Question

Who has put forward the 'Law of Minimum'?

• A. E. A. Mitscherlich
• B. Bernhard Baule
• C. von Liebig
• D. F. F. Blackman

Hint:

Liebig's Law of the Minimum states that crop growth is limited by the scarcest nutrient in the soil.
This principle highlights the importance of balanced fertilization to address the most limiting nutrient first.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
The Law of the Minimum is a fundamental principle in plant nutrition and crop physiology that explains how plant growth is regulated by environmental resources.

Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
The Law of the Minimum, often referred to as Liebig's Law of the Minimum, was popularized by the German scientist Justus von Liebig in 18
The law states that crop yield and plant growth are regulated not by the total resources available in the environment, but by the scarcest nutrient or limiting factor.
This concept is often illustrated using "Liebig's barrel," where the height of the shortest wooden stave limits the water-holding capacity of the barrel, regardless of how tall the other staves are.
Similarly, if a single nutrient (such as nitrogen or phosphorus) is deficient, crop growth will be limited even if all other essential nutrients are present in abundance.
Let us review the other scientists listed in the options:
1. E. A. Mitscherlich: Developed the "Law of Diminishing Increment," which describes crop response to fertilizer as a logarithmic function.
2. Bernhard Baule: Developed a mathematical formulation (the Mitscherlich-Baule equation) to describe crop yields under multiple limiting factors.
3. F. F. Blackman: Proposed the "Law of Limiting Factors" in 1905, which adapted Liebig's concept specifically to photosynthetic processes.

Step 3: Final Answer:
The 'Law of Minimum' was put forward by von Liebig, which corresponds to Option (C).