How does CEC affect crop nutrient uptake?

The correct answer highlights how Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC) plays a crucial role in nutrient availability to crops. CEC is a measure of how well soil can hold cations, which are positively charged ions such as potassium, calcium, and magnesium, essential for plant growth.

A higher CEC indicates that the soil can retain a greater amount of these nutrients, thereby enhancing the ability of the soil to supply them to plants. When plants absorb nutrients, they do so through their roots. The ongoing exchange of ions at the root level increases nutrient availability, which is vital for healthy crop development.

By allowing the soil to retain existing nutrients while balancing charges, CEC ensures that nutrients remain available during critical growth periods and helps prevent nutrient leaching from the soil profile. This mechanism is essential for maintaining soil fertility and maximizing crop yield over time.

In contrast, the other options fail to capture the specific role of CEC in nutrient retention and uptake. Preventing nutrient loss pertains more to environmental management practices than the intrinsic characteristics of soil. Increasing soil fertility is a broader concept that involves various factors beyond just CEC. Indicating that it has no effect on crop yield undermines the significant relationship between CEC and the availability of critical nutrients that directly influence