IMPORTANCE OF MANURE AND FERTILIZER
Farmers fertilize their soil with manure and fertilizer because it is important for plant growth. When plants absorb nutrients from the soil, they use them to provide new cells. Some of these nutrients are nitrogen and phosphorus. These are essential for plant growth and must be replenished on an everyday basis. Fertilizer consists of high concentrations of these essential nutrients, so adding it to the soil ensures that plants will have enough of these substances to grow healthy and strong.
Manure is also an essential source of organic matter. This substance is made of lifeless plant material, animal waste, and various other decomposing materials. The organic matter in manure helps enhance the shape and fertility of the soil by providing humus and other useful compounds. Additionally, the nutrients, vitamins and minerals found in manure can also help promote plant growth.
Fertilizers applied to meet crop needs should be based on soil fertility test, plant tissue nutrient test, and/or researched crop yields. Materials applied as fertilizer or added as a supplemental nutrient source, should have a known nutrient value, or have a known researched crop nutrient value like seen frequently in green manures (plants used for retaining nutrients or fixing nitrogen).
Benefits of using manure and fertilizers:
- Provides essential nutrients for plant growth
- Contains high concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus
- Improves the structure and fertility of the soil
- Promotes plant growth
Since the chemical fertilizers adversely affect soil fertility, biofertilizers were brought into use. These are different kinds of substances that contain living or latent cells, and even micro-organisms. They provide the soil with the essential nutrients and microbes for the growth of the plants. They help the soil to retain its fertility. They are environment-friendly and also destroy pathogenic components responsible for causing disease in plants. Acetobacter and Rhizobium are two such widely used biofertilizers.
The organic matter (manure/fertilizer) provides the nutrients that plants need to grow, while the inorganic fertilizer adds an additional nutrient boost.
