in the case of food plants we often talk about varieties. What is a variety and what are the characteristics of a variety (several correct answers)?
8. To intensify the growth of plant parts, plants need various minerals (nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus). Find pairs in the list where the part of the plant together with its growth stimulating agent is correctly mentioned.
9. In 2023, two orange-coloured tomato varieties bred in Estonia were added to the variety list. What are the names of those new varieties?
10. Cover crops are grown in the period between main crops, in particular to prevent nutrient loss and to improve soil fertility, but also to cover soil surface. Which two groups are cover crops mainly divided into?
11. What is the task of cover crops (several correct answers)?
12. Cover crops play an important role in environmentally sustainable crop production, as they help to improve soil quality and combat weeds and pathogens. Which of the following crop is suitable for sowing on the field after harvesting the main crop (several correct answers)?
13. Which of these qualities make a potato variety good for making fried potatoes?
14. Pests destroy the crops of various food crops around the world every year, and this has a direct impact on all of our diets. Can you guess the estimated amount of yield loss caused by pests?
15. Restrictions on the worldwide movement of plants have been put in place to prevent the spread of quarantine pests. Fruits packed in your suitcase from a far-away country can also contain pests. Which fresh fruit and vegetables are allowed to be brought from another country (outside the European Union) without an official plant health certificate, i.e. a phytosanitary certificate?
16. Potatoes have an important place in our diet, but it also tastes good for a number of pests. A good way to avoid potato cyst nematodes, quarantine pests, is to grow potato cyst nematodes resistant potato varieties on which the pest cannot feed and reproduce. Do you know which of these varieties of potatoes bred in Estonia are potato cyst nematodes resistant (several correct answers)?
17. In Estonian manor gardens, this plant was a fairly common vegetable. According to the seed catalogues of the 20th century, several varieties were grown by the local people. Which plant is it?
18. This early plant is one of the first we can eat straight from the field starting from the end of May. It is also great as a decoration in a bouquet. What plant is on the photo?
19. In Estonia, this plant is mainly grown as a decorative plant, although it could also be used as food. In Europe, the largest number of growers and eaters of this plant is in the UK, the Scandinavian countries, the Netherlands, Germany, and Italy. What plant is on the photo?
20. In 2022, this land accounted for 23%, or 233,871 hectares of total agricultural land in Estonia. What kind of land is it?
