What happens to water-soluble inorganic nutrients during leaching?

They go down into the soil horizon and get precipitated as unavailable salts.

The correct answer is b) They go down into the soil horizon and get precipitated as unavailable salts.

During leaching, water-soluble inorganic nutrients, which are dissolved in the soil water or present in the detritus, move downward through the soil profile with the percolating water. As water infiltrates the soil, it carries these nutrients along with it. The movement of water can transport these dissolved nutrients to lower soil horizons or even deeper groundwater.

In some cases, when the percolating water reaches a lower soil horizon, there may be changes in environmental conditions such as temperature, pH, or nutrient concentration. These changes can cause the water-soluble inorganic nutrients to undergo chemical reactions, leading to their precipitation as salts.

When nutrients precipitate as salts, they become unavailable for immediate uptake by plants or other organisms. The precipitated salts can accumulate in the lower soil horizons or be lost from the system through groundwater flow.

It's important to note that leaching primarily refers to the downward movement of water and dissolved substances, including nutrients, through the soil. The fate of water-soluble inorganic nutrients during leaching depends on various factors, including the specific nutrient, soil properties, and environmental conditions. However, one common outcome is the precipitation of these nutrients as salts, making them less accessible for immediate plant uptake.