Question

After months of heavy rains, a farmer noticed a steady drop in crop production. Upon testing the farmland, it was found the soil was severely lacking nutrients. Which of the following explains the loss of nutrients from the soil?

Answer 1

The answer would be Leaching

Answer 2

Options:

A. drought

B. drainage basin

C. leaching

D. water shedding

Answer:

C. leaching

Step-by-step explanation:

Soil leaching is an erosive process caused by the washing of the superficial soil layer by the runoff of surface waters. It usually occurs in soils without protective vegetation cover, which greatly decreases their fertility over time.

Leaching is a frequent process in soils of tropical and equatorial regions, since rainfall is more abundant and intense in these places. Flooding caused by precipitation carries surface soil materials to the lower areas. Precisely for this reason, this process is more significant in the regions with the highest slope. In this way, water "flushes" the soil, carrying the available nutrients to the water table and watercourses, favoring their impoverishment.