Tag: Fertilizers

Introduction

Food security is currently a big issue due to the growing global population. As a result, fertilizer has become crucial to agriculture to feed the world’s expanding population. Fertilizers are substances that aid in providing nutrients to the soil, enhancing crop yield. Additionally, it aids in preserving and enhancing soil fertility. Inorganic, organic, and biofertilizers all work in somewhat different ways to release nutrients into the soil and each has advantages and disadvantages in terms of crop growth and soil fertility.

What are Fertilizers?

Fertilizers are nutrient-rich compounds that are put into the soil to boost soil fertility, which, if added to the needed amount of soil, results in better and higher yields.  Urea hydrolysis is a basic illustration of how fertilizer is applied into the soil.

\[{\bf{CO}}{({\bf{N}}{{\bf{H}}_2})_2}\; + \;{\rm{ }}\;{{\bf{H}}_2}{\bf{O}}\;{\rm{ }}\; + \;{\rm{ }}{\bf{Urease}}\;\;{\bf{2N}}{{\bf{H}}_3}\; + \;{\bf{C}}{{\bf{O}}_2}\]

Here, the most popular fertilizer, urea, or \(CO{\left( {N{H_2}} \right)_2}\), reacts with urease, a naturally occurring chemical produced by the soil, when it is applied to moist soil. It causes the synthesis of \({\bf{N}}{{\bf{H}}_3}\;{\bf{and}}{\rm{ }}{\bf{C}}{{\bf{O}}_2}\), both of which promote soil fertility and plant development. The three essential macronutrients that plants require in the greatest amounts are Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), and Potash (K). Sulphur (S), Calcium (Ca), and Magnesium (Mg) are additional macronutrients that plants also require, but in smaller amounts.

Types of Fertilizers

Fertilizer is categorized into the following groups according to the composite makeup and various techniques of releasing nutrients:

• Inorganic fertilizers: Inorganic fertilizers are mostly made of chemical compounds like urea, ammonium nitrate, potassium chloride, etc. These fertilizers can’t decompose naturally. These fertilizers are often known as synthetic or artificial fertilizers. It is subdivided into two categories:
  • Macronutrients Fertilizers: Primary macronutrients that are rich in Nitrogen,Phosphorous, and Potassium are crucial for any plant’s rapid and healthy growth. Secondary macronutrients, which are similarly important to plants and contain calcium, sulfur, and magnesium, constitute another category.
  • Micronutrients Fertilizers: These fertilizers are designed to give trace amounts of nutrients like Copper, Zinc, Boron, Iron, and Chlorine, among others, even though they have a limited purpose in meeting the basic demands of plants.
• Organic Fertilizers: These easily biodegradable fertilizers are made from naturally occurring materials like sewage, guano, slurry, manure, worm castings, etc. Then, a vast number of microorganisms work to break down these naturally occurring substances into smaller and soluble particles.

• Bio-Fertilizers: Biofertilizers are compounds that generate nutrients from microorganisms that solubilize nitrogen and phosphate. Examples include Pseudomonas, Azotobacter, etc. These microorganisms or bacteria improve the soil’s nutritional content.

Application of fertilizers

• It aids in increasing crop yield and replenishing the soil’s depleted nutrients.
• The ability of nitrogen in fertilizers to make soils acidic is lessened. 
• To grow healthy crops, nitrogen-based fertilizers should be applied as much as possible. 
• Chemical fertilizers can be used in smaller amounts while yet providing the soil with enough nutrients to produce a larger yield. 
• Where two crops are growing, using biofertilizers greatly aids in preventing the production of undesirable crops. They are used to cultivate a variety of crops.

