Organic and inorganic fertilizers

\Whatisafertilizer?
Afertilizerisanymaterial,organicorinorganic,
naturalorsynthetic,thatsuppliesplantswith
thenecessarynutrientsforplantgrowthand
optimumyield.Organicfertilizersarenatural
materialsofeitherplantoranimalorigin,
includinglivestockmanure,greenmanures,
cropresidues,householdwaste,compost,and
woodlandlitter.Inorganic(ormineral)fertilizers
arefertilizersminedfrommineraldepositswith
littleprocessing(e.g.,lime,potash,orphosphate
rock),orindustriallymanufacturedthrough
chemicalprocesses(e.g.,urea).Inorganic
fertilizersvaryinappearancedependingonthe
processofmanufacture.Theparticlescanbeof
manydifferentsizesandshapes(crystals,
pellets,granules,ordust)andthefertilizer
gradescanincludestraightfertilizers
(containingonenutrientelementonly),
compoundfertilizers(containingtwoormore
nutrientsusuallycombinedinahomogeneous
mixturebychemicalinteraction)andfertilizer
blends(formedbyphysicallyblendingmineral
fertilizerstoobtaindesirednutrientratios).

Specificpropertiesoforganicfertilizers
Organicnutrientsourcesarehighly
heterogeneousandvaryinqualityandquantity.
Thequalityaspectisimportantindetermining
thenutrientreleasepotentialoftheorganic
fertilizer.Microorganismsthatdecompose
organicfertilizersusethecarboninsuch
materialsasanenergysourceforgrowth.
Requiredinevenbiggerquantitiesby
microorganismsforgrowthandreproductionis
nitrogen(N).Commonlyavailablematerialsare
oftenparticularlylowinNcontent.Fororganic
fertilizerswithlowNcontents(suchascereal
strawandmostsmallholderfarmyardmanures),
microorganismsthemselveswillconsumemuch
oftheavailableNfortheirowngrowth.
Consequently,insignificantamountsofNwill
bereleasedforthecrop.Thus,ontheirown,

poorqualitymaterialshavelimitedpotentialto
enhanceproductivity.Theeffectivenessofsuch
materialscanbeimprovedbycombiningthem
withmineralNfertilizerssuchasammonium
nitrateorurea.Mineralfertilizersmaybeused
moreefficientlybycropsgrowingonsoilswith
adequateamountsofsoilorganicmatter
suppliedbyorganicfertilizers.

Whatarethedifferencesbetweenorganicand
inorganicfertilizersintermsoftheiruse?

Organicfertilizers:Soilfertilityonsmallholder
farmsisalmostentirelydependantonlocally
availableresources.Cattlemanure,cerealand
legumestover,andwoodlandlitterarethe
commonlyusedorganicfertilizers,buttheseare
rarelyappliedinsufficientquantitiestoimpact
oncropyields.Theuseofhighqualityorganic
fertilizersisrarelypractised,althoughthrough
researchandextensionactivitiesinAfrica,some
farmersnowincludelegumegreenmanuresor
legumebasedfallowsincropsequences.The
mainadvantageofusingorganicfertilizersis
that,comparedtomineralfertilizers,theyare
usuallyavailableonornearthefarmatvery
littleornocostotherthanlaborcostsof
handling,transportation,oropportunitycostsof
landusedfortheirproduction.

Inorganic(mineral)fertilizers:
Mineralfertilizersneedtobeappliedtocropat
leasttwotimeswithinagrowingseason(split
application),eitherbasallyatplantingortop
dressedduringvegetativegrowth.Theamount
ofinorganicfertilizerusedinmostsmallholder
farmingsystemsfallsfarbelowstandard
extensionrecommendations,duetopoor
purchasingpower,riskaversionduetopoor
andunreliablerainfall,andlackofsignificant
returns.Whenavailable,fertilizeruseisnot
overlylaborintensive,thusallowingtimefor
othertasks(orforearningincomeelsewhere).

Whatarethedifferencesbetweenorganicand
inorganicfertilizersintermsofapplication?
Themethodandtimingoffertilizerapplication
isanessentialcomponentofgoodfarming.For
organicmaterials,decompositionrateand
timingofapplicationinfluencethereleaseof
nutrientstothecrop.Organicfertilizer
applicationmethodsincludebroadcasting,
banding,andspotapplication(orsidedressing).
Broadcastingrequireslesslaborandhelpsto
evenlycoverthefieldsurfacebefore
incorporationintosoilthroughplowingor
handhoeing.Incorporationgenerallyincreases
thefertilitystatusofthewholeplowlayer.Ifthe
quantityoforganicfertilizerislimited,itmaybe
bandedalongfurrowsorspotapplied,butthe
seedneedstobeplacedawayfromthefertilizer.
Sidedressedorganicfertilizersarenotlikelyto
havemuchimmediateeffectduetodelayed
nutrientrelease.

Mineralfertilizerscanbeappliedbyhandor
withapplicationequipment.Whenhand
applied,itisessentialtodistributethefertilizers
uniformlyandattherecommendedratesto
avoidoverorunderfertilization.Application
equipmentneedsproperadjustmenttoensure
uniformspreading.Broadcastfertilizershould
beincorporatedafterapplicationtoenhance
effectivenessortoavoidevaporationlossesofN.
Withbandingorspotapplication,takecarethat
nofertilizerisplacedtooclosetoeithertheseed
orthegerminatingplant,toavoiddamagetothe
seedlingorroots.

Whatarethedifferencesintermsoftheir
effectiveness?
Continueduseoforganicfertilizersresultsin
increasedsoilorganicmatter,reducederosion,
betterwaterinfiltrationandaeration,highersoil
biologicalactivityasthematerialsdecomposein
soil,andincreasedyieldsaftertheyearof
application(residualeffects).Properhandlingof

organicfertilizersenhancestheirqualityand
effectiveness.Forexample,withtheexceptionof
greenmanures,thereissignificantcrop
responseiforganicfertilizersarecombinedwith
NbasedmineralfertilizersorotherNrich
organicmaterials.Mineralfertilizersonthe
otherhandimmediatelysupplynutrients
neededbycrops.Basalfertilizerscontain
elementsrequiredforgoodcropestablishment
andearlygrowthwhiletopdressingcanbe
donethroughsplitapplicationsdependingon
visiblehungersignsand/ormoisture
availability.Inriskyenvironments,spot
applicationofsmallamountsofNfertilizers
improvesfertilizereffectiveness.Thebest
responsetofertilizeruseisobtainedifthesoil
hasahighinherentfertilitylevel(highorganic
matterstatus).Buildinginherentfertility
requirespracticessuchasretainingcrop
residuesonthefield.

Majorlimitationsoforganicandinorganic
fertilizers
Organicfertilizers
Generallyrequirelargeamountstohave
desiredeffects
Extrainvestmentinlaborforharvesting
(greenmanures)andpreparation(cattle
manure)
Unavailabilityofseedforgreenmanuresis
oneofthemajorlimitations
Qualityformosthastobeenhancedby
combiningwithexpensivemineralfertilizers
Greenmanuresmustoccupylandatatime
whenotherfoodcropscouldbegrown.
Mineral/inorganicfertilizers
Requirehighpurchasingpower
Availabilityisanobstacle,especiallyin
remoteareas
Needtobeappliedseasonally
Highriskinlowrainfallandveryhigh
rainfallareas

ThisfactsheetwaspreparedaspartoftheIRRICIMMYTallianceCerealKnowledgeBank
(knowledgebank.cimmyt.org)DevelopedwithinputfromF.Mtambanengwe,P.Kosina,J.Jones2007