CEC REVIEW What does CEC stand for? What two components in the soil contribute to the CEC? What is the area immediately surrounding the roots called? How does this area differ from the rest of the soil? What does the root exchange with the soil solution for cations? What cation would most easily be removed from the exchange site? Ca++, K+, Al+++, Mg++ In what situation would a cation like NH4+ be aggressive enough to replace Ca++ on the exchange sites? What is the most aggressive cation? List 3 anions. What happens to anions that are not picked up by the plant? What does base saturation mean? What are the 4 base cations? When applying fertilizer, how would your application change for a soil with a high CEC compared to one with a low CEC?