Fertilizer

A fertilizer or fertiliser (<a href="/facts/British_English/ymJR5Rnd">British English</a>) is any material of natural or synthetic origin that is applied to soil or to plant tissues to supply <a href="/facts/Plant_nutrition/hXWLy7Sc">plant nutrients</a>. Fertilizers may be distinct from <a href="/facts/Liming_(soil)/Wgzp1M3z">liming materials</a> or other non-nutrient <a href="/facts/Soil_amendments/35DWU3Cc">soil amendments</a>. Many sources of fertilizer exist, both natural and <a href="/facts/Agrochemical/Pf7FXeuG">industrially</a> produced. For most modern agricultural practices, fertilization focuses on three main macro nutrients: <a href="/facts/Nitrogen/Nf1QpGDz">nitrogen</a> (N), <a href="/facts/Phosphorus/27xCeIqs">phosphorus</a> (P), and <a href="/facts/Potassium/FWPwS7Rj">potassium</a> (K) with occasional addition of supplements like <a href="/facts/Rock_flour/cwN4I9IK">rock flour</a> for micronutrients. 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.
Historically, fertilization came from natural or organic sources: <a href="/facts/Compost/q6kmXGWU">compost</a>, <a href="/facts/Manure/1C2z9u3l">animal manure</a>, <a href="/facts/Human_waste/FkBVmLgc">human manure</a>, harvested minerals, <a href="/facts/Crop_rotation/yeqbveKE">crop rotations</a>, and byproducts of human-nature industries (e.g. <a href="/facts/Fish_meal/1quwIVvE">fish processing waste</a>, or <a href="/facts/Blood_meal/WxzVt3Fd">bloodmeal</a> from <a href="/facts/Animal_slaughter/wRQW3ASl">animal slaughter</a>). However, starting in the 19th century, after innovations in <a href="/facts/Plant_nutrition/hXWLy7Sc">plant nutrition</a>, an <a href="/facts/Industrial_agriculture/7afGrA74">agricultural industry</a> developed around synthetically created <a href="/facts/Agrochemical/Pf7FXeuG">agrochemical fertilizers</a>. This transition was important in transforming the <a href="/facts/Food_system/UoD0y4Ax">global food system</a>, allowing for larger-scale <a href="/facts/Intensive_farming/dHGtp0Im">industrial agriculture</a> with large crop yields.

<a href="/facts/Nitrogen_fixation/TeLoBpWS">Nitrogen-fixing</a> chemical processes, such as the <a href="/facts/Haber_process/DMlVT2WP">Haber process</a> 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. In the latter half of the 20th century, increased use of nitrogen fertilizers (800% increase between 1961 and 2019) has been a crucial component of the increased productivity of <a href="/facts/Conventional_food_systems/UoD0y4Ax">conventional food systems</a> (more than 30% per capita) as part of the so-called "<a href="/facts/Green_Revolution/sB1gbDxN">Green Revolution</a>".
The use of artificial and industrially-applied fertilizers has caused environmental consequences such as <a href="/facts/Water_pollution/SCUhUYqB">water pollution</a> and <a href="/facts/Eutrophication/rqXhQYyt">eutrophication</a> due to nutritional runoff; <a href="/facts/Carbon_emissions/Cu9nXPHE">carbon</a> and other emissions from fertilizer production and mining; and <a href="/facts/Soil_contamination/BzPwKXhM">contamination and pollution of soil</a>. Various <a href="/facts/Sustainable_agriculture/XLdTEVAC">sustainable agriculture</a> practices can be implemented to reduce the adverse environmental effects of fertilizer and <a href="/facts/Pesticide/Uhf4KnwJ">pesticide</a> use and <a href="/facts/Environmental_impact_of_agriculture/MRaeMFq2">environmental damage</a> caused by <a href="/facts/Industrial_agriculture/7afGrA74">industrial agriculture</a>.

Fertilizer open-in-new

Fertilizer