Fertilizers and nutrient management

Article By:

Havlin, John Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina.

Last reviewed:September 2021

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.255007

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• Fertilizing, published May 2018:Download PDF Get Adobe Acrobat Reader
• Fertilizer, published January 2017:Download PDF Get Adobe Acrobat Reader

Materials added to the soil, or applied directly to crop foliage, to supply elements needed for plant nutrition, and the management of this nutrient application to sustain maximum plant growth and yield while minimizing environmental impacts of nutrient use. Nutrients essential to support life are supplied by the soil. As plants are removed from a field or soil sediments (erosion) are transported offsite, nutrients in the soil are depleted. Increasing demand for food and fiber production with increasing population growth will require increased plant productivity and subsequently soil nutrient supply. Because nearly all of the global land areas suitable for agricultural production are under cultivation (Fig. 1), future food and fiber demand must be met by increased plant yield per unit of land area. Therefore, to optimize nutrient supply to crops and minimize environmental risk of nutrient use, it is essential to understand nutrient reactions and processes in soils (soil fertility), and to efficiently manage nutrient inputs (nutrient management). See also: Agricultural soil and crop practices; Agriculture; Farm crops; Fiber crops; Grain crops

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