Benefits of Fertilizers

Inorganic fertilizers (Chemical Fertilizers)	Organic Fertilizers	Biofertilizers
It is simpler to use and handle.	Helpful in bringing soil nutrients to the surface and ensuring that they are delivered to plants in an even distribution.	It guarantees soil enrichment.
It easily dissolves in soil and has an immediate impact on crops since they contain soluble salts.	Keeping the moisture constant, it helps to relieve soil stress.	These fertilizers contain microorganisms that break down complicated organic compounds into simpler, nutrient-rich forms that plants may easily access.
These fertilizers are extremely productive, even if they are only used in modest quantities.	It is environmentally friendly.	Through processes like nitrogen fixation and phosphorus solubilization, it naturally raises the nitrogen and phosphorus content in the soil, making it more nutrient-rich.
By allowing water to penetrate the soil, fertilizers like gypsum help crops develop healthily.	On plants, it has a less harmful effect.	These fertilizers provide hormones like amino acids, vitamins, etc. that promote plant root growth.
Utilizing fertilizers like lime, which lessen the impact of acid on the soil, aids in preserving the soil’s pH equilibrium.	These fertilizers are a rich source of soil bacteria, which in turn aid in growing a healthy crop and ward against pest attacks.

List of Chemical Fertilizers

Nitrogenous Fertilizers	Phosphatic Fertilizers	Potassic Fertilizers
UreaAmmonium sulphate    Ammonium nitrateSodium citrate Potassium nitrateCalcium ammonium nitrate	Rock phosphatePhosphoric acidSuper phosphatesDiammonium phosphate	Muriate of potashSulphate of potash Potassium metaphosphate Potassium nitrate

Summary

Fertilizers are nutrient-rich compounds that are put into the soil to boost soil fertility, which, if added to the needed amount of soil, results in better and higher yields. Fertilizer is categorized into the following groups according to the composite makeup and various techniques of releasing nutrients: chemical, organic, and biofertilizers. To grow healthy crops, nitrogen-based fertilizers should be applied as much as possible. 

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How crucial is fertilizer to feeding the world’s population?
Ans. Fertilizers have nutrient-rich components, and adding them to the soil makes the soil more fertile, which helps to enhance crop output. The rapidly rising agricultural yield aids in supplying the expanding population’s growing need for food.

2. Does incorporating organic fertilizer into the soil enhance crop quality and soil health?
Ans. Organic fertilizers are made from things like slurry, dung, seaweed, etc. Microorganisms transform these complicated compounds into simpler compounds. These more straightforward or nutrient-rich substances are readily absorbed in the soil, which aids in enhancing soil quality and raising crop yields.

3. Can fertilizers harm a person’s health?
Ans. Chemical fertilizers are among those that can have an impact on human health because they include heavy metals like lead, mercury, and others that can harm a person’s kidneys, liver, and lungs.

4. What kind of fertilizer is most used in agriculture, and why?
Ans. To feed a large population, food production must increase. Only fertilizers made of chemicals or inorganic materials could make this possible. The majority of chemical fertilizers are used to produce the highest yield. Given that it contains macronutrients and micronutrients, it provides the soil with a sufficient amount of nutrients to boost crop yield.

5. Why do plants burn when fertilizers are used excessively?
Ans. Salt-based nutrients are present in fertilizers. These salts readily dissolve in water; however, salts used in excess leave the water undissolved. Plants are unable to absorb water and other nutrients because of the undissolved salt that stays in the soil. As a result, it greatly disturbs the soil’s structure and causes plants to burn.

Introduction

Agriculture is the practice of raising animals and cultivating crops. To meet the growing need of the population, the seed is crucial in the development of palatable foods. It is a fertilized ovule that germinates to give rise to new plants. The crucial phase in agriculture is choosing good quality seeds because they can reduce replanting, improve uniformity, and encourage the early growth of crops. Proper agricultural practices increase the yield and quality of crops produced.

Selection of Seeds

In general, seed quality affects plant development. Selecting effective seeds, and seed selection can boost agricultural yield. Getting seeds from healthy plants is crucial for agriculture since many different plant diseases can be spread through them. Spreading out chosen seeds over the initially prepared soil is the act of sowing. When choosing seeds for sowing, the following characteristics of the seeds are essential:

• Infections shouldn’t be present in the seeds. 
• They ought to have a strong ability to germinate. 
• A specific seed shouldn’t be combined with weeds or other seeds. 
• They ought to produce the desired amount of crops. 
• Avoid using seeds that have been damaged or crushed. 
• They ought to be immune to illness. 
• They ought to be able to endure challenging circumstances.

