Soil Fertility II (Inorganic Fertilizers)

Introduction
• Plant nutrients occur in the soil in form of soluble substances.

• These substances are taken in by the plants in different quantities

depending on their roles in the plant tissues.
Essential Elements
• These are nutrients needed by plants for various uses.
• They are divided into two broad categories namely:
 Macronutrients
 micronutrients.
Macro-nutrients
• These are also referred to as major nutrients.
• They are required by the plant in large quantities.
They include;
• carbon,
• hydrogen,
• oxygen,
• nitrogen,
• phophorus,
• potassium,
• sulphur,
• calcium

• magnesium.

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  Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium are referred to as fertilizer
elements,

 Calcium, magnesium and sulphur, are referred to as liming

elements.

Role of Macronutrients in Plants

Nitrogen (NO3,NH4++)
Sources:
• Artificial fertilizers
• Organic matter
• Atmospheric fixation by lightning

• Nitrogen fixing bacteria.

Role of Nitrogen in Plants

Vegetative growth

Chlorophyll formation

Build up of protoplasm.

Improves leaf quality in leafy crops such as tea and

cabbages.

Deficiency Symptoms
• Yellowing of the leaves/chlorosis.
• Stunted growth.
• Premature ripening.
• Premature shedding of the leaves.

• Light seeds.
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 Effect of Excess Nitrogen
• Scorching of the leaves.

• Delayed maturity.

Loss of Nitrogen From the Soil:

• Soil erosion.
• Leaching.
• Volatilization.
• Crop removal.
• Used by microorganisms.

Phosphorus (H2 P04, HPO2-4 P2O5)

Sources:
• Organic manures
• Commercial fertilizers
• Phosphate rocks
Role of Phosphorus
• Encourages fast growth of the roots.
• Improves the quality of the plant.
• Hastens maturity of the crops.
• Influences cell division.
• Stimulates nodule formation in legumes.

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 Deficiency symptoms
• Growth of the plant is slow.
• Maturity is delayed.
• Leaves become grey, purple in colour.
• Yield of grains, fruits and seed is lowered.

Loss of Phosphorus From the Soil

• Soil erosion.
• Leaching
• Crop removal
• Fixation by iron and aluminium oxide.

Potasium (K+, K2O)

Sources;
• Crop residue and organic manures.
• Commercial fertilizers
• Potassium bearing minerals e.g. feldspar and mica.
Role of Potassium in Plants
• Increases plant vigour and disease resistance.
• Increases the size of grains and seeds.
• Reduces the ill-effects due to excess nitrogen.
• Prevents too rapid maturation due to phosphorus.

Deficiency Symptoms

• Plants have short joints and poor growth.

• Plants lodge before maturing.

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 • Leaves develop a burnt appearance on the margin.
• Leaves at the lower end of the plant become mottled, spotted or
streaked.
• In maize, grains and grasses firing starts at the tip of the leaf and
proceeds from the edge usually leaving the midrib green.

Loss of Potassium From the Soil

• Crop removal.
• Leaching.
• Soil erosion.
• Fixation in the soil.

Calcium (Ca2+)

Source:
• Crop residues and organic manures.

• Commercial fertilizers.
• weathering of soil minerals.
• Agricultural limes for example dolomite, limestone.
Role of Calcium in Plants
• Improves the vigour and stiffness of straw.
• Neutralizes the poisonous secretions of the plants.
• Helps in grain and seed formation.
• Improves the soil structure.
• Promotes bacterial activity in the soil.
• Corrects the soil acidity.

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 Deficiency symptoms
• Young leaves remain closed.
• There are light green bands along the margins of the leaves.
• Leaves in the terminal bud become hooked in appearance there is
a die-back at the tip and along the margins.

• Loss of Calcium

• Crop removal

• Leaching
Soil erosion

Magnesium (Mg2+)
Sources:
• Crop residues and organic manures
• Commercial fertilizers
• Weathering of soil minerals.

• Agricultural limes.
Role of Magnesium in Plants
• Forms part of chlorophyll.
• Promotes the growth of the soil bacteria and enhances the nitrogen
fixing power of the legumes.
• Activates the production and transport of carbohydrates and
proteins in the growing plant.

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 Deficiency symptoms
• Loss in green colour which starts from the bottom leaves and
gradually moves upwards.

• The veins remain green.

• Leaves curve upwards along the margins.
• Stalks become weak and the plant develops long branched roots.
• The leaves become streaked.

Sulphur (S04 2- ,SO2)

Sources:
• Commercial fertilizers.
• Soil mineral containing sulphides
• Atmospheric sulphur from industries.
• Rain water
Role of Sulphur in Plants
• Formation and activation of coenzyme-A.
• Sulphur is a constituent of amino acids.
• Influence plant physiological processes.
Deficiency Symptoms
• Small plants/stunted growth.
• Poor nodulation in legumes.
• Light green to yellowish leaves/ chlorosis.
• Delayed maturity.

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 Micro-nutrients
• Also referred to as trace or minor nutrients.
• They are required in small quantities/traces.
• They are essential for proper growth and development of plants.
They include;
• Iron,
• Manganese,
• Copper,
• Boron,
• Molybdenum Chlorine.

Role of Micronutrients and Their Deficiency Symptoms

Copper
 Role in oxidation-reduction reactions.

 Respiration and utilization of iron

 Deficiency symptoms-yellowing of young leaves.

Iron
 Synthesis of proteins.
  Takes part in oxidation-reduction reactions.
 Deficiency symptoms - leaf chlorosis

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 Molybdenum
 Nitrogen transformation in plants.
 Metabolization of nitrates to amino acids and
proteins
 Deficiency symptoms -leaf curl and scathing.
Manganese - Same as molybdenum.

