Question

What is leaching?

Answer 1

Hint: Leaching occurs when the top layer of the soil gets removed due to various external factors. These external factors may include excessive irrigation or rainfall which may cause the dissolving of top nutrients present in the soil.

Complete answer:
> The process of leaching is the process in which the top layer of soil which is rich in certain nutrients and colloids gets removed by percolating precipitation.
> The materials from the upper layer of the soil are removed and then are deposited on the lower layer of the soil. This leads to the formation of the low quality or porous upper layer and dense and highly rich lower layer of the soil.
> If the process of leaching increases in certain areas then it may lead to loss of plant nutrients and would affect the growth and development of the plants present on that soil.
> In the process of leaching, as there is the removal of nutrients from the soil, it also results in the deposition of hydroxides of iron, aluminum, and manganese. This type of soil formed is called the laterite or latosol soil and it has deposits of bauxite present in excess quantity.
> In such areas, the absence of humus is most common as the dead plant material gets decomposed at a faster rate and then the nutrients get leached away instead of staying in the soil.

Note: The removal of the top layer of the soil which has water-soluble components present is known as leaching. It occurs due to excessive irrigation or rainfall occurring in that area. It leads to soil losing its nutrients and then affecting the growth of the plant.