Fertilizer
hideFertilizers are chemical compounds applied to promote plant and fruit growth. Fertilizers are usually applied either through the soil (for uptake by plant roots) or, by foliar feeding (for uptake through leaves).
Fertilizers can be placed into the categories of organic fertilizers (composed of decayed plant/animal matter), or inorganic fertilizers (composed of simple chemicals and minerals). Organic fertilizers are 'naturally' occurring compounds, such as peat, manufactured through natural processes (such as composting), or naturally occurring mineral deposits; inorganic fertilizers are manufactured through chemical processes (such as the Haber process), also using naturally occurring deposits, while chemically altering them (e.g. concentrated triple superphosphate).
Properly applied, organic fertilizers can improve the health and productivity of soil and plants, as they provide different essential nutrients to encourage plant growth. Organic nutrients increase the abundance of soil organisms by providing organic matter and micronutrients for organisms such as fungal mycorrhiza, which aid plants in absorbing nutrients. Chemical fertilizers may have long-term adverse impact on the organisms living in soil[citation needed] and a detrimental long term effect on soil productivity of the soil[citation needed].
For more information about Fertilizer, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
News tagged with fertilizer
Fertilizer use not always helpful in revegetation efforts
Dec 17, 2009 |
4.6 / 5 (5) |
3
Companies and communities trying to restore vegetation on damaged northern landscapes should think twice about using fertilizer to stimulate growth according to new research published in the November issue of Arctic, Antarctic an ...
Farms, Fertilizers and Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Dec 10, 2009 |
not rated yet |
0
(PhysOrg.com) -- Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists are front and center in finding out how farming affects emissions of the green house nitrous oxide (N2O).
Switchgrass produces biomass efficiently
Nov 23, 2009 |
not rated yet |
0
A USDOE and USDA study concluded that 50 million U.S. acres of cropland, idle cropland, and cropland pasture could be converted from current uses to the production of perennial grasses, such as switchgrass, from which biomass ...
Studying Fertilizers to Cut Greenhouse Gases
Nov 18, 2009 |
not rated yet |
0
(PhysOrg.com) -- Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists have found that using alternative types of fertilizers can cut back on greenhouse gas emissions, at least in one part of the country. They are ...
Male factor infertility associated with comorbidities
Nov 09, 2009 |
5 / 5 (1) |
0
The December issue of European Urology, the official journal of the European Association of Urology, features an article entitled 'Are Infertile Men Less Healthy than Fertile Men? Results of a Prospective Case-Control Survey ...
Researchers to perform sex change operation on papaya
Nov 02, 2009 |
3 / 5 (2) |
0
The complicated sex life of the papaya is about to get even more interesting, thanks to a $3.1 million grant from the National Science Foundation. The grant will fund basic research on the papaya sex chromosomes ...
Research Yields Sheep Breeding Improvements
Oct 20, 2009 |
4 / 5 (1) |
0
(PhysOrg.com) -- Artificial insemination (AI) techniques that work well with cattle and swine can be difficult or costly to perform in sheep, but help’s on the way, thanks to Agricultural Research Service ...
Squeezing More Crop Out of Each Drop of Water
Oct 09, 2009 |
3.8 / 5 (4) |
0
(PhysOrg.com) -- Studies in China and Colorado by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists and cooperators have revealed some interesting tactics on how to irrigate with limited water, based on a crop’s ...
Unnatural selection: Birth control pills may alter choice of partners
Oct 07, 2009 |
4.1 / 5 (14) |
21
There is no doubt that modern contraception has enabled women to have unprecedented control over their own fertility. However, is it possible that the use of oral contraceptives is interfering with a woman's ability to choose, ...
Researchers identify gene with possible link to infertility in mice
Oct 02, 2009 |
not rated yet |
0
Virginia Commonwealth University researchers have identified the role of a gene in regulating molecular signals involved with ovarian follicle development, which may one day help shed light on some of the causes of fertility ...
In search of wildlife-friendly biofuels
Oct 01, 2009 |
1 / 5 (1) |
1
When society jumps on a bandwagon, even for a good cause, there may be unintended consequences. The unintended consequence of crop-based biofuels may be the loss of wildlife habitat, particularly that of ...
Fertilizers may not help poorest African farmers
Sep 24, 2009 |
5 / 5 (7) |
0
(PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers have linked poverty in sub-Saharan Africa with poor soil health, but two new Cornell studies find that the recommended practice of applying more fertilizer may not help the poorest ...
Sustainable fertilizer: Urine and wood ash produce large harvest
Sep 02, 2009 |
4.8 / 5 (6) |
1
Results of the first study evaluating the use of human urine mixed with wood ash as a fertilizer for food crops has found that the combination can be substituted for costly synthetic fertilizers to produce ...
Ant has given up sex completely, researchers say
Aug 26, 2009 |
4.7 / 5 (16) |
7
The complete asexuality of a widespread fungus-gardening ant, the only ant species in the world known to have dispensed with males entirely, has been confirmed by a team of Texas and Brazilian researchers.
What she sees in you -- facial attractiveness explained
Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry
Aug 24, 2009 |
3.2 / 5 (19) |
10
(PhysOrg.com) -- When it comes to potential mates, women may be as complicated as men claim they are, according to psychologists.
