“We know more about the movement of celestial bodies
than about the soil underfoot.” -
Leonardo Da Vinci, Artist and inventor
LECTURE- 19
TOPIC-
CHEMICAL FERTILIZERS
Course No- SOL315
Moderator- Dr. Harmohan Singh Yadav
Fertilizers
May be defined as materials having definite
chemical composition with a higher analytical
value and capable of supplying plant nutrients in
available form.
Mainly inorganic in nature.
Exception-Urea & CaCN2
Complete
Completefertilizers
fertilizers
Complete fertilizer is referred to a fertilizer material which
contains all three major nutrients
A fertilizer said to be a complete or mixed fertilizer when it
contains nitrogen phosphorus and potassium(all the primary
nutrients)Examples of commonly used complete fertilizers are 6-
12-12, 10-10-10, 15-15-15, and 20-10-10.
Incomplete fertilizers
Incomplete fertilizers
Complete fertilizer is referred to a fertilizer material which lacks
anyone of three major nutrients that is NPK
Straight Fertilizer
Staright fertilizers may be defined as chemical fertilizers which
contains only one primary or major nutrients element.
Eg. Ammonium sulphate
Complex Fertilizer
This fertilizers may be defined as a fertilizer materials which
contains more than one primary or major nutrient elements
produced by the process of chemical [Link] major plant
nutrients namely Phosphorus, Sulphur and Calcium along with
trace of many micro-nutrients.
Eg- SSP
Soil amendments
Soil amendments are organic or inorganic matter added to the soil to improve
texture, water retention, drainage or aeration. Sandy or rocky soil requires
amendments to improve the texture and add water retention properties. Clay soils
require the addition of material to improve texture, aeration and drainage. Soil
amendments (inorganic) come in a variety of sources-
i) Amendment Function/purpose Sand or Profile Soil Conditioner: to improve
aeration and drainage
ii) Lime or Sulfur: to raise or lower pH Vermiculite, a natural balsamic mineral and
perlite made from heated amorphous volcanic glass increases aeration, improves
texture and assists in water retention.
iii) Sharp sand or Mason’s sand creates spaces much better than river sand,
which has rounded edges and packs down tighter.
iv) Profile Soil Conditioner is even better, since it is porous so it holds both
water and nutrients. Suitable for any type of soil, vermiculite and perlite do
not alter the nutrient content.
Common organic amendments Soil improvement 6 Amendment Function/purpose
–
i) Manures: to add nutrients Compost: improves the texture of the soil, increases
aeration, promotes both water retention and drainage as well as adds valuable
nutrients necessary for plant growth.
ii) Mulch- Mulch helps soil retain its moisture
iii) Humus- Humus offers stability to imbalanced soil and rectifies deficiencies
while maintaining its own balance
iv) Peat Moss -It increases the ability of the soil to retain water and is ideal
for sandy or rocky soil. It is ideal for stabilizing clay soils as well.
v) Wood products like wood chips and shavings- To improve soil, but may
create a nitrogen deficiency.
vi) Fresh organic matter can also be used, but extra nitrogen fertilizer will
be needed to help it decompose. Fresh manure may contain too much uric
acid, which can burn roots. It is best if manure is aged for at least six
months.
Controlled release of Fertilizers
Fertilizers that contain a plant nutrient in a form the plant cannot
immediately absorb.
Uptake is delayed after application, so that CRFs provide the plant with
available nutrients for a longer time compared to QRFs, such as urea.
Controlled-release fertilizers are typically coated or encapsulated with
inorganic or organic materials that control the rate, pattern, and duration of
plant nutrient release.
Polymer-coated urea exemplifies CRFs. These fertilizers control the release of
nutrients with semi-permeable coatings, occlusion, protein materials, or other
chemical forms, by slow hydrolysis of water-soluble, low-molecular-weight
compounds, or by other unknown means. Most importantly, the release rate of
a CRF fertilizer is designed in a pattern synchronized to meet changing crop
nutrient requirements.
Slow release of Fertilizers
Nitrogen products decomposed by microbes are commonly referred as SRF
fertilizers.
Some SRFs such as N-SURE are made in factories.
However, some such as manure are naturally originated and cannot be
formulated to permit controlled release.
The nutrient release pattern of SRFs is fully dependent on soil and climatic
conditions.
Slow-release fertilizer releases nutrients gradually with time, and it can be an
inorganic or organic form.
An SRF contains a plant nutrient in a form that makes it unavailable for plant
uptake and use for some time after the fertilizer is applied.
Such a fertilizer extends its bioavailability significantly longer than QRFs such
as ammonium nitrate, urea, ammonium phosphate, or potassium chloride.
Nitroform (also referred to as trinitromethane with a chemical formula
HC[NO2]3) exemplifies inorganic SRF fertilizers.
Urea-formaldehyde (UF), urea-isobutyraldehyde /isobutylidene diurea
(IBDU), and urea-alcetaldehyde/cyclo diurea (CDU) typify organic SRF
fertilizers.
