Fertilizers Used in Agriculture – Imaluop

Hi, today we will know how fertilizers used in agriculture, types of fertilizers used in agriculture. Plants can prepare their own food with the help of sunlight through the process of photosynthesis and animals are dependent on them for food directly or indirectly.

Plants also need some resources to prepare their food like sunlight, water, carbon dioxide and other macro and micro nutrients for their growth.  Plants get nutrients from soil but with time soil nutrients become poor because on initial time soil have macronutrients and micronutrients as a result of decomposition of animals and plants body.

But it is a very slow process and plants draw the nutrients from soils at a faster rate so soils become deficient in nutrients. So then we need to supply it from outside which may be chemical fertilizers or manure.

Fertilizers are used to meet the requirements of macronutrients and micronutrients to sustain plant growth. Before we discuss more about fertilizers we will know what fertilizers. 

Basic Ideas About Fertilizers:  

Fertilizers are nutrients required for plants in solid, liquid or gaseous commercial chemical form. Various inorganic salts and organic material which are nutrients for plants are present in fertilizers like nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium. Chemicals present in fertilizers help to grow the plant and are necessary for high yield. 

Different Types of Fertilizers: 

Depending upon composition we can divide all fertilizers into some categories – complete fertilizers, compound fertilizers, potassic fertilizers, phosphate fertilizers, nitrogenous fertilizers and organic nitrogenous fertilizers. 

Importance of Fertilizers in Agriculture: 

Most of the farmers are highly dependent on chemical fertilizers for plant nutrition though fertilizers are more expensive than manure. But excess use of fertilizers can damage the soil fertility so it should be used when it is really required.

Manure should be used instead of chemical fertilizers until it becomes necessary to give fertilizers. Excess use of fertilizers can harm the microorganisms present in soil and cause water pollution if it is washed down with the rain water flow.

Fertilizers Used in Agriculture
Fertilizers Used in Agriculture

Sometimes excess fertilizers also damage the plants so use of fertilizers need careful attention and it should be used at proper frequency and proper intensity. Chemical fertilizers can damage the animals who take the plants as food and its traces in food can affect our lifestyle negatively.

For this reason now use of chemical fertilizers is discouraged and use of organic manure is preferred which can give soil fertility, healthy lifestyle and pollution free agriculture.  

Most Common Used Chemical Fertilizers: 

Nutrients are highly concentrated in chemical fertilizers and different fertilizers are used to meet different requirements of nutrients for plants. Fertilizers give the plant sufficient amounts of macronutrients like nitrogen, potassium.

Fertilizers are used according to the requirements of nutrients for plants. For different nutrients requirements there are different types of fertilizers like nitrate fertilizers for nitrogen, ammoniacal fertilizers for nitrogen, amide fertilizers, potassic fertilizers, ammoniacal- nitrate fertilizers, water soluble phosphate fertilizers, insoluble phosphate fertilizers, citric acid soluble phosphate fertilizers, NPK or nitrogen- phosphorus- potassium fertilizers.  

Use of fertilizers is a part of the agricultural process and proper use of fertilizers give high yield but use of fertilizers must be done in a controlled way otherwise it can give negative results.

Fertilizers are easily available in the market and its use is very easy and nutrients are present in high concentration. For this reason it becomes a great choice for farmers to promote crop yield.

In fertilizers inorganic nutrients are present in salt form and when we apply them plants absorb the inorganic nutrients ion and meet their nutrition requirements. Fertilizers may be organic or inorganic but biofertilizers are eco-friendly.

For example bacterial biofertilizers and fungal biofertilizers are very useful to reduce the pollution and maintain the crops growth.  

Reference: Fertilizers Used in Agriculture

Read More: Soil Preparation in Agriculture

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