Printed from www.TFI.org on April 3, 2008
About Fertilizer
Humans, animals and plants rely on a safe, healthy supply of food an
nutrients like nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) for
proper growth and development. Fertilizer is the 'food' that plants nee
to produce a healthy and bountiful crop. Experts estimate that withou
commercial fertilizers, the world would be without one-third of its food
supply.
 Watch a short video about fertilizer’s role in maintaining healthy soils.
 Watch a short video about how fertilizer affects food quality and quantity.
 Watch a short video about how commonly used potassium chloride is used in balanced diets.
 Watch a short video about how fertilizer improves the nutritional quality of the food we eat.
Plants require 14 essential nutrients for healthy growth. The absence of any one nutrient in the soil
can limit plant growth, even when all other plant nutrients are present in adequate amounts. The
three macronutrients that are essential for food production and quality are: nitrogen, phosphorus an
potassium.
Nitrogen
Nitrogen comes from the air and is the primary building block for all life. The air we breathe is about 78
percent nitrogen, but there are very few plants that can make direct use of nitrogen in the air. To make this
nitrogen available to support life, nitrogen from the atmosphere is converted into a form plants can easily use
Nitrogen fertilizer manufacturing captures naturally occurring nitrogen from the atmosphere, and
combines it with hydrogen from natural gas under heat and pressure to form anhydrous ammonia.
Ammonia is used in two ways: it is applied directly to crops as a nitrogen fertilizer and it is used as
building block to make other nitrogen fertilizer products, including urea, ammonium nitrate,
ammonium sulfate and water-based liquid nitrogen fertilizers.
Nitrogen helps make plants green and plays a major role in boosting crop yields. Nitrogen plays a
critical role in protein formation and is a key component of chlorophyll. Plants with adequate nitroge
show healthy vigorous growth, strong root development, dark green foliage, increased seed and fru
formation and higher yields.
The top five nitrogen producing countries in 2002 were China, India,
the United States, Russia and Canada.
Common Nitrogen Products
Ammonia (82-0-0) — Used as an applied fertilizer or as a building
block for other fertilizer products. Stored as a liquid under pressure o
refrigerated, it becomes a gas when exposed to air and is injected int
the soil.
Urea (46-0-0) — A solid nitrogen product typically applied in granular form. It can be combined with
ammonium nitrate and dissolved in water to make liquid nitrogen fertilizer known as urea ammonium
nitrate or UAN solution.
Ammonium nitrate (34-0-0) — Another solid nitrogen product typically applied in granular form is
valued for its use on pasture lands and specialty crops such as citrus.
Ammonium sulfate (21-0-0) — A solid product that is largely a byproduct of coke ovens, where
sulfuric acid is used to remove ammonia evolved from the coal.
Nitrogen solutions — Typically, a combination of urea and ammonia nitrate dissolved in water to for
a highly soluble liquid fertilizer, typically containing 28 or 32 parts nitrogen.
Phosphorus
Phosphorus is present in all living cells and is essential to all forms of life. Phosphorus is the second most
abundant of all the mineral nutrients contained in our bodies. It can be found in every cell, but nearly 80
percent of phosphorus found in people is concentrated in teeth and bones.
The source of phosphorus in fertilizer is fossilized remains of ancient marine life found in rock
deposits in North America and North Africa, and volcanic activity in China. The phosphate
manufacturing process combines phosphate rock from these natural geological deposits with sulfur
acid to produce a concentrated phosphorus solution.
The countries with the most phosphorus resources are the United States, China, India, Russia and
Brazil.
Common Phosphate Products
Triple Superphosphate (0-46-0) — A highly concentrated form of phosphate produced in both
granular and non-granular forms.
Monammonium Phosphate (MAP) (11-52-0) and Diammonium
Phosphate (DAP) (18-46-0) — These two products are called
ammoniated phosphates because phosphoric acid is treated with
ammonia to form these basic phosphate products that also contain
nitrogen. They are widely produced in the granular form for blending
with other types of fertilizers, and are also produced in nongranular
forms for use in liquid fertilizers.
Potassium
Potassium is the seventh most abundant element in the earth's crust and is found in every cell of plants and
animals. Potassium helps plants grow strong stalks, in the same way that calcium gives people strong bones.
More than 85 percent of the body's potassium is found in the muscles, skin, blood, digestive tract and liver.
Fertilizer producers mine potassium, or potash, from naturally occurring ore deposits that were
formed when seas and oceans evaporated, many of which are covered with several thousands of
feet of earth. Once the ore is brought to the surface, unwanted minerals are removed in the
manufacturing process and the product is then granulated for application.
Most of the world's potash deposits are found in Canada, Russia, Belarus, Germany and the United
States.
Analysis
How much N, P and K are in your bag of fertilizer? The analysis found on eac
bag or bulk shipment of fertilizer tells the farmer or consumer the amount of
nutrients being supplied. States have a system of laws and regulations that
ensure the fertilizer is properly labeled and delivers the amount of nutrients
stated to the farmer or consumer.
The three numbers on your bag of fertilizer are referred to as the
"analysis." It is the percentage of nitrogen, phosphate and potash that
available to plants from that bag of fertilizer. In this diagram, this produ
contains 5 percent nitrogen, 10 percent phosphate and 5 percent
potash.
So what's the other 80 percent of what's in this bag? While brands vary, typically the rest will contai
some micronutrients and filler material, which allows for even application of the nutrients across the
fertilized area.
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