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Subject : Biology

Class : IX

Topic:- FERTILIZERS

FERTILIZERS:- Fertilizers are the chemical substances which improve the

fertility of soil and help the pants to grow and synthesize more food crops. In other
words, fertilizers are the commercially produced synthetic chemical substances
added to the soil to maintain the fertility of the soil by supplying some essential
nutrients like Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium, abbreviated as NPK.
Fertilizers enhance the vegetative growth giving rise to healthy plants to ensure
higher yield.

Chemically, fertilizers may be In-Organic compounds (e.g. Ammonium

Sulphate) or Organic compounds (e.g. Urea). On the basis of presence/availability
of nutrient which they provide, fertilizers are of following types:-

a) Nitrogenous Fertilizers:-These are those fertilizers which supply the macro-

nutrient Nitrogen to the plants e.g. Urea, Sodium Nitrate, and Ammonium
Nitrate.
b) Phosphate Fertilizers:- These are those fertilizers which provide the macro-
nutrient Phosphorous to the plants e.g. Super Phosphate Di-Calcium
Phosphate.
c) Potassium Fertilizers:- These are those fertilizers which provide the macro-
nutrient Potassium to the plant e.g. Potassium Chloride, Potassium Sulphate.
d) Complex Fertilizers:- These are those fertilizers which provide at least two
or more nutrients at a time to the plant e.g. Nitro-Phosphate, Ammonium
Phosphate, Urea Ammonium Phosphate.

Chemical fertilizers enhance the crop production on one hand and cause
environmental hazard on the other. Therefore, fertilizers should be applied
carefully in terms of proper dose, time, etc. Precautions must be observed during
pre and post application, so that the applied dose must be completely utilized by
the plants because the left over residue of these chemicals leads to water pollution,
when washed away due to excessive irrigation. Moreover, if the fertilizers are used
continuously at a particular place, they destroy the fertility of the soil because the
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Organic matter in the soil is not replenished. Moreover, the micro-organisms

present in the soil get harmed by constant use of chemical fertilizers. Fertilizers
give short-term benefits, whereas manures give long-term benefits. Therefore, we
must consider the use of manures for long-term benefits.

Hence, under such conditions, application of organic farming is

much promising. It is a type of farming system with minimal or no use of
Chemical fertilizers, Pesticides, etc and with a maximum input of organic manures,
recycled farm-wastes(straw and live-stock excreta), use of biological agents such
as culture of Blue-Green Algae in preparation of bio-fertilizers, neem leaves or
turmeric specially in grain storage as bio-pesticides with healthy cropping system
(mixed cropping, inter-cropping and crop rotation).

Now write the answer of the following questions in your note-book.

Q:- Define fertilizers. Name two fertilizers supplying N, P, and K to crops.

Q:- Explain the advantages of manures from ecological point of view.

Q:- Why are manures and fertilizers used in fields?

Q:- Compare the use of manures and fertilizers in maintaining soil fertility.

Q:- Explain what will happen if a cultivated field is supplied only with fertilizers.