Synthetic fertilizers increase crop yield but also have numerous harmful effects.
Agriculture has relied on the use of natural fertilizers --
substances that increase the nutrient levels of soil -- for most of
human history. Synthetic fertilizers made an entrance at the end of the
19th century and paved the way for modern agricultural production. Their
use increased crop yields and brought on an agricultural revolution,
the likes of which the world had not seen before. Synthetic fertilizers
continue to have far-reaching effects, both positive and negative, and
are likely to remain a part of human life for some time to come.
Fertilizers are of two types: organic, or natural, and inorganic,
or synthetic. Organic fertilizers are naturally occurring substances and
include biofertilizers, green manure, organic manure and compost. They
slowly leach essential nutrients into the soil and improve its overall
vitality with time. Synthetic fertilizers are man-made combinations of
chemicals and inorganic substances. They typically combine nitrogen,
phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium and other elements in
different ratios. Synthetic fertilizers, unlike their organic
counterparts, immediately supply essential nutrients to soil.
Positive Effects of Synthetic Fertilizers
Synthetic fertilizers supply consistent amounts of precise
nutrients to the soil. They act on soil immediately -- unlike organic
fertilizers that need to break down before absorption. This immediate
efficacy is especially beneficial to dying or severely malnourished
plants. Synthetic fertilizers are easy to use and their effects are
almost immediate. Synthetic fertilizers are convenient to use and easily
available in gardening stores.
Negative Effects of Synthetic Fertilizers
Synthetic fertilizers have long-term negative effects. Synthetic
fertilizers kill beneficial microorganisms in the soil that convert dead
human and plant remains into nutrient-rich organic matter. Nitrogen-
and phosphate-based synthetic fertilizers leach into groundwater and
increase its toxicity, causing water pollution. Fertilizers that leach
into streams, rivers, lakes and other bodies of water disrupt aquatic
ecosystems. Synthetic fertilizers increase the nitrate levels of soil.
Plants produced from such soil, upon consumption, convert to toxic
nitrites in the intestines. These harmful nitrites react with the
hemoglobin in the blood stream to cause methaeglobinaemia, which damages
the vascular and respiratory systems, causing suffocation and even
death in extreme cases (when blood methaemoglobin level is 80 percent or
more). Synthetic fertilizers damage the natural makeup of soil in the
long term. Plants that grow in overly fertilized soil are deficient in
iron, zinc, carotene, vitamin C, copper and protein.
Minimizing Negative Effects
Mix synthetic fertilizer well into the soil. This will prevent
runoff when it rains. Dilute your water-soluble synthetic fertilizer
well before use. Improperly diluted fertilizer can burn your plants.
Wash all vegetables and fruit yield from synthetically treated soil
thoroughly before eating. Keep unused fertilizer away from water, pets
and children. Consider switching to organic fertilizers, which are safer
and cause no pollution.
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