Agriculture Fertilizers - Overview, Types, uses

To meet the demand of food production of such a large population it is important to use agricultural fertilizers. These agricultural fertilizers are a boon for farmers as they help increase fertility, maintain the nutrients of the soil and also increase the productivity of cropland. Agriculture fertilizers are one of the important topics from the biology chapter Strategies for Enhancement in Food Production class 12th. It carries a weightage of around 2 to 3% in NEET and around 4% in other entrance exams like pharmacy and paramedical.

What are Agricultural Fertilizers?

Agricultural fertilizers are chemical products that are used to increase the productivity of plants. These are mainly used by the farmers in their fields to get more profit from their agricultural products. Some of the basic points about Agricultural fertilizers are mentioned below:

• Some of the common agricultural fertilizers are divided into three categories: Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium fertilizers.

• Fertilizers also include nutrients like zinc and other metals which are important for plant growth.

• Some fertilizers increase the fertility of the soil and improve water retention capacity.

• The fertilizers also support the healthy growth of plants and are responsible for providing all the essential nutrients for their development.

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Types of Agricultural Fertilizers

Agricultural Fertilizers are classified into two types. They are:

Advantages of Agricultural Fertilizers

The main advantages of Agricultural Fertilizers are:

• Helps in improving soil fertility and also increases the production of crops. Agriculture fertilizers help meet the food demand of the population by fulfilling the nutritional demand of the soil.

• Agricultural fertilizers are easily soluble and have an action which helps the nutrients to be absorbed by the plants quickly. This helps in boosting overall metabolism and plant growth.

• Fertilizers also help in restoring all the soil nutrients which were depleted by the previous crops.

• Some fertilizers are easy to store handle and transport which makes them convenient for farms of all sizes.

• Farmers can rely on fertilizers to achieve higher productivity from their farm fields and also maintain soil health at the same time. This is also a contribution to a sustainable form of agriculture.

Disadvantages of Agricultural Fertilizers

The disadvantages of Agricultural Fertilizers are:

• Some agriculture fertilizers can be expensive which can be a financial burden on farmers who are small-scale producers.

• Agricultural fertilizers which are based on chemicals contain toxic substances which are harmful to human as well as animal health. Exposure to these toxic substances regularly can lead to diseases and it needs to be handled with care.

• Some agricultural fertilizers are also harmful to the natural balance of soil microorganisms and it affects the overall health of the soil.

• It is also responsible for deflecting soil fertility and its productivity.

• Fertilizers are also responsible for environmental pollution such as water pollution as their being washed away by rain. This is carried out to the nearby streams and rivers.

List of Chemical Agricultural Fertilizers

Chemical fertilizers are regarded as inorganic fertilizers since they contain a substantial amount of the nutrients needed for plant growth. The names of chemical fertilizers are listed below according to their chemical makeup:

• Fertilizers amide.

• Fertilizers with nitrate.

• Fertilizers with potassium.

• Fertilizers made of ammonia.

• Fertilizers containing ammonium nitrate.

• Fertilizers with insoluble phosphates.

• Phosphatic fertilizers are water-soluble.

• Phosphatic Fertilizers that are soluble in citric acid.

• NPK - Fertilizers made of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium

Types of Questions Asked from Agricultural Fertilizer

During exam preparation, different types of questions about Agricultural Fertilizers are asked. The table below contains the different patterns of questions asked in different exams.

Tips, Tricks, and Strategies for Agricultural Fertilizers

It takes effort to remember everything in a single go. We made the entire problem easy. Some of the tricks regarding Agricultural Fertilizers are given below which you can use to memorise the important points.

Types of Fertilizers

"ONI: Organic, Nitrogen, Inorganic"

• O: Organic Fertilizers

• N: Nitrogen Fertilizers

• I: Inorganic Fertilizers

Key Nutrients in Fertilizers

"NPK: Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium"

• N: Nitrogen

• P: Phosphorus

• K: Potassium

Advantages of Fertilizers

"CRISPE: Cost-effective, Reliable, Increase Yield, Soluble, Portable, Enhance Growth"

• C: Cost-effective

• R: Reliable results

• I: Increase yield

• S: Soluble

• P: Portable

• E: Enhances growth

Disadvantages of Fertilizers

"HTPESP: High cost, Toxicity, Pollutes, Erosion of Soil Quality, Short-term benefits, pH alteration"

• H: High cost

• T: Toxicity

• P: Pollutes

• E: Erosion of Soil Quality

• S: Short-term benefits

• P: pH alteration

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