Zinc
 Formation of growth hormone.
 Reproduction process
 Deficiency symptoms - white bud
formation.
Boron –
 Absorption of water.
 Translocation of sugar

Inorganic Fertilizers
These are chemically produced substances added to the soil to
improve fertility. Classification According to:
Nutrients contained
 Straight - contain only one macronutrient.
 Compound fertilizers - contain more than one macronutrient

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 Time of application
 Some applied when planting.
 Top dressing after crop emergence

Effects on the soil pH.

 Acidic fertilizers.
 Neutral fertilizers.
 Basic fertilizers.

Properties and Identification of Fertilizers Nitrogenous Fertilizers

Characteristics
• Highly soluble in water.
• Highly mobile in the soil hence it is applied as a top dress.
• Easily leached because of the high solubility hence does not have
residual effect on the soil.
• Has scorching effect on young crops during wet seasons.
• Easy to volatilize during hot season.
• They have a tendency to cake under moist conditions.
• They are hygroscopic hence should be stored in dry conditions.
Examples:

Sulphate of Ammonia (NH4) 2 SO4·

Physical appearance:
 white crystals,
 Has acidic effect, 
Contains 20% N.

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 Ammonium Sulphate Nitrate [(NH4)2 SO4+ NH4 NO3]
 Colour: granules which appear yellow
orange,
 less acidic,

 contains 26% N.

Calcium Ammonium Nitrate (CAN)

 Colour: greyish
granules,
 neutral in nature,
 contains 21 % N.

Urea
 Colour: small whitish
granules
 Easily leached or volatilized,
 contains 45- 46%N.

Phosphate Fertilizers
• Has low solubility and immobile.
• Non-scorching.
• Has a high residual effect hence benefit the next season's crop.
• Easy to store because they are not hygroscopic.

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 Examples; Single super-phosphate
 Appearance: whitish, creamy white granules,
 contains 20-21 % P2O5
Double super-phosphate
 Appearance: dark greyish
granules,
 Contains 40-42% P2O5

Triple super-phosphate
 Appearance: small greyish
granules,
 Contain 44-48% P2O5

PotassicFertilizers
Characteristics:
• Has moderate scorching effect.
• Moderately soluble in water.
• Most Kenyan soils have sufficient potassium.
Examples;

Muriate of Potash (KCl)

 Contain 60 - 62% K2O
 Slightly hygroscopic.  Appearance
amorphous white.

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 Sulphate of Potash (50% K2O)

Compound or Mixed Fertilizers

• These are fertilizers which supply 2 or more of the macronutrients.
Examples;
• Mono ammonium phosphate.
• Di-ammonium phosphate
• 20:20:20, 23:23:23
Advantages of application of compound fertilizers
• Saves time and money.
• Mixture gives improved storage properties and better handling.

Disadvantages of compound fertilizers application

• Expensive.
• Wasteful.
• Mixing may not be thorough.
• Incompatibility of the individual fertilizers.

Methods of fertilizer application

• Broadcasting - random scattering of the fertilizers on the ground.
• Placement method - application of fertilizers in the planting holes.
• Side dressing - fertilizer is placed at the side of the plant within the
root zone, in bands or spot-rings.
• Foliar spraying - specially formulated fertilizer solution applied on the
foliage in spray form.
• Drip method - applied through irrigation water.

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 Determination of Fertilizer Rates
Contents of fertilizers are expressed as fertilizer grade or fertilizer analysis.

• Fertilizer grade indicate the guaranteed minimum of the active

ingredients (N, P2O5, K 2O) in the mixture.

• It is expressed as a percentage on a weight to weight basis or

percentage by weigh
Example 10:20:0 means for every 10kg of the mixture there are 10kg of
nitrogen, 20kg of P2O 5 and 0kg of K2O.

Soil Sampling
Refers to obtaining of small quantity of soil that is representative in all
aspects of the entire farm.

Soil Sampling Procedures

• Clear the vegetation over the site.
• Dig out soil at depths of 15-25cm.
• Place the dug out soil in a clean container.
• Mix thoroughly the soil in the container.
• Take a sample and send it to National Agricultural Laboratory for
analysis.
• The container carrying the sample should be properly labeled as
follows:
 Name of the farmer,
 Location,
 District

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  Address of the farmer.

Sites to Avoid
• Dead furrows, ditches.

• Swamps
• Near manure heaps.
• Recently fertilized fields

• Ant hills.
• Under big trees.
• Near fence lines or foot paths.
• Do not put them in containers which are contaminated with fertilizers
or other chemical containers.

Methods Of Soil Sampling:

• Zigzag method
• Traverse method

Soil Testing
• Soil testing is the analyzing of the soil sample to determine certain
qualities of the soil.

Importance of Soil testing:

• To determine the value of the soil hence determine the crop to grow.
• To determine the nutrient content hence find out the type of
fertilizer to apply.
• To determine whether it is necessary to modify the soil pH for a crop.

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 How Soil pH affects Crop Production
• Influences the physical and chemical properties of the soil.
• Affects the availability of nutrients.
• Influences the incidences of soil borne diseases.
• Determine the type of crop to be grown at a given area.

Methods of pH Testing
• Universal indicator solution
• pH meter
 Know the course of action to be taken in the event of a disease
and maintenance of good health.
 Know the prevalent diseases.
 Calculate the cost of treatment.
• Marketing Records show commodities sold, quantities and value of
all the sales. Labour Records - show labour utilization and labour
costs.

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