Fertilizers

In commercial farming , soil fertility is maintained by the addition of chemical fertilizers. Fertilizers must be added to the soil in correct amounts, according to the mineral requirements of the crop that is to be planted on it. Organic manure also must be added to maintain soil structure.

   If chemical fertilizers are only used to improve soil fertility, the soil will then lose its crumb structure. It will become powdery, lose its porosity and become poorly aerated.

  Roots of the crop plants cannot absorb the mineral salts efficiently. This lowers the crop yield. The unused chemical fertilizers like nitrates and phosphates are eventually washed into nearby water bodied such as rivers and lakes, affecting these ecological systems.