After 1950, in response to record growth in worldwide food demand, farmers worldwide sharply increased fertilizer use. As a result, the productivity of farmland more than doubled by 1985. Since 1985, farmers have sought to increase farmland productivity even further. Nevertheless, worldwide fertilizer use has declined by 6 percent between 1985 and the present. Which one of the following, if true, most helps to resolve the apparent discrepancy in the information above?
A: After fertilizer has been added to soil for several years, adding fertilizer to the soil in subsequent years does not significantly improve crop production.
B: Several varieties of crop plants that have become popular recently, such as soybeans, are as responsive to fertilizer as are traditional grain crops.
C: Between 1950 and 1985 farmers were able to increase the yield of many varieties of crop plants.
D: Between 1975 and 1980 fertilizer prices temporarily increased because of labor disputes in several fertilizer-exporting nations, and these disputes disrupted worldwide fertilizer production.
Choose A, B, C or D as your solution.
A