The fertilizer industry turns nitrogen from air, hydrogen from natural gas and phosphate from miningd minerals into plant nutrients that are needed to feed the world.
It contains Phosphorus, which helps plants build protein and fight diseases and Potassium, which helps turn solar energy into chemical energy through photosynthesis. Also includes micronutrients such as Zinc, Iron and Iodine.
1. Increases the Growth Rate of Plants
The chemical ingredients in fertilizers help plants grow faster and stronger. This makes it easier for crops to withstand harsh weather conditions and thrive in different types of soil. It also allows for a wider variety of food to be produced.
In order to survive, plants need water, carbon dioxide and nitrogen. Carbon and oxygen are readily available in the air, but nitrogen must be made available to plants in a usable form. Only some bacteria, including those in legumes (such as beans), and plants can fix atmospheric nitrogen and convert it to ammonia.
The invention of industrial fertilizers helped increase crop yields, which allows for the growth of a large human population. However, it is important to use them sparingly. Continuously over-fertilizing a field can lead to nutrient depletion, loss of soil health and biodiversity, and pollution. The best way to avoid this is to make sure that the nutrient levels are in a balance and to stop fertilizing in fall so that new growth is not damaged by inclement winter weather.
2. Increases the Production of Food
Providing crops with nutrient-rich fertilizers enables them to grow bigger and produce more food. In fact, it was the invention of industrial fertilizers that has enabled world food production to keep up with the fast-growing population.
The problem is, without a steady supply of fertilizer, crop yields will decline. Moreover, the economic problems that result from the disruption of fertilizer supplies disproportionately affect developing countries.
Fertilizers are essential for the growth of wheat, rice, maize/corn and soybeans, which account for two-thirds to three-fourths of global calorific intake. This is why the current crisis in these markets is so serious.
As a leading manufacturer of mineral fertilizers, ICL is committed to providing farmers with sustainable solutions. This includes promoting the use of fertilizers with nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium values in optimal ratios that reduce environmentally damaging run-off, leaching and volatilization. ICL also works to develop new products that are more efficient, resulting in reduced fertilizer consumption. The company is also embracing new technologies and circular economies in its operations, such as the recycling of phosphates at ICL Boulby.
3. Prevents Invasive Pests and Diseases
Invasive insects and diseases cause significant damage to crops. The pathogens that cause them are carried by animals, and can also be spread if the plants are eaten or contaminated during harvesting and processing.
Fertilizers are used to prevent the introduction of invasive pests and disease organisms by providing the necessary nutrients for the natural suppression of those organisms by soil microbes. In fact, research has shown that inoculated plants grow more vigorously and produce higher yields with organic fertilizers than conventional ones, even when the same amounts of nitrogen are applied to both.
Synthetic, soluble sources of nitrogen (ammonium nitrate and ammonium sulfate) are rapidly available to the plant, but are prone to leaching into stormwater. Inorganic fertilizers can contain chemicals such as nitrification inhibitors that slow the conversion of nitrogen to nitrate, making them less prone to leaching. Organic fertilizers are carbon-based and derived from living or formerly living materials, such as fish emulsion, blood meal, hoof & horn, bone meal, cottonseed meal, and liquid comfrey or nettle feeds.
4. Reduces Poverty
The development of fertilizers radically increased agricultural productivity and food availability worldwide during the 20th century, known as the Green Revolution. During this period, crop yields increased logarithmically with the amount of nitrogen fertilizer applied and only began to diminish at exceptionally high rates of application.
However, the high price of nitrogen fertilizer and other mineral nutrients such as phosphate (P), potassium (K) and diammonium phosphate (DAP) make them out of the reach of many poor farmers. The resulting food security concerns are especially serious in Malawi where low rainfall and the absence of modern seeds combine to impede maize yields.
A randomized evaluation found that providing leaf color charts and basic training to farmers significantly reduced fertilizer use and yields, while the associated costs decreased for farmers. Thus, the instrument satisfies reverse causality concerns while controlling for both global and country-specific fertilizer prices. It also avoids omitted variable bias since it uses a distance decay function that matches the correlation between rural areas and nitrogen factories.
