The resultant nitric acid was then used as a source of nitrate (NO 3 −). This process was used to fix atmospheric nitrogen (N 2) into nitric acid (HNO 3), one of several chemical processes generally referred to as nitrogen fixation. The Birkeland–Eyde process was one of the competing industrial processes in the beginning of nitrogen-based fertilizer production. In the succeeding year he enlisted the services of Joseph Henry Gilbert together they performed crop experiments at the Institute of Arable Crops Research. One immediate consequence was that in 1842 he patented a manure formed by treating phosphates with sulfuric acid, and thus was the first to create the artificial manure industry. John Bennet Lawes, an English entrepreneur, began to experiment on the effects of various manures on plants growing in pots in 1837, and a year or two later the experiments were extended to crops in the field. In this field, a 'knowledge erosion' took place, partly driven by an intermingling of economics and research. Prominent scientists on whom Justus von Liebig drew were Carl Ludwig Sprenger and Hermann Hellriegel. There was a complex scientific understanding of plant nutrition, where the role of humus and organo-mineral interactions were central, and which was in line with more recent discoveries from 1990 onwards. Nicolas Théodore de Saussure and scientific colleagues at the time were quick to disprove the simplifications of Justus von Liebig. The science of plant nutrition started well before the work of German chemist Justus von Liebig although his name is most mentioned. Egyptians, Romans, Babylonians, and early Germans are all recorded as using minerals or manure to enhance the productivity of their farms. Management of soil fertility has preoccupied farmers for thousands of years. Founded in 1812, Mirat, producer of manures and fertilizers, is claimed to be the oldest industrial business in Salamanca (Spain). World population supported with and without synthetic nitrogen fertilizers. Main article: History of fertilizer Total fertilizer production by type. Various sustainable-agriculture practices can be implemented to reduce the adverse environmental effects of fertilizer and pesticide use as well as other environmental damage caused by industrial agriculture. The use of artificial and industrially-applied fertilizers has caused environmental consequences such as water pollution and eutrophication due to nutritional runoff carbon and other emissions from fertilizer production and mining and contamination and pollution of soil. In the latter half of the 20th century, increased use of nitrogen fertilizers (800% increase between 19) has been a crucial component of the increased productivity of conventional food systems (more than 30% per capita) as part of the so-called " Green Revolution". Nitrogen-fixing chemical processes, such as the Haber process invented at the beginning of the 20th century, and amplified by production capacity created during World War II, led to a boom in using nitrogen fertilizers. This transition was important in transforming the global food system, allowing for larger-scale industrial agriculture with large crop yields. However, starting in the 19th century, after innovations in plant nutrition, an agricultural industry developed around synthetically created fertilizers. fish processing waste, or bloodmeal from animal slaughter). Historically fertilization came from natural or organic sources: compost, animal manure, human manure, harvested minerals, crop rotations and byproducts of human-nature industries (i.e. Farmers apply these fertilizers in a variety of ways: through dry or pelletized or liquid application processes, using large agricultural equipment or hand-tool methods. For most modern agricultural practices, fertilization focuses on three main macro nutrients: nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) with occasional addition of supplements like rock flour for micronutrients. Many sources of fertilizer exist, both natural and industrially produced. Fertilizers may be distinct from liming materials or other non-nutrient soil amendments. For other uses, see Plant food (disambiguation).Ī farmer spreading manure to improve soil fertilityĪ fertilizer ( American English) or fertiliser ( British English) is any material of natural or synthetic origin that is applied to soil or to plant tissues to supply plant nutrients. For the drug term, see Bath salts (drug).
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