Dear readers, soil, as we all know, is one of the fundamental elements of agricultural ecosystems. It has functions of interest such as providing ideal conditions for seeds to germinate, serving as a support for plants and supplying essential nutrients for their growth and development. In some agroecosystems, soils do not have the necessary fertility and fertility is related to the physical, chemical, biological and nutritional characteristics of the soil. In this publication we will address aspects related to fertilization and the type of fertilizers that can be used to cover nutritional deficiencies in the soil.
Let's start by defining what is FERTILIZATION, from my point of view as a professional in the area of agriculture, fertilization is an agronomic practice that consists in the supply of nutritional elements that are in deficiency in the soil, to determine the nutritional level of the soil it is advisable to take samples and take them to the laboratory to have accurate results thus avoiding unnecessary expenses in fertilizers. On the other hand, when we refer to the term FERTILIZERS, we refer to substances of either natural or synthetic origin that are applied to the soil to supplement the nutritional deficiencies of the soil and therefore increase crop production.
In the same vein, it is important to know the nutrients that plants need in smaller and larger quantities for their development, for example, nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), magnesium (Mg) among others that are known as macronutrients because plants need them in larger quantities for their physiological processes such as photosynthesis, There are also micronutrients that although plants need them in smaller quantities, they are essential for the growth and development of plants, among them are Zinc (Zn), Copper (Cu), Manganese, among others.
Taking into account what was mentioned in the previous paragraph, when working with a specific crop it is important to know what plant structures you want to develop, in our case we generally work with forage species, therefore, experience and logic makes us infer that one of the most important elements and that I need to have in balance for the growth of pastures is nitrogen, because this element significantly influences the growth of plants and in pastures growth translates into production of green biomass, i.e. production of leaves, which is the primary food of ruminants. This is not to underestimate the role of other elements such as phosphorus for the root and physiological development of the plant. In future articles we will detail the function of each of the nutritional elements in plants.
Now, after knowing briefly which are the essential nutritional elements for plants, the question would be which products have these nutrients, the answer is simple FERTILIZERS, which can be synthetic or inorganic which are chemical products that are obtained through industrial processes in laboratories among which is the Urea that contains 46% nitrogen; There are also organic fertilizers, which are those that are obtained naturally with the decomposition of organic vegetable or animal matter and are also obtained through artisanal processes where companies or producers make products based on organic materials such as bovine manure or crop residues.
Of the types of fertilizers mentioned above, synthetic fertilizers have a faster action on plants because they present inorganic elements that are easily assimilated by plants, on the contrary, organic fertilizers, as their name says, present organic compounds that once applied need to go through a transformation process (decomposition and mineralization) to become natural inorganic elements that can be used by plants. Although organic fertilizers take a little longer to show results, they are more effective in the long term because they help to improve soil structure, maintain the soil biota active and provide natural elements through a natural process of the agoecosystem.
Finally, it is important to mention that synthetic fertilizers, if not applied properly, can cause some external problems due to water pollution, since in agricultural production systems the excess of water can transfer nitrate (NO3-) to the deepest soil horizons, Depending on the intensity of irrigation and rainfall, they can sometimes reach the aquifers, a situation that can affect the water resources of rural communities, a situation that does not occur with organics because, as mentioned above, they are degraded by natural processes generated by soil microorganisms.
Dear readers, thank you for staying with us until the end, in future articles we will provide more information about soil management.
| Bibliographic references |
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Bravo, S. (2000). Chemistry of soils. Barinas: Consejo editorial UNELLEZ.
Urbano, P. (2002). Phytotechnics Plant production engineering. Madrid: Mundi-prensa.
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Apparently both people and their plant food are lacking in some of the same vitamins!
Certainly dear @alexanderalexis plants like humans sometimes lack some nutritional elements, that’s why we must keep the soil with nutritional elements necessary to meet the requirements of some crops.
So long, have a great week.
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Using synthetic fertilisers seems the easy way to go, but it may indeed be an issue on the long run. I am wondering whether it would be possible to rely only on organic components? Is there any complication in getting these in larger quantities?
Cheers, and have a nice week!
PS: apologise for this belated reply to your blog. Last week was hectic, as mentioned already several times on several blog. Life can sometimes be tricky...
Hello dear friend @lemouth, certainly sometimes life can be complicated especially when we have multiple occupations, which is also my case and I try to manage it as best I can.
As for your question, I think that if you can rely only on organic components, since it is the basis of life in the soil (microorganism), it is not complicated to get organic matter in agricultural production units, since there are always vegetable wastes that can be used for the production of organic and liquid fertilizers, there are also local resources such as legumes whose leaves can be an essential component in the development of these organic products for their adequate nitrogen content.
On a small scale also for our flower beds, we can obtain organic matter from our kitchen waste, particularly in my house we have Californian red worms for the decomposition of these organic wastes, obtaining a great liquid and solid fertilizer, the worms have a very nourished intestinal flora to decompose the organic material,
In short, I am not against synthetic products, I am against their excessive use, which can affect the environment and the economy of producers because of their high costs.
Thank you for your valuable comment, have an excellent and productive week.
Thanks for coming back to me. I definitely agree with your conclusion. Excesses are the real problem, when the situation gets out of control.
Cheers!