About Fertilizers

7/30/2019 About Fertilizers

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About Fertilizers

Introduction

Fertiliser is generally defined as "any material, organic or inorganic, natural or synthetic, which

supplies one or more of the chemical elements required for the plant growth". Sixteen elementslisted in Table 1.1 are identified as essential elements for plant growth, of which nine are

required in macro quantities and seven in micro quantities.

Of the elements listed in Table 1.1, carbon, oxygen and hydrogen are supplies by air and water

and are, therefore, not treated as nutrients by the fertiliser industry. The main aim of the industry

is to provide the primary and secondary nutrients which are required in macro quantities.

Table 1.1 - Essential elements for plant growth

No. Name of element Nomenclature

1. Carbon

2. Oxygen

3. Hydrogen

4. Nitrogen

5. Phosphorus Primary nutrients

6. Potassium

7. Calcium

8. Magnesium Secondary nutrients

9. Sulphur

10. Boron

11. Chlorine

12. Copper

13. Iron Mocro nutrients

14. Maganese

15. Molybdenum

16. Zinc

Note: As per the Fertiliser Control Order (FCO) 'fertiliser' means any substance used or intended

to be used as a fertilisers of the soil and/ or crop and specified in part A of Schedule I andincludes a mixture of fertilisers and special mixture of fertilisers.

Primary nutrients are normally supplied through chemical fertilisers. They are chemicalcompounds containing one or more of the primary nutrients and are generally produced by

chemical reactions. Whatever may be the chemical compounds, its most important ingredient for


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plant growth is the nutrient content.

The primary nutrients are nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium; however, their concentration in a

chemical fertiliser is expressed as a percentage of total nitrogen (N), available phosphate (P2O5)

and soluble (K2O). Thus, ammonium sulphate contains 20.6 per cent N; single superphosphate16 per cent P2O5 and muriate of potash 60 per cent K2O.

The grade of a fertiliser is expressed as a set of three numbers in the order of per cent N, P2O5and K2O. If a nutrient is missing in a fertiliser, it is represented by a zero. Thus ammoniumsulphate is represented as 20.6-0-0 (since it does not contain phosphorus and potassium), single

superphosphate as 0-16-0 (as it does not contain nitrogen and potash), muriate of potash as 0-0-

60 ( as it does not contain nitrogen or phosphorus). When a fertiliser contains more than onenutrient, for example diammonium phosphate, it is shown as 18-46-0, indicating that it contains

18 per cent of nitrogen, 46 per cent of P2O5 and no potash. Similarly, "Suphala", a

nitrophosphate fertiliser produced by RCF, Trombay, is shown as 15-15-15 indicating that the

product contains 15 per cent N, 15 per cent P2O5 and 15 per cent K2O.

Categories :

Nutrient Content of Fertilisers

Secondary Nutrients

Micronutrients

Nutrient Content of Fertilisers

The primary nutrients supplied by fertilisers are nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Their

concentration in a fertiliser is expressed as percentage of N, P2O5 and K2O.

In the case of nitrogenous fertilisers, nitrogen may be in the ammoniacal, nitrate (or acombination thereof) or amide form. Ammoniacal form of nitrogen is contained in fertilisers like

ammonium Sulphate, ammonium chloride, etc. Nitrate nitrogen is contained in fertilisers like

ammonium nitrate, calcium ammonium nitrate, etc. The amide nitrogen is contained in urea.

Phosphate present in phosphatic fertilisers may be in the water soluble form or citrate solubleform. That portion of phosphate which is soluble in water is called water soluble phosphate and

that which is not soluble in water but in 2 per cent neutral ammonium citrate solution is called

citrate soluble phosphate. The sum of water soluble and citrate soluble values is termed as

available phosphates. The portion of phosphate which is neither soluble in water nor in 2 per centneutral ammonium citrate solutions is termed insoluble. The sum of the available phosphate and

insoluble phosphate is termed as total phosphate.

In Table 1.2 (a & b), nutrient contents of fertilisers mostly used in India are given. The figuresare in percentage of nutrient in the various fertilisers and correspond to those in the Fertiliser

(Control) Order.
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Table 1.2(a) - Nutrient Content of Solid Fertilisers

(Per cent by wt. min.)

