The article explores how concentration ratios of elements in soil affect plants, focusing on the variation in these ratios. By analyzing a large database, researchers found that geometric standard deviations can be used to estimate variation in concentration ratios for different elements. For unknown crops and soil types, the standard deviation is around 6, indicating a wide range of data. However, for specific crops and sites, the variation is lower, around 1.5. These findings are crucial for predicting the impact of soil contamination on crops and food chains.