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Article: Fertilizer
- Article from:
- Chemistry: Foundations and Applications
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CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 The Gale Group, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Fertilizer
A fertilizer is a plant nutrient added to a soil to increase its yield. Plants need nutrients to grow and produce fruits and vegetables. Two categories of nutrients have been identified in fertilization:
macronutrients
and micronutrients. There are only six macronutrients and they are required in large amounts by plants: nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, sulfur, magnesium, and calcium. However, a larger number of micronutrients are required but in trace amounts: iron, manganese, boron, zinc, copper, molybdenum, chlorine, cobalt, nickel, sodium, and silicon. Eliminate any of these elements, and plants will display abnormal growth and deficiency, or they may not reproduce.
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