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Article: Fertilizer
- Article from:
- Plant Sciences
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2001 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
Adding nutrients to agricultural systems is essential to enhance crop yield, crop quality, and economic returns. Commercial fertilizers are typically used to supply needed nutrients to crops. Nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and
potassium (K) fertilizers are used extensively. Other secondary and micronutrient fertilizers are generally required in small quantities to correct plant nutrient deficiencies.
Commercial fertilizers contain a guaranteed quantity of nutrients, expressed as fertilizer grade on a label showing the weight percentage of available N, P
2
O
5
, and K
2
O equivalent (N-P-K) in the fertilizer. Additional nutrients in fertilizer formulations are listed at the end of ...