Why we need fertilizers

• Fertilizers are essential mineral raw materials from which plants make food (link 7).
• Thousands of years of weathering, leaching, and crop removal have left most soils deficient in water-soluble minerals.
• Plants, like people and animals, need balanced nutrition. Plant nutrition consists of 16 nutrients, 3 of which come from the air.
• The 13 mineral nutrients man can supply are abundant throughout the earth, and are mined for use as fertilizers.
• Mineral fertilizers are classified as major, secondary, or micro-nutrients, depending on how much plants use, as follows.
  • Major Nutrients
    1. Nitrogen (N) – gives green color, rapid growth, high protein, and yield.
    2. Phosphorus (P) – affects early vigor, healthy roots, and quality.
    3. Potassium (K) – produces healthy plants, high-quality seeds and fruit.
  • Secondary Nutrients
    1. Calcium (C) – promotes early root growth, high vigor, and seed formation.
    2. Magnesium (Mg) – Associated with chlorophyll, oil, and fat formation.
    3. Sulfur (S) – aids in root growth, green color, and seed production.
  • Micro Nutrients or Trace Elements
    1. Zinc (Z) – aids chlorophyll formation.
    2. Boron (B) – increases yield in root crops, affects seed germination and terminal bud formation.
    3. Manganese (Mn) – aids seed germination and vigor.
    4. Iron (Fe) – associated with chlorophyll formation.
    5. Copper (Cu) – affects enzyme systems in new tissues.
    6. Molybdenum (Mo) – is vital to nitrogen fixation by microorganisms, and nitrogen processes in plants.
    7. Chlorine (Cl) – essential for healthy plant growth.