Q37.1-2CC - Campbell Biology

Question

Some lawn mowers collect clippings. What is a drawback of this practice with respect to plant nutrition?

Step-by-Step Solution

Answer

When lawnmowers gather grass clipping, this results in loss of mineral availability in soil for plants.

Step 1: Grass

The herbaceous plant with narrow leaves and adapted to grow in a variety of habitats like a rain forest and cold mountains is called grass. Several advantages of grasses are capturing CO2 (carbon dioxide) gas, cleaning the air, reducing the temperature, and reducing noise pollution.

Examples of grasses are pampas, Napier, muhly, cogon, and buffalo grasses.

Step 2: Plant nutrition

The study that focuses on the availability of chemical elements (nutrients) for plants so that they can fight pests, grow, and reproduce, is called plant nutrition. Examples of chemical elements necessary for plants are magnesium, nitrogen, calcium, potassium, and phosphorous.

Step 3: Drawback of clipping on plant nutrition

The mineral restoration occurs in the soil due to decaying grass clipping; removing these clippings during the execution of lawn mowing will result in losing soil minerals. The lost plants' nutrients found in the soil must be replaced by fertilizers for increasing plant growth.