Fertilizers

Rationale for the need of fertilizers (increase of production and increase of farm income); Nutrients - their role for the plant and their sources; Soils; Fertilizer recommendations for selected crops according to their needs; The importance of balanced fertilization; Fertilizers, their appearance, quality, labeling; Calculation of fertilizer rates; How to apply fertilizers; Hot to determine fertilizer needs; Other factors limiting crop yields; Fertilizer extension work.

This book describes many important principles of fertilizer management and the environmental pollution problems due to the indiscriminate soil fertilization rate. The long-term impacts of organic or mineral fertilizer use have implications on soil fertility, crop yields, water quality, climatic change, greenhouse gas emissions, etc. Twelve chapters provide the state of the art of some important topics on subsistence agriculture, modern agronomy, and technological improvements which have sharply increased yields from cultivation, with a special emphasis on the sustainable management and environmental impact of commercial and nontraditional fertilizers. Without a doubt, this book is a valuable contribution to the agricultural sciences and it would not have been possible without the invaluable contributions, immeasurable acknowledgements, and recognized expertise from the authors.

It is hoped that this paper will bring to the reader's attention the fact that the mode of addition of micronutrient materials of fertilizers is a factor that can have a significant influence on both the physical and chemical properties of the mixture. It should become obvious that, in adding micronutrient materials, due consideration must be given to such factors as the chemical compatibility of the ingredients, the segregation characteristics of the mixture, solubility in liquid systems, and the uniformity and density of micronutrient distribution sites that will result from field application of the mixture. While the review of addition methods now in use included here should serve as a useful guide, it is hoped that the reader, on becoming aware of the problems, will be stimulated to contrive improvements and modifications in methods that will fit his own needs.

This Manual of Fertilizer Processing, which is the fifth volume of the Fertilizer Science and Technology series. Francis (Frank) T. Nielsson, the editor of the book, has over 40 years of experience in the fertilizer industry, ranging from ammonia manufacture to the extraction of uranium from phosphoric acid, but he is best known for his work with compound or “mixed” fertilizers—fertilizers that contain two or more of the primary plant nutrients: nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Compound fertilizers also may contain one or more of the ten other elements that are essential to plant growth.