fertilizer
Sign in to savethumb|upright=1.35|A farmer spreading [[manure to improve soil fertility]]
AI overview
Fertilizer is a material, like manure shown here, that farmers spread on soil to add nutrients that plants need to grow. It matters because these added nutrients help increase crop yields and maintain productive farmland.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Article
43 sectionsContents
- History
- Mechanism
- Microbiological considerations
- Classification
- Single nutrient ("straight") fertilizers
- Multinutrient fertilizers
- Micronutrients
- Production
- Nitrogen fertilizers
- Phosphate fertilizers
- Potassium fertilizers
- NPK fertilizers
- Organic fertilizers
- Fertilizer consumption
- Application
- Timing and amount of application
- Liquid vs solid
- Slow- and controlled-release fertilizers
- Foliar application
- Chemicals that affect nitrogen uptake
- Overfertilization
- Environmental effects
- Water
- Nitrate pollution
- Soil
- Acidification
- Accumulation of toxic elements
- Cadmium
- Fluoride
- Radioactive elements
- Other metals
- Trace mineral depletion
- Changes in soil biology
- Organic agriculture
- Fossil fuel consumption and sustainability
- Contribution to the greenhouse effect
- Policy
- Regulation
- Subsidies
- See also
- References
- Cited sources
- External links
thumb|upright=1.35|A farmer spreading [[manure to improve soil fertility]]
A fertilizer or fertiliser is any material of natural or synthetic origin that is applied to soil or to plant tissues to supply plant nutrients. Fertilizers may be distinct from liming materials or other non-nutrient soil amendments. Many sources of fertilizer exist, both natural and industrially produced. For most modern agricultural practices, fertilization focuses on three main macro nutrients: nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) with occasional addition of supplements like rock flour for micronutrients. Farmers apply these fertilizers in a variety of ways: through dry or pelletized or liquid application processes, using large agricultural equipment, or hand-tool methods.