Steps to Ensure Proper Growth of Seeds

Agricultural practices are a set of rules used in the agricultural sector to make farming easier and produce better agricultural goods.

Preparation of Proper Soil

The agricultural area must be prepared for crop production through soil preparation. For seeds to germinate and help with efficient agricultural cultivation, it is necessary. The process of preparing soil involves these three steps:

• Tilling/Ploughing: ploughing is the process of liquifying and moving the soil to improve adequate aeration and bring the nutrient-rich soil to the surface of the land. It is done with a cultivator, hoe, or plough.
• Levelling: Because the earth is lumpy and irregularly dispersed, the levelling procedure distributes the soil evenly and levels it out. Additionally, it guards against soil erosion.
• Manuring: To grow and produce fruits and seeds, plants need the right nutrition. Applying manure to agricultural land is known as manuring. Manure is an organic material that has decomposed and is used to enrich the soil by delivering nutrients for crop growth.

Sowing of Seeds or Planting  

Sowing refers to the act of distributing or planting seeds. The right depth and quantity of water must be used while planting seeds. To achieve a desirable culture, the right seeding distance and interval are crucial. The following are some seeding techniques:

• Traditional method: For sowing, a funnel is employed that is filled with seeds that are travelling via pipes with sharp edges. The seeds are dispersed as the pipe’s edge penetrates the ground.
• Broadcasting: By distributing seeds throughout the ground, seeds are sown by the manual or mechanical method called broadcasting. However, owing to the uneven seed dissemination, this strategy is not advised for the growth of high-yielding crops.
• Dibbling: The act of “dibbling” involves evenly spacing the seeds in the seedbed before covering them with dirt. A long, pointed tool called a “dibbler” is used to make holes in the earth before sowing.
• Seed drill: Typically, tractors are utilized to assist in the sowing of seeds using a seed drill. The seeds can be sown at the proper depth and distance, and it is crucial to make sure the soil is covered after sowing.
• Transplantation: The seedlings are moved to the cultivable land after the seeds have initially been sown in a small garden. As a result, this procedure takes a long time.

Proper and Timely Irrigation

Agriculture requires proper irrigation since excessive watering can harm the soil by causing water logging, which hinders the soil’s ability to absorb nutrients and minerals. Because the farmer needs to supply enough water, successive irrigation necessitates breaks.

Supply of Proper Manure and Fertilizers

To provide the nutrients needed for plant growth, manure and fertilizers are added. Manure is made from decomposed animal and plant wastes, making it an environmentally benign substance that also improves soil fertility. Inorganic fertilizers like ammonium sulfate, ammonium phosphate, and NPK are produced commercially, and too much fertilizer can impair the soil’s ability to support plant growth.

Protection of Crops/Plants From Weeds

Unwanted plants, known as weeds, can harm farmed plants by growing near desirable ones. Crop yields are reduced, and pests and diseases use it as a host plant. These are eliminated by hand or using weed killers like naphthalene, acetic acid, etc.

Summary

The crucial phase in agriculture is choosing good quality seeds because they can reduce replanting, improve uniformity, and encourage the early growth of crops. Selecting effective seeds, and seed selection can boost agricultural yield. Agricultural practices are a set of rules used in the agricultural sector to make farming easier and produce better agricultural goods. The right depth and quantity of water must be used while planting seeds. 

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What makes Manure and Fertilizer different from one Another?
Ans. Fertilizers like ammonium sulfate are inorganic, whereas manure is an organic chemical made from the breakdown of plant and animal waste.

2. Write a note on Agricultural Practices.
Ans. Agriculture practices are a collection of rules that make farming easier. It entails the following: preparing the soil, choosing the right seeds, sowing, applying manure, fertilizers, and weedicides, as well as ensuring correct watering, harvesting, and storing.

3. Define Winnowing and Threshing.
Ans. Winnowing is the technique of separating grains utilizing the wind, whereas threshing is the act of freeing harvested grains by hand-battering or mechanical means.

4. What role does Seed Selection Play in Agriculture?
Ans. For the development of new individual plants, seeds are necessary. The development of desirable crops that decrease replanting and increase crop production can be achieved by choosing high-quality seeds.