Humans, animals and plants rely on a safe, healthy supply of food and nutrients like nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) for proper growth and development. Fertilizer is the 'food' that plants need to produce a healthy and bountiful crop. Experts estimate that without commercial fertilizers, the world would be without one-third of its food supply.
Watch a short video about how fertilizer improves the nutritional quality of the food we eat.
Plants require 14 essential nutrients for healthy growth. The absence of any one nutrient in the soil can limit plant growth, even when all other plant nutrients are present in adequate amounts. The three macronutrients that are essential for food production and quality are: nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.
Nitrogen
Nitrogen comes from the air and is the primary building block for all life. The air we breathe is about 78 percent nitrogen, but there are very few plants that can make direct use of nitrogen in the air. To make this nitrogen available to support life, nitrogen from the atmosphere is converted into a form plants can easily use.
Nitrogen fertilizer manufacturing captures naturally occurring nitrogen from the atmosphere, and combines it with hydrogen from natural gas under heat and pressure to form anhydrous ammonia. Ammonia is used in two ways: it is applied directly to crops as a nitrogen fertilizer and it is used as a building block to make other nitrogen fertilizer products, including urea, ammonium nitrate, ammonium sulfate and water-based liquid nitrogen fertilizers.
Nitrogen helps make plants green and plays a major role in boosting crop yields. Nitrogen plays a critical role in protein formation and is a key component of chlorophyll. Plants with adequate nitrogen show healthy vigorous growth, strong root development, dark green foliage, increased seed and fruit formation and higher yields.
The top five nitrogen producing countries in 2002 were China, India, the United States, Russia and Canada.
Common Nitrogen Products
Ammonia (82-0-0) — Used as an applied fertilizer or as a building block for other fertilizer products. Stored as a liquid under pressure or refrigerated, it becomes a gas when exposed to air and is injected into the soil.
Urea (46-0-0) — A solid nitrogen product typically applied in granular form. It can be combined with ammonium nitrate and dissolved in water to make liquid nitrogen fertilizer known as urea ammonium nitrate or UAN solution.
Ammonium nitrate (34-0-0) — Another solid nitrogen product typically applied in granular form is valued for its use on pasture lands and specialty crops such as citrus.
Ammonium sulfate (21-0-0) — A solid product that is largely a byproduct of coke ovens, where sulfuric acid is used to remove ammonia evolved from the coal.
Nitrogen solutions — Typically, a combination of urea and ammonia nitrate dissolved in water to form a highly soluble liquid fertilizer, typically containing 28 or 32 parts nitrogen.
Phosphorus
Phosphorus is present in all living cells and is essential to all forms of life. Phosphorus is the second most abundant of all the mineral nutrients contained in our bodies. It can be found in every cell, but nearly 80 percent of phosphorus found in people is concentrated in teeth and bones.
The source of phosphorus in fertilizer is fossilized remains of ancient marine life found in rock deposits in North America and North Africa, and volcanic activity in China. The phosphate manufacturing process combines phosphate rock from these natural geological deposits with sulfuric acid to produce a concentrated phosphorus solution.
The countries with the most phosphorus resources are the United States, China, India, Russia and Brazil.
Common Phosphate Products
Triple Superphosphate (0-46-0) — A highly concentrated form of phosphate produced in both granular and non-granular forms.
Monammonium Phosphate (MAP) (11-52-0) and Diammonium Phosphate (DAP) (18-46-0) — These two products are called ammoniated phosphates because phosphoric acid is treated with ammonia to form these basic phosphate products that also contain nitrogen. They are widely produced in the granular form for blending with other types of fertilizers, and are also produced in nongranular forms for use in liquid fertilizers.
Potassium
Potassium is the seventh most abundant element in the earth's crust and is found in every cell of plants and animals. Potassium helps plants grow strong stalks, in the same way that calcium gives people strong bones. More than 85 percent of the body's potassium is found in the muscles, skin, blood, digestive tract and liver.
Fertilizer producers mine potassium, or potash, from naturally occurring ore deposits that were formed when seas and oceans evaporated, many of which are covered with several thousands of feet of earth. Once the ore is brought to the surface, unwanted minerals are removed in the manufacturing process and the product is then granulated for application.
Most of the world's potash deposits are found in Canada, Russia, Belarus, Germany and the United States.
Analysis
How much N, P and K are in your bag of fertilizer? The analysis found on each bag or bulk shipment of fertilizer tells the farmer or consumer the amount of nutrients being supplied. States have a system of laws and regulations that ensure the fertilizer is properly labeled and delivers the amount of nutrients stated to the farmer or consumer.
The three numbers on your bag of fertilizer are referred to as the "analysis." It is the percentage of nitrogen, phosphate and potash that is available to plants from that bag of fertilizer. In this diagram, this product contains 5 percent nitrogen, 10 percent phosphate and 5 percent potash.
So what's the other 80 percent of what's in this bag? While brands vary, typically the rest will contain some micronutrients and filler material, which allows for even application of the nutrients across the fertilized area.
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