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Types of Fertilizers

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14 views4 pages

Types of Fertilizers

Uploaded by

alekefavour5
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Name: Aleke Favour Adaeze

Matric No: RUN/ICH/22/13150


Course title:Inorganic chemistry III

Types of fertilizer explained extensively


Phosphorus is the eleventh most abundant element in earth. If soils are
deficient in phosphorus, food production becomes restricted, unless the
nutrient is added in the form of fertilizers. Hence, to increase food production,
an adequate amount of phosphorus is required.

Phosphorus is an essential nutrient required for plant growth. It helps in root


development, plant maturation, and seed development. Along with nitrogen
and potassium, phosphorus is one of the most important elements for plant
life. Soil gets depleted of phosphorus due to several reasons including being
washed away by rain. Therefore, modern farming is reliant on the use of
phosphorus based fertilizers.

Commercial phosphate fertilizers are manufactured using phosphate rock.


Approximately two-third of the world’s phosphate resources are derived from
sedimentary and marine phosphate rock deposits. Ground rock phosphate
has been used as a source of phosphorous for soils in the past. However, due
to the low concentration of phosphorous in this native material, high
transportation costs, and small crop responses, the usage of rock phosphate
has reduced considerably in agriculture. On the other hand, the usage of
phosphorous based fertilizers has grown significantly. The most commonly
used phosphatic fertilizers are Diammonium Phosphate (DAP),
Monoammonium Phosphate (MAP), NPKs, and SSP.

DAP is the world’s most widely used phosphorus fertilizer. It is popular due to
its relatively high nutrient content and its excellent physical properties. DAP is
an excellent source of phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) for plant nutrition. It
provides the correct proportion of phosphorous and nitrogen for the farming of
grains such as wheat, barley, fruits, and vegetables. The global demand for
DAP is about 30 million tons a year.
Potassium (K) is one of the 17 essential nutrients required

by plants for growth and reproduction. Like nitrogen (N)

and phosphorus (P), potassium is classified as

a macronutrient. The term “potash” refers to a group of

potassium bearing minerals and salts. There are multiple

potassium fertilizer sources, expressed in units of K₂O on

fertilizer labels, such as muriate of potash (KCl), sulfate of

potash (K₂SO₄), double sulfate of potash and magnesium

(K₂SO₄ 2MgSO₄), and nitrate of potash (KNO₃).

The importance of potassium in plants

Good potassium nutrition is vital to consistently improve

crop productivity. Potassium’s role in the plant is primarily

in plant/soil/air-water relations; it also activates certain

enzymes, and it aids in moving captured carbon from

plant biomass to reproductive material (grain, fruit, and

fiber). Inadequate potassium nutrition leaves the plant

more susceptible to different stresses, including water

deficit, insect pressure, and pathogen pressure.


Potassium also helps regulate the opening and closing

of the stomata, which regulates the exchange of water

vapor, oxygen and carbon dioxide. If K is deficient or

not supplied in adequate amounts, it stunts plant

growth and reduces yield.

For perennial crops such as alfalfa, potassium plays a

role in stand persistence through the winter. Other roles

of K include:

 Increases root growth and improves drought

resistance.

 Maintains turgor; reduces water loss and wilting.

 Aids in photosynthesis and food formation.

 Reduces respiration, preventing energy losses.

 Enhances translocation of sugars and starch.

 Produces grain rich in starch.

 Increases plants’ protein content.

 Builds cellulose and reduces lodging.

 Helps retard crop diseases.


Potassium in soils

The total K content of soils frequently exceeds 20,000

ppm (parts per million). While the supply of total K in

soils is quite large, relatively small amounts are

available for plant growth at any one time. That’s

because nearly all of this K is in the structural

component of soil minerals and isn’t available for plant

growth.

The amount of K supplied by soils varies due to large

differences in soil parent materials and the effect

weathering has on these materials. Therefore, the need

for K in a fertilizer program varies across the United

States.

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