Soil Fertility and Nutrient management (1+1)

Definition of Fertilizer

Fertilizers are defined as materials having definite chemical composition with a high analytical value that supply essential plant nutrients in available form. They are usually manufactured by industries and sold with a trade name. They are commonly synthetic in nature and also called as
 chemical fertilizers/inorganic fertilizers/commercial fertilizers other than lime and gypsum.
• Most of the chemical fertilizers are inorganic in nature. The only exception to this is urea and calcium cyanamide (CaCN2), the solid organic N fertilizer.
• In India the use of artificial fertilizers was first initiated in 1896 when imported Chilean nitrate was used as a fertilizer.
• Presently fertilizers have become an integral part of agricultural economy as they increase the fertility of soils and enable them to support high yields. About 50% of the increase in crop production during recent times has been attributed to fertilizer use; though the fertilizer use efficiency is very poor.