Based on the source, there are two types of SRF fertilizers: natural and
artificial.
Natural SRFs include plant manures, such as green manure or cover crops,
all animal manures (chicken, cow, and poultry) and compost Because of their
organic nature, these must be broken down by microbial activity before the
nutrients can be released to crops.
In general, organic fertilizers may take a long time to release nutrients, and
these nutrients may not be available when the plant needs them.
The duration of nutrient release of this type of organic fertilizers mainly
depends on soil microbial activity that is driven by soil moisture and
temperature.
Organic SRFs contain both macro-nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus,
potassium, etc.) and micro- nutrients (iron, manganese, copper, etc).
The nutrient concentrations of organic SRFs are relatively lower than
those of synthetic SRF fertilizers. For example, Sup’r Green brand is a
chicken manure fertilizer containing only 3-2-2 % N, P2O5, and K2O,
respectively.
Nano Fertilizers
•The word “Nano” means one-billionth, so nanotechnology refers to
materials that are measured in a billionth of a meter (nm). A nano- meter is so
small that the width of a human hair is 80,000 nanometers. The field of
nanotechnology has resulted from advances in chemistry, physics,
pharmaceuticals, engineering, and biology. The size of a nanomaterial is
typically about 1 to 100 nanometers.
•They can be naturally occurring or engineered. Due to their extremely
minute size, they have many unique properties that are now being explored
for new opportunities in agriculture.
•There are naturally occur- ring nanoparticles that have been previously
proposed for agricultural use, such as zeolite minerals. However, engineered
nano- materials can now be synthesized with a range of desired chemical and
physical properties to meet various applications.
•Nano fertilizers are being studied as a way to increase nutrient efficiency
and improve plant nutrition, compared with traditional fertilizers.
•A nanofertilizer is any product that is made with nanoparticles or uses
nanotechnology to improve nutrient efficiency.
•Three classes of nanofertilizers have been proposed:
1. nanoscale fertilizer (nanoparticles which contain nutrients),
2. nanoscale additives (traditional fertilizers with nanoscale
additives), and
3. nanoscale coating (traditional fertilizers coated or loaded with
nanoparticles)
•Nanomaterial coatings (such as a nanomembrane) may slow the release of
nutrients or a porous nanofertilizer may include a network of channels that
retard nutrient solubility. The use of nanotechnology for fertilizers is still in its
infancy but is already adopted for medical and engineering applications.\
•Another promising application of nanotechnology is the encapsulation of
beneficial microorganisms that can im- prove plant root health. These could
include various bacte ria or fungi that enhance the availability of nitrogen,
phosphorus, and potassium in the root zone. The development of
nanobiosensors to react with specific root exudates is also being explored.
Storage of fertilizers
Good storage is very necessary to sustain the fertility of the fertilizers in the
future. That’s why there are several tips regarding storage of fertilizers which
are mentioned bellow-
(i) To prevent the fertilizers from moisture absorbing it must be kept in a
dry place.
(ii) Some nitrogenous fertilizers are inflammable so they have tp store
separately.
(iii) Sometimes fertilizers produces toxic gases and acids. So, they must be
stored in separate places where there is no interference of human.
(iv) Must install a fire- fighting equipment in the storage room.
(v) Fertilizer heap must not exceeds 1.5 m height.
Fertilizer control order
The most important fertilizer control order in our country was prepared in
1985 which is preferably known as Fertilizer control order, 1985. The main
objectives and aims of this order are given bellow-
To ensure adequate availability of right quality of fertilizers at right time and
at right price to farmers, the Fertilizer was declared as an Essential
Commodity and Fertilizer Control Order (FCO) was promulgated under
Section 3 of Essential Commodities Act,1955 to regulate, trade, price, quality
and distribution of fertilizers in the country.
The FCO provides for compulsory registration of fertilizer manufacturers,
importers and dealers, specification of all fertilizers manufactured/imported and
sold in the country, regulation on manufacture of fertilizer mixtures, packing and
marking on the fertilizer bags, appointment of enforcement agencies, setting up of
quality control laboratories and prohibition on manufacture/import and sale of
non-standard/spurious/adulterated fertilizers. Accordingly there are 74 Fertilizer
Quality Control Laboratories in the Country which includes 4 set up by Central
Government as CFQC&TI, Faridabad and its three Regional Laboratories. the order
also provides for cancellation of authorization letter/registration certificates of
dealers and mixture manufacturers and also imprisonment from 3 months to 7
years with fine to offenders under ECA. the FCO offence has also been declared as
cognizable.
The enforcement of this Order has primarily been entrusted to State
Governments. the Central Government provides training facilities and
technical guidance to States and supplements their efforts through random
inspection of manufacturing units and their distribution network through the
Inspectors.
Fertilizer control order was introduced in India in 1955.
T/F
Thank
you………