Question Statement:
Passage:
"Recent agro-ecological trials demonstrate that intercropping leguminous pulses with cereal grains significantly enhances overall land equivalent ratio (LER) above unity ($LER > 1$). Biological nitrogen fixation by rhizobia associated with legume root nodules enriches root-zone bioavailable nitrate, reducing synthetic nitrogen fertilizer requirement while preserving cereal yield."
Which of the following, if true, would WEAKEN the claim that widespread adoption of this intercropping system is universally beneficial for commercial farming?
Options:
- (A) Synchronous mechanical harvesting of both crops is impeded due to differing maturity dates and plant architectures, escalating labor costs.
- (B) Leguminous pulses fix atmospheric nitrogen into ammonium and nitrate.
- (C) Cereal and legume canopies compete fiercely for photosynthetically active radiation when row spacing is not strictly customized, leading to legume shading and stunted nodulation.
- (D) Intercropping increases soil organic matter content over successive cropping seasons.