Plant Fertilisers Nitrogen Phosphorus

Fertilisers To promote root development and leaf growth. It is required forleaf To regulate formation of nucleric acids, protien growth and plant and chlorophyll. size. It is required for the Fertilisers provide soil with water soluble compound foundation of nitrogen and phosphorus is areas where soilof nucleric acids naturally lack sufficient nutrients for agriculture needs. Plants can only adsorb in aqueous is and solution. constituent of 3/12/13

Nitrogen Fertilisers
As nitrate,NO3-, ions. If the nitrogen is applied soil as ammonia, ammonium ions or urea, NH2CONH2, then there compounds must be converted by soil bacteria(nitrifying bacteria) to nitrate ions before Solubility Applied Other Name Formula % N absorption can occur. in water Ad/DisA as

Ammonia

NH3

82

very

Gas or Toxis aqueou gas s solid

Easily synthesised

Urea

NH2CONH2

45

very

Ammonium NH4NO3 nitrare

33.5

very

solid

Powerful explosive

Ammonium (NH4)2SO4 sulfate

21

very

solid

Low N content

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Phosphorus Fertilisers
As PO4 3- ( phosphate ions) / HP04 2- (hydrogen ions), combined with calcium, aluminium or iron (III) ions. Insoluble in H2O and consequently their phosphorus component cannot be absorbed by plants. They are as Fixed phosphates. H2PO4 (dihydrogenphosphate) ions are soluble in water and are described as available phosphate. Its if form that plants take up phosphates. Fixed phosphate can be converted to available phosphate by reaction with acid: PO4 3- + 2H3O+ H2PO4 - + 2H2O HPo4 2- + H3O+ H2PO4 - + H2O

The conversion of fixed to available phosphates can occur naturally in acidic soil conditions resulting form dissolved carbon dioxide or decaying vegetable matter. The soil pH should be 6.0 to 7.5 for maximise the availability of phosphorus to plants.

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Main article:Organic fertilizer

Compost bin for small-scale production of organic fertilizer A large commercial compost operation Organic fertilizers include naturally occurring organic materials, (e.g.chicken litter,manure, worm castings,compost,seaweed,guano, bone meal) or naturally occurring mineral deposits (e.g.saltpeter).Poultry litterand cattle manure often create environmental and disposal problems, Click to theirMaster subtitle style making edit use as fertilizer beneficial. Bones can be processed into phosphate-rich bone meal; however, most are simply buried in landfills. Even if all bones, human, animal and plant wastes were recovered to the extent practical and used for fertilizer, mineral fertilizers and synthetic nitrogen would still be required to make for losses to leaching, to the atmosphere, runoff and the losses impractical to recover. 3/12/13

Organic fertilizer