【求助】OG11-080

New hardy varieties of rice show promise of producing high yields without the costly requirements of irrigation and application of commercial fertilizer by earlier high-yielding varieties.

A requirements of irrigation and application of commercial fertilizer by earlier high-yielding varieties.

B requirements by earlier high-yielding varieties of application of commercial fertilizer and irrigation.

C requirements for application of commercial fertilizer and irrigation of earlier high yielding varieties.

D application of commercial fertilizer and irrigation that was required by earlier high-yielding varieties.

E irrigation and application of commercial fertilizer that were required by earlier high yielding varieties.

答案给的E，

我的疑问是：该选项也可被理解为 （ irrigation and application ) of commercial fertilizer......., 而irrigation of commercial fertilizer 也不符合逻辑意思，所以该选项是否也存在歧义现象？抑或of 短语的修饰有一定规则？请大家指教。

感谢楼上对of短语的解答，可是按照这个规则，该题E选项即该理解为 the costly irrigation and application of commercial fertilizer = the costly irrigation of commercial fertilizer and the costly application of commercial fertilizer. 划横线的部分逻辑意思很费解啊，fertilizer 怎么能 irrigate 呢？

牛津高阶词典对irrigate的解释为：to supply water to an area of land through pipes or channels so that crops will grow.