APPSC Horticulture Officer Practice Questions: 12 Worked Examples for Horticulture I and II

A minute per question sounds generous until you meet a question with two plausible answers. The questions here are chosen for that reason: each has a distractor that a well-prepared student can still pick. Read the reasoning even when you get the answer right; the reasoning is what transfers to the next question.

Q1. Paclobutrazol is applied to the soil around mango trees mainly to:
(a) increase fruit size after set
(b) induce regular flowering and reduce alternate bearing
(c) control powdery mildew
(d) hasten ripening after harvest
Answer: (b) Paclobutrazol inhibits gibberellin synthesis, which checks vegetative growth and encourages flowering in the "off" year. It is a growth retardant, not a fungicide or ripening agent.

Q2. Commercial bananas develop fruit without fertilisation. This is called:
(a) apomixis
(b) parthenocarpy
(c) polyembryony
(d) self-incompatibility
Answer: (b) Parthenocarpy is fruit development without fertilisation, which is why cultivated bananas are seedless. Apomixis and polyembryony concern seeds, which edible bananas do not form.

Q3. Whiptail of cauliflower, with narrow, strap-like leaves, is caused by a deficiency of:
(a) boron
(b) molybdenum
(c) zinc
(d) calcium
Answer: (b) Molybdenum deficiency, common in acid soils, causes whiptail. Boron deficiency causes browning and hollow stems in cauliflower, which is the usual distractor.

Q4. Blossom-end rot of tomato is mainly associated with:
(a) nitrogen excess
(b) calcium deficiency in the fruit
(c) a soil-borne fungus
(d) potassium excess
Answer: (b) It is a physiological disorder of calcium supply to the fruit, worsened by irregular irrigation; no pathogen is involved.

Q5. Gibberellic acid (GA₃) is sprayed on Thompson Seedless grapes mainly to:
(a) increase berry size
(b) induce dormancy
(c) improve root growth
(d) delay flowering
Answer: (a) GA₃ elongates berries and loosens bunches in seedless grapes; it is a standard practice in Indian vineyards.

Q6. 1-Methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) extends the shelf life of climacteric fruits by:
(a) killing surface fungi
(b) blocking ethylene receptors
(c) removing water from the fruit
(d) raising respiration
Answer: (b) 1-MCP occupies ethylene receptors, so the fruit does not respond to ethylene and ripening slows.

Q7. Stooling (mound layering) is used commercially to multiply:
(a) mango
(b) guava
(c) coconut
(d) papaya
Answer: (b) Guava roots well from mounded shoots, so stooling gives many true-to-type plants. Mango is grafted, coconut and papaya are raised from seed.

Q8. The auxin most widely used to root cuttings is:
(a) gibberellic acid
(b) indole-3-butyric acid (IBA)
(c) abscisic acid
(d) ethephon
Answer: (b) IBA is stable and effective at stimulating adventitious roots, so it is the standard rooting hormone in nurseries.

Q9. "Little leaf", with small, narrow and clustered leaves in mango and citrus, indicates a deficiency of:
(a) iron
(b) zinc
(c) magnesium
(d) sulphur
Answer: (b) Zinc deficiency shortens internodes and produces small leaves in rosettes; foliar zinc sulphate corrects it.

Q10. Methyl eugenol traps in mango orchards attract:
(a) female mango hoppers
(b) male fruit flies
(c) stone weevil adults
(d) mealybug crawlers
Answer: (b) Methyl eugenol is a male lure for Bactrocera fruit flies; killing males reduces mating and is a cornerstone of fruit fly IPM.

Q11. Meristem (shoot-tip) culture is used to obtain virus-free plants because:
(a) meristems have no cell walls
(b) the apical meristem is often free of virus
(c) viruses are killed by the culture medium
(d) meristems are always seedless
Answer: (b) Viruses move slowly into rapidly dividing apical cells, so a tiny meristem is often clean; it is commonly combined with heat therapy.

Q12. The Training and Visit (T&V) system of agricultural extension was developed by:
(a) M. S. Swaminathan
(b) Daniel Benor
(c) Everett Rogers
(d) Norman Borlaug
Answer: (b) Daniel Benor designed T&V for the World Bank; it was widely used in India from the late 1970s. Rogers is known for the diffusion of innovations theory.

Count how many you answered in under a minute with a reason you could defend. That number is a better guide than your score: in a 150-question paper, the questions you hesitate on are where time and negative marks go. If you missed any of Q3, Q4 or Q9, spend a week on nutrient disorders; they are compact, frequently asked and easy to revise from one table.

When you are ready for full length, the APPSC Horticulture Officer test series gives 150 questions per paper under the exam timer; the calendar lists every test.