Which component of soil primarily contributes to Cation Exchange Capacity?

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Multiple Choice

Which component of soil primarily contributes to Cation Exchange Capacity?

Explanation:
Cation Exchange Capacity is the soil’s ability to hold positively charged ions on negatively charged sites on soil particles. Those exchange sites mainly come from clay minerals and organic matter. Clay minerals have a permanent negative charge from substitutions in their crystal structure, and their tiny size gives a large surface area for holding cations. Organic matter (humus) contains functional groups that lose protons with pH changes, creating negative charges that also attract and hold cations. Water and air don’t provide exchangeable sites, and sand has far less surface area and fewer charged sites, so it contributes little to CEC. That combination makes clay and organic matter the primary contributors to CEC.

Cation Exchange Capacity is the soil’s ability to hold positively charged ions on negatively charged sites on soil particles. Those exchange sites mainly come from clay minerals and organic matter. Clay minerals have a permanent negative charge from substitutions in their crystal structure, and their tiny size gives a large surface area for holding cations. Organic matter (humus) contains functional groups that lose protons with pH changes, creating negative charges that also attract and hold cations. Water and air don’t provide exchangeable sites, and sand has far less surface area and fewer charged sites, so it contributes little to CEC. That combination makes clay and organic matter the primary contributors to CEC.

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