Fertilizers are substances that enhance soil fertility and plant growth by providing the nutrients that the crop is deficient in. First used by ancient farmers, fertilizer technology developed significantly as the chemical needs of growing plants were discovered. Nowadays, fertilizers are used extensively all over the world as they play an important role on modern food production. Despite the numerous ways that fertilizers benefit the plants, misuse can cause problems and threaten the environment. For this reason, scientists are looking for ways to improve fertilizers to respond more effectively to plants’ and soils’ needs and minimize the impact to the environment.
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 Definition
Fertilizer, as given by the Cambridge dictionary, is defined as a natural or chemical
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However, it is often converted to other substances making it easier to handle. First ammonia and air are mixed in a tank to produce nitric acid. In the presence of a catalyst, a reaction occurs which converts the ammonia to nitric oxide. The nitric oxide is further reacted in the presence of water to produce nitric acid. Nitric acid and ammonia are used to make ammonium nitrate. Its high concentration of nitrogen makes this material a good fertilizer component. Finally, it can then be stored until it is ready to be granulated and blended with the other fertilizer components.
Phosphorous fertilizer component
Phosphorus is treated with sulfuric acid to isolate it from the phosphate rock and produce phosphoric acid. Triple superphosphate, an excellent solid source of phosphorus and ammonium phosphate another good primary fertilizer are produced from further reaction of phosphoric acid. In fact, triple superphosphate is formed when phosphoric acid is reacted with sulfuric acid and nitric acid. Some of the phosphoric acid is also reacted with ammonia in a separate tank to result in ammonium phosphate.
Potassium fertilizer
Nitrogen can be considered as both a fertilizer and nutrient under the right constraints. I will use citrus plants as one of my examples. For citrus growers applying nitrogen to plants is a common and needed practice. “Spring is the best time to apply nitrogen to citrus. Research has shown that the demand for nitrogen in citrus is highest from bloom through June and most of the supplemental nitrogen fertilizer should be applied during this time period.” It is a major key to plant growth and development. Nitrogen is crucial to citrus plants for optimal growth and yield. Without nitrogen you can see suffering results for many years down the road.
For years farmers have been adding natural fertilizers to their crops. It is a big risk though. Over fertilizing is very dangerous. It puts high concentrations of salt into the soil. It can also affect the water resources nearby. Nitrogen, Phosphate, and Potassium are the basics of fertilizer. If a certain nutrient is short in supply the fertilizer might not work as well. Calcium, iron, manganese are also nutrients that might be needed. So don’t just trust the fertilizer bag that says it has all the nutrients, test it out. (Miller and Levine 717)
Pesticides are used daily throughout all types of places. In rural areas, farmers are applying pesticides on their crops to protect them from the devastation that some insects can have. In urban areas families are using pesticides to protect their houses and their children from pests. There are many different sections of pesticides. Fungicides kill fungus, herbicides kill plants, rodenticide kill rodents, larvicides kill larvae, and bactericides kill bacteria. When people use pesticides, they feel as though their houses and children are protected. Many people don’t see the down fall of using such harsh chemicals. Exposure to harsh chemicals can send your body in a downward spiral.
...ed for building of growth of bacteria. Assuming all other conditions are favourable for biogas production, a carbon-nitrogen ration of about 30:1 is ideal for the raw materials fed into a biogas plant with 2% phosphorous for maximum biological activity. A higher ratio will leave carbon still available after the nitrogen has been consumed, starving some of the bacteria of this. These will in turn die, returning nitrogen to the mixture, but slowing the process. Too much nitrogen will cause this to be left over at the end of digestion (which stops when the carbon has been consumed) and reduce the quality of the fertilizer produced by the biogas plant. The correct ratio of carbon to nitrogen will prevent loss of either fertilizer quality or methane content. Oil cakes and animal urine are found to be suitable nutrients for maintaining C, P and N within the optimum range.
In Genesis 1:29, God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.” From the beginning God has given us food for life. Plants, meats, trees, and fruits are offered to us as a means of sustenance from the very same God who made them long ago.
The global population in the year 2050 is expected to be nine billion and the agricultural demand is expected to double. With the current population already over seven billion people, there are hunger issues all around the world (“New” par. 1). How are we going to deal with food shortages in the future? With less land to work with, strains on the soils, and the lack of water, it is getting harder for the farmers of the world to support our growing population. These complications are making it harder for farmers to produce quality, affordable food. To help the crops grow better, farmers use fertilizers and chemical sprays to enhance growth and control the weeds. Farming in the United States is a relevant business because it supplies people with food, provides people with jobs maintaining the used equipment with the new equipment being much more expensive, and it provides research for more efficient ways on how to feed the world.
The pesticide is a controversial topic since farmers are used it to gain their yield. Especially, pesticide is discovered during World War II as a chemical weapon that mixture of multiple chemicals together to kill human. Therefore, Chantries redesign pesticide to kill an organism where and when we don’t want it. Because people want to go to the grocery store to buy the perfect product, pesticide makes it happens and with a little cost for farmers. Nonetheless, pesticide also is the expenditure of life expectancy, which directly threatens people and poses risk of mortality rate. Abusing the pesticide has multiple affects on our society, (Add). (Add thesis)
Home gardens offer a wide variety of benefits to the environment and serve a diverse group of people. Home gardening provides a source of fresh produce and free of chemicals, it also gives you complete control over the chemicals and products used during the growing process. A home garden allows you to pick the produce when its ripe, unlike produce at the store is often picked before its fully ripe. The quality and flavor of the freshly picked produce from home is better than the produce that might have unknown chemicals and was likely picked several days or weeks before being sold. The produce retains more nutrients when consumed shortly after being picked, making your home garden vegetables a healthier option. A garden also provides a positive environmental impact. The compost allows you to recycle certain kitchen and yard waste into a nutrient-rich additive for the garden. This provides natural fertilizer for you plants and reduces the wastes you produce. If you choose to avoid or limit chemical use, you reduce pollution from your gardening activities. Besides being good for the environment gardens have environmental gains for us. Gardening help control urban temperatures, If the environmental landscape design is effective it can cool your home in summer and warm it in winter, it can also reduce the energy cost by up to 20%. Gardening, and all the physical activity that goes along with it, leads to a better overall physical health, weight loss, improve you bones, and reduces the risk of having osteoporosis. “In a study of 3,310 older women, researchers from the University of Arkansas found that women involved in yard work and other types of gardening exercises had lower rates of osteoporosis than joggers, swimmers, and women wh...
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For instance, ammonium nitrate used as ammonium nitrate fertilizer”. The philosophy of agriculture
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