AI-generated practice question — model-generated for extra practice, not a previous-year CBSE board question.
During the wet season, intense leaching (heavy rain washing away nutrients through the soil) is primarily responsible for making laterite soil generally poor in plant nutrients.
Source: Resources and Development, Laterite Soil section
The textbook directly states: "This soil is the result of intense leaching due to heavy rain." Leaching means soluble nutrients are washed downward and lost from the topsoil by rainwater. Examiners expect the term "leaching" to appear in the answer — that single word is the key to scoring the mark.