Crop rotation helps to prevent what problem in the soil when different crops with varying nutrient needs are grown in succession?

• A. Nutrient depletion
• B. Soil compaction
• C. Erosion
• D. Waterlogging

Answer: (A)

Rotating crops helps keep soil fertility by balancing nutrient use and allowing nutrients to replenish through natural processes. Different crops take up different nutrients, and if you grow the same crop again and again, the specific nutrients it relies on get pulled from the soil faster than they’re replaced. Some crops, like legumes, even add nitrogen back into the soil, while others contribute different residues that feed the soil organic matter. This diversification prevents nutrient depletion and maintains a healthier, more productive soil overall.

So, the issue crop rotation primarily prevents here is nutrient depletion. While rotation can influence other soil problems in combination with good practices—such as reducing compaction, erosion, or waterlogging—it’s the management of varying nutrient demands and replenishment that makes it most effective.