Fertiliser design and environmental impact of fertilisersFertilisers
When plants are harvested, nutrients are removed from the soil. These can be replaced by natural fertilisers such as manure or by NPK fertilisers containing nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium.
When crops are harvested, nitrogen is removed from the soil (in the protein of the plant products). Adding nitrate fertiliserA nutrient added to the soil to increase the soil fertility., manureAnimal dung (solid waste) used as fertiliser. or compostDecayed organic matter which can be used as a plant fertiliser. to the soil can replace soil nitrogen. This makes the soil fertile again, allows more plant growth to occur and increases the yield of the next crop.
Natural fertilisers
Manure and compost are examples of natural fertilisers. They release nitrates into the soil slowly, because they depend on the action of soil bacteria to break them down. The quantity of nitrate contained in natural fertilisers is relatively low, so large volumes of them may have to be added to the soil.