Question

Removal of more nutrients by crops than added through manures and fertilizers, is called:

• A. Soil pollution
• B. Nutrient mining
• C. Topsoil loss
• D. Nutrients contamination

Hint:

Think of "mining" as extracting a finite resource without putting anything back.
In agriculture, extracting more nutrients than you replenish "mines" the soil's natural fertility.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
Sustainable soil fertility management requires maintaining a balanced nutrient budget.
The amount of essential plant nutrients removed from the soil during harvest should be replenished through organic manures, crop residues, and chemical fertilizers.

Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
When crops are harvested, they remove significant amounts of macronutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium) and micronutrients from the soil.
If the amount of nutrients extracted by the crops exceeds the amount replenished through external inputs (manures and fertilizers), the soil experiences a net deficit.
This continuous depletion of the soil's native nutrient reserves is called nutrient mining.
Nutrient mining leads to a progressive decline in soil fertility, degradation of soil health, and a reduction in crop yields over time.
Soil pollution and nutrient contamination refer to the introduction of toxic substances or excessive, imbalanced chemical residues into the soil.
Topsoil loss is a physical process of soil erosion caused by wind or water, which physically removes the fertile upper layer of the soil rather than just depleting its dissolved nutrients.

Step 3: Final Answer:
The continuous depletion of soil nutrients due to crop uptake exceeding external replenishment is known as nutrient mining.