Material Total

Nitrogen

(N)

Ammoniac

alnitrogen

(N)

Nitrogen

Nitrate(N)

Nitrogen

in formof urea

(amide)

(N)

Neutral

ammonium

citrate

soluble

phosphate

(P2O5)

Water

solublephosphat

e

(P2O5)

Water

soluble

potas

h

(K2O)

(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8)

I Nitrogenous fertilisers

1. Ammonium

Sulphate20.6 20.6

2. Ammonium

chloride25.0 25.0

3. CalciumAmmonium

Nitrate

25.0 12.512.5(max

)

4. Calcium

AmmoniumNitrate

26.0 13.013.0(max

)

5. Calcium Nitrate 15.5 1.1(max) 14.4

6. Urea 46.0 46.0II Phosphatic fertilisers

7. SSP 14%

SSP 16%

14.0

16.0

8. Rock Phosphate(powder/granula

r)

18.0

II

IPotassic fertilisets

9. Potassium

chloride

(powder/granula

r)

60.0

10

.

Potassium

Sulphate50.0


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11.

PotassiumMagnesium

Sulphate

22.0

12

.

Potassium

Schoenite23.0

IV Complex fertilisers

13.

AmmoniumPhosphate

11-52-0 11.0 11.0 52.0 44.2

1846-0 18.0 15.5 2.5(max) 46.0 41.0

14

.

Ammonium

PhosphateSulphate

16-20-0 16.0 16.0 20.0 19.5

20-20-0 20.0 18.0 2.0(max) 20.0 17.0

18-9-0 18.0 18.0 9.0 8.5

15

.

Ammonium

Phosphate

Sulphate Nitrate

20-20-0

20.0

17.0 3.0(max) 20.0 17.0

16

.

Nitrophosphate

20-20-0

23-23-0

20.0

23.0

10.0

11.5

10.0(max)

11.5(max)

23.0

23.0

12.0

18.5

17

.

Ammonium

Nitrate

Phosphate

23-23-0

23.0 13.010.0(max)

23.0 20.5

18. UreaAmmoniumPhosphate

28-28-0

24-24-0

28.0

24.0

20.0

9.0

7.5

6.4

16.5(max

)

28.0

24.0

20.0

25.2

20.4

17.0


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20-20-0

19

.

Potassium

Nitrate(cystalline/prille

d)

(13-0-45) 13.0 13.0 45.0

20

.

Mono Potassium

Phosphate

(0-52-34) 52.0 34.0

21

. NPK fertilisers

15-15-15

10-26-26

12-32-16

22-22-11

14-35-14

17-17-17

14-28-14

19-19-19

17-17-17

20-10-10

15.0.

10.0

12.0

22.0

17.0

14.0

19.0

17.0

20.0

7.5

7.0

9.0

7.0

14.0

5.0

8.0

5.6

8.5

3.9

7.5

8.5

3.0(max)

3.0(max)

15.0(max)

12.0(max)

6.0(max)

13.4(max

)

17.1(max

)

15.0

26.0

32.0

22.0

35.0

17.0

28.0

19.0

17.0

10.0

4.0

22.1

27.2

18.7

29.0

14.5

23.8

16.2

13.6

8.5

15.0

26.0

16.0

11.0

14.0

17.0

14.0

19.0

17.0

10.0

Table 1.2(b) - Nutrient Content of Liquid Fertilisers

(Per cent by wt. min.)

Material Total

Nitrog

en

(N)

Ammonia

cal

nitrogen

(N)

Nitrog

en

Nitrate

(N)

Urea

Nitroge

n

(N)

Total

phospha

te

(P2O5)

Poly

phospha

te

(P2O5)

Maganesium(M

gO)

1 Urea 32.0 7.7 7.7 16.6(ma


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. AmmoniumNitrate

x)

2.

Superphosphoric

Acid

70.0 18.9 0.5(max)

3

.

Ammonium

Polyphosphate

10.0 10.0 34.0 22.1 0.5(max)

Secondary Nutrients

Calcium, magnesium and sulphur are called the secondary nutrients. It is required for plant

growth in relatively smaller quantities than primary nutrients. Any deficiency of the secondarynutrients and other essential elements reduce the efficiency of primary nutrient by restricting the

yield to low levels. Therefore, to obtain optimum results, crops have to be supplied withsecondary nutrient in addition to primary nutrients.Calcium Sulphate (gypsum) is used as source of calcium and sulphur while magnesium is

supplied in the form of dolomite, magnesium Sulphate, etc. in fact, magnesium Sulphate

(MgSO4) has been incorporated in FCO to contain the spread of magnesium deficient areas.

Micronutrients

Micronutrients are a group of nutrients which are essential for plant growth but are required byplants in small quantities. Intensive cropping deplete all nutrients including micronutrients fromthe soil at a fast rate. Therefore selective use of micronutrients is necessary for increasing

agricultural production.

Iron, zinc, manganese, copper, boron, molybdenum and chlorine fall under this category.

Ten micronutrients namely zinc Sulphate (monohydrate & heptahydrate) manganese Sulphate,borax, solubor, copper Sulphate, ferrous Sulphate, ammonium molybdate, chelated zinc, and

chelated iron have been incorporated in the Fertiliser (Control) Order (FCO). Fortified fertilisers

like Zincated urea and boronated single superphosphate have also been notified under FCO.Nutrient content of micronutrients fertilisers is listed in Table 1.3.

Table 1.3 - Nutrient Contents of Micronutrient Fertilisers

SI.

NoName Formula Element/Forms Contents(%)

1. Zinc Sulphate* ZnSO4.7H2O Zn 21.0

2. Mangnese Sulphate* MnSO4 Mn 30.5

3. Ammonium Molybdate (NH4)5 Mo 52.0


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Mo7)244H2O

4. Borax(for soil application) Na2B4O7.5H2O B 10.5

5. Solubor(foilar spray)Na2B4O7.5H2O +

Na2B10O16.10H2OB 19.0

6. Copper Sulphate* CuSO4.5H2O Cu 24.0

7. Ferrous Sulphate* FeSO4.7H2O Fe 19.5

8. Chelated Zn as Zn-EDTA Zn 12.0

9. Chelated Fe as Fe-EDTA Fe 12.0

10. Zinc Sulphate monohydrate ZnSO4.H2O Zn 33.0

* Average sulphur content

i) ZnSO4 = 15%

ii) MnSO4 = 17%

iii) CuSO4= 13%

iv) FeSO4 = 19%

Fertilizer Production

At present, there are 64 large size fertilizer units in the country, manufacturing a wide range ofnitrogenous and phosphatic/complex fertilizers. Of these, 39 units produce urea, 18 units produce

DAP and complex fertilizers, 7 units produce low analysis straight nitrogenous fertilizers and 9of the above units produce ammonium sulphate as a by-product. Besides, there are about 79

small and medium scale units producing single superphosphate. The total installed capacity of

fertilizer production in the country which was 104.98 lakh tonnes of nitrogen and 29.51 lakhtonnes of phosphate as on 1.4.98 has risen to 110.71 lakh tonnes of nitrogen and 36.48 lakh

tonnes of phosphate as on 29.2.2000.

The production of nitrogenous fertilizers during 1998-99 was 104.80 lakh tonnes of nitrogen and

that of phosphatic fertilizers 31.41 lakh tonnes of phosphate. The production target for 1999-

2000 was fixed at 110.67 lakh tonnes of nitrogen and 33.45 lakh tonnes of phosphate,representing a growth rate of 5.6% in nitrogen and 6.5% in phosphate, as compared to the actualproduction in 1998-99. As against this, the actual production upto February 2000 was at 101.16

lakh tonnes of nitrogen and 30.40 lakh tonnes of phosphate. Taking N &P together, there was

an overall growth of 5.3% over the production during the corresponding period of last year.

Categories


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Geographical Location

Raw Meterials and Intermediates

Installed Capacity of Fertilizer Plans

Production and % Capacity Ultilization

Bio Fertilizer

Fertilizer Production
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About Fertilizers