Question

The Law which states that whatever is being taken by plants from soil needs to be restored to maintain the nutrient supplying capacity of the soil is called "Law of Restitution" and it is propounded by:

• A. Justus von Liebig (1840)
• B. Hilgard (1888)
• C. J.B. Boussingault (1802-1882)
• D. E.W. Hilgard (1833-1916)

Hint:

Do not confuse this with Liebig's Law of the Minimum, which is about limiting nutrients, not restoring removed ones.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
The Law of Restitution, also called the Law of Return, says that whatever nutrients a crop removes from the soil must be put back, otherwise the soil's fertility keeps falling season after season. We need the person credited with putting forward this specific law.

Step 2: Key Formula or Approach:
It helps to first separate this from a similar sounding but different law, the Law of the Minimum, which is Liebig's contribution and is about which single nutrient limits growth, not about restoring what is removed.

Step 3: Detailed Explanation:
Justus von Liebig (option 1) is remembered for the Law of the Minimum, the idea that yield is capped by whichever essential nutrient is in shortest supply, not for the Law of Restitution.
Hilgard (option 2) and E.W. Hilgard (option 4) refer to the same soil scientist known for early work on soil formation and alkali soils in the United States, not for this restitution concept.
J.B. Boussingault, a French agricultural chemist working in the first half of the 1800s, is the one credited with formulating the Law of Restitution, stating plainly that nutrients taken up by a crop have to be returned to the soil to keep its nutrient supplying power steady over time.

Step 4: Final Answer:
The Law of Restitution was propounded by J.B. Boussingault.
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