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Definition: fertilizer from Processing Water, Wastewater, Residuals, and Excreta for Health and Environmental Protection: An Encyclopedic Dictionary

Material usually containing nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K), or NPK, added to soil to provide essential nutrients for plant growth, including organic fertilizers (e.g., farmyard manure, crop residue, compost, bonemeal, blood, fishmeal) and inorganic fertilizers in the form of chemical mixtures. Excessive use of fertilizers may cause water pollution (e.g., nitrates in groundwater). See also soil conditioner.


fertilizer

From The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide
Substance containing some or all of a range of about 20 chemical elements necessary for healthy plant growth, used to compensate for the deficiencies of poor or depleted soil . Fertilizers may be organic, for example farmyard manure, composts, bonemeal, blood, and fishmeal; or inorganic (synthetic or artificial), in the form of simple compounds, mainly of nitrogen, phosphate, and potash, which have been used on a very much increased scale since 1945. Compounds of nitrogen and phosphorus are of particular importance. Elements in the soil are taken up through the roots of plants in solution, becoming part of the compounds forming the plant. If plants are allowed to die and decompose, these compounds return to the soil as part of a natural cycle, such as the nitrogen cycle . However, when crops are harvested the cycle is interrupted, the nutrients are not returned to the soil and are used up. Fertilizers replace these elements, increasing the yield of crops and enabling the soil to be…
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As the twentieth century opened, fertilizers were a prominent concern for farmers, industrialists, scientists, and political leaders. In 1898, British scientist William Crookes delivered a powerful and widely reported speech that warned of a looming “famine” of nitrogenous fertilizers. According to…
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Full text Article Fertilizer

From Encyclopedia of World Trade: From Ancient Times to the Present Full text Article A-Z Entries
Organic matter or synthetic chemicals added to soil to promote plant growth. Fertilizers have been used for thousands of years to improve crop production. Egyptian and Mesopotamian civilizations first recognized the value of silt deposits over 5,000 years ago. Over 3,000 years ago, Chinese farmers…
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FERTILIZER SHARE Nitrogen, phosphate and potash...
10 billion tonnes of fertilizer is used every year to produce feed for US livestock FERTILIZERS HELP INCREASE and maintain crop yields, and non-organic (chemical) fertilizers played a leading role in the “green revolution” that markedly improved yields in developing countries during the second half…
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Full text Article fertilizers

From Environmental History and Global Change: A Dictionary of Environmental History
Natural fertilizers include animal manure, human waste, guano and organic matter like turf (see plaggen ), seaweed and legumes. They promote plant growth by increasing the supply of nitrates and phosphates or potassium; they can be inorganic (lime) or organic (manure). Organic fertilizers were most…
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Full text Article fertilizer

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
organic or inorganic material containing one or more of the nutrients—mainly nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, and other essential elements required for plant growth. Added to the soil or other medium, fertilizers provide plant nutrients that are naturally lacking or that have been removed by…
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Full text Article Fertilizers

From The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide
Introduction Nitrogen is an important element for the well-being of plants and animals. It is found in proteins , which are present in all living things. Proteins are important for the growth of plants because they ensure strong stems and healthy leaves. Animals and people obtain nitrogen for…
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Full text Article fertilizer

From The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide
Substance containing some or all of a range of about 20 chemical elements necessary for healthy plant growth, used to compensate for the deficiencies of poor or depleted soil . Fertilizers may be organic, for example farmyard manure, composts, bonemeal, blood, and fishmeal; or inorganic (synthetic…
| 488 words
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Full text Article fertilizer

From Hawley's Condensed Chemical Dictionary
A substance or mixture that contains one or more of the primary plant nutrients and sometimes also secondary and/or trace nutrients. The primary nutrients are nitrogen (supplied as anhydrous ammonia or solutions containing nitrogen derived from ammonia, ammonium nitrate, or urea), phosphorus (as…
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Full text Article Using Fertilizers

From The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide
Introduction Many farmers spend large amounts of money every year on fertilizers to put onto their crops. Without fertilizers, the crops may not grow so well, and the farmer will not get such good yields. The extra money spent on the fertilizers is more than made up by the extra money received when…
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Full text Article Agroforestry: Fertilizer Trees

From Encyclopedia of Agriculture and Food Systems
Abstract Fertilizer trees are defined as nitrogen-fixing woody perennials used for soil fertility improvement in arable lands and pastures. Although such trees have played a significant role in traditional and improved crop and livestock production systems, their contributions have not received…
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