The slides explain the context for need of fertilizers for plants and then discusses the advantages and disadvantages of organic and inorganic fertilizers followed by detailed case study of Pakistan

1. ALL ABOUT FERTILISERS IN PAKISTAN
CASE STUDY
1Ms Asma Akbar Ali All About Fertlisers
Ms Asma Akbar Ali
Educationist
Revised 2020

2. What are Fertilizers ?
1. Plants need appropriate nutrition to grow and live
healthily just like humans. Fertilizers are nutrients for the
plants.
2. In general , most nutrients are naturally present in the
soils and contain the essential minerals for plants to grow
but, there are soils that are not fertile and therefore these
soils have to be fertilized ( top- up or additional
fertilizers are required )
3. Soils are the stores for plant foods/nutrients and they
need to be regular replenishment for agriculture to be
sustained Ms Asma Akbar Ali All About Fertlisers 2

3. How plants get Nutrients
1. Plants require 16 essential nutrients of which 13 are
supplied by the soil system and three from air and
water.
2. Plants get the 3 non mineral nutrients that is, carbon,
hydrogen and oxygen from air & water and the
remaining13 minerals from the soil.
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4. Categories of Fertilizers
1. Primary Fertilizers are those that contain Nitrogen (N)
Phosphorous (P) and Potassium(K). Known as NPK
fertilizers. These are the basic requirement for all plants or
else there will be stunted growth.
2. Secondary Fertilizers are Calcium , Magnesium and
Sulfur. These are for specific plants where the quality and
growth of have to be enhanced and there is deficiency of
these components in the soils
3. Micronutrients Are essential components but with very
minimum requirement. Absence of these nutrients can
cause low quality and diseased crops
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5. Categories of Fertilizers – Matrix
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6. Type of fertilizers by Nutritional Composition
Fertilizers are
1. Complete that have the primary nutrients (Nitrogen
Phosphorous & potassium) This would be considered a
general-purpose like good for all types of plants – NPK
fertilizers
2. Incomplete have Calcium, magnesium and sulfur
without the primary nutrients. (NPK). These type is
used for specific crops or soil requirements
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7. Ms Asma Akbar Ali All About Fertlisers 7
Types of fertilizers by Production

8. Types of fertilizers by Production
.
.
Ms Asma Akbar Ali All About Fertlisers 8
Organic or Natural Inorganic or
Chemical
Synthetic
Organic
Organic are complete
fertilizers made from organic
waste like cotton-seed, bones,
fish emulsion and all animal
manures.
Cow and Poultry manures
make outstanding soil
conditioners.
Fresh manures hold high
nutrient efficiency, the
potency of the nutrients
decreases as the manure gets
Either mined from
mineral deposits
or
manufactured
from synthetic
compounds
These fertilizers
are organic but
are derived from
inorganic
materials
( complex chemical
material)
E.g. Urea,
Ammonia

9. Ms Asma Akbar Ali All About Fertlisers 9
Advantages of Disadvantages of Organic
Fertilizers

10. Advantages of Organic Fertilizers
Ms Asma Akbar Ali All About Fertlisers 10
1. Healthy soil structure. Organic fertilizers maintain the
minerals in soil by creating rich, nutrient-dense soil with
organic materials so can sustain even if regular care is
not manageable.
2. Less application of fertilizers. Because there is a
mineral-rich soil structure allowing the live organisms in
the soil to fill up the soil with natural material.
 Also because "slow-release” of organic fertilizer do not
require frequent application of fertilizers they break
down over a few weeks, and maintaining gradually feed
to the soil.

11. Cont…….. Advantages of Organic Fertilizers
3. Limited risk of over-fertilization. Organic fertilizers
are applied after long intervals and so risk of over
fertilizing is reduced .
4. Organic fertilizers are renewable, biodegradable,
sustainable, and environmentally friendly
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12. Disadvantages of Organic Fertilizers
Organic fertilizers are much more expensive than
synthetic ones and slower in producing effect/results
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13. Ms Asma Akbar Ali All About Fertlisers 13
Advantages of Disadvantages of Inorganic
Fertilizers

14. Advantages of Inorganic Fertilizers
1. Less expensive. Perhaps the biggest reason that they
are inexpensive compared or organic applications.
These refined materials can be produced in bulk and
have a longer shelf life, reducing production costs
2. Show quicker results. Whereas organic fertilizers need
time and moisture to break down, naturally, over a few
weeks, chemical fertilizers are absorbed quickly by
plants. Because of this, these refined, pure minerals
produce near about immediate effects in a matter of
days, not weeks.
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15. Cont…..Advantages of Inorganic Fertilizers
3. Easier to apply. Many chemical fertilizers come in
liquid form and can be sprayed instead of laid.
4. Easier to mix with other applications. Because
many chemical solutions are liquid fertilizers, they
can easily be blended with weed and insect control,
or other solutions. This helps to save time
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16. Disadvantages of Inorganic Fertilizers
1. Containing limited nutrients. Inorganic fertilizers
contain set, measured levels of minerals. While they
usually contain the big three minerals (nitrogen,
phosphorus, potassium) Organic fertilizers often
include additional nutrients, like calcium, magnesium,
iron, zinc.
2. Pollution. Studies have informed us that chemical
contamination from synthetic fertilizers can cause
nearby waterways to turn green with algae that deplete
oxygen for fish and other species, suffocating them.
Because of the effects of this chemical run-off, artificial
fertilizers are often not considered environmentally-Ms Asma Akbar Ali All About Fertlisers 16

17. Disadvantages of Inorganic Fertilizers
3. Over-fertilization These inorganic substances are
highly concentrated solutions, and if over-sprayed or
over-applied can damage the field, soil and plants.
They can cause chemical burns
4. Requiring more frequent application. Chemical
fertilizers are absorbed quickly and needs lots of water
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18. Ms Asma Akbar Ali All About Fertlisers 18

19. Comparison of Organic Vs Inorganic
1.Organic fertilizers are derived from living materials by-products of
living organism in contrast, inorganic fertilizers are chemically
synthesized from non-living sources.
2.The organic fertilizers are relatively low in nutrient concentrations
as compared to inorganic, but organic are more soluble in soil then
inorganic and therefore will not require added water to release the
nutrients as is required by the inorganic fertilizers.
3.Organic fertilizers increase the microbial activity in the soil thus
improving natural properties in the soil whereas the chemical
fertilizers inhibit the microbial activities and therefore depletive the
soil of its natural properties , this makes organic fertilizers to be a
natural soil conditioner which inorganic cannot perform
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20. Case Study – Pakistan
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21. Soil Fertility in Pakistan
1. Soils of Pakistan are deficient in
Nitrogen (100 %),
Phosphorus (90%)
Zinc (70%)
Boron (55%)
2. Potassium (K) is generally adequate but its deficiency is
emerging rapidly.
3. Deficiencies and responses to other nutrients such as iron
(Fe), magnesium (Mg), and other micronutrients are
reported for specific crops and areas
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22. Organic Matter status of Pakistan soils
The soils are poor in organic matter . Desired levels are
1.29 % but an individual survey reported that Pakistan
soils have less than 1%. This could be because:
Use of Mineral Fertilizers
Before the advent of mineral fertilizers and green
revolution the farmers used to replenish their soils by the
application of organic wastes. With the availability of
cheap and easy to handle mineral fertilizers the farmers
were able to get higher yields only with the application of
mineral fertilizers. Thereby the use of organic wastes
reduced drastically. The increasing price of mineral
fertilizers and soil degradation concerns have forced
people to reconsider the organic sources in agriculture.
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23. Organic Matter status of Pakistan soils
Poor Economic Conditions of Farmers
The poor economic condition of farmers is reason for less
application of the organic wastes back to soils.
 Almost no crop residues are left in the soil after harvest.
The straw and other crop residues are used as fodder for
the farm animals and the animal dung is used as fuel.
 About 50% of animal droppings are not collected, about
half of the collected is burnt as fuel and only one fourth is
available for field application.
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24. How the fertilizer needs are being met?
1. When the soil cannot supply the level of nutrient
required for adequate growth, supplemental fertilizer
applications become necessary.
2. In Pakistan various types of fertilizers are used, some
are locally manufactured and others are imported.
3. The locally manufactured fertilizers are urea, calcium
ammonium nitrate (CAN)
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25. Farmers Practice
1. Nitrogen application rate is 75-80 %
2. Phosphate application is 20-40 %
3. Potash is 1-2 percent
4. Micronutrient deficiencies are common but only 5%
apply micronutrient fertilizers.
5. Improper use of fertilizer is a common problem,
Farmers want to ensure good yields, and apply
unsuitable and so much fertilizer that much of it is
waste
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26. Fertilizer nutrient consumption in
Pakistan
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27. What fertilizers is Pakistan Importing
Date Value
2017 3,712
2016 4,313
2015 3,557
2014 3,052
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Imports of NPK fertilizers

28. Fertilizers Industries in Pakistan
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29. Fertilizers factories
1. Fauji Fertilizer
2. Engro Fertilizer
3. