Question

Farm A uses a homemade fertilizer made from food scraps to help their crops grow, which will keep the pH of the soil stable at around 5.0 over time. Farm B uses a store bought fertilizer made from chemicals to help their crops grow, which will continuously decrease the ph of the soil over time. The image below shows the relationship between soil pH, the release of aluminum found in rocks and how that affects plant species. Aluminium concentration (ppm) 25 20 15 10 5 2-5 ppm toxic to sensitive species >5 ppm toxic to tolerant species <2 ppm non toxic 3.0 3.5 4.0 4.5 pH of soil 5.0 5.5 6.0 Why would it be more important to monitor Farm B than Farm A

Answer 1

It would be more important to monitor Farm B than Farm A because Farm B, which uses a store-bought fertilizer containing chemicals, is causing a continuous decrease in soil pH over time.

The graph illustrates that as the pH decreases, the concentration of aluminum released from rocks increases, potentially reaching toxic levels for plant species.

Monitoring Farm B is crucial to prevent soil acidification and aluminum toxicity, which can harm both sensitive and tolerant plant species. In contrast, Farm A maintains a stable pH of around 5.0, likely minimizing the risk of adverse effects on plant species associated with fluctuating or decreasing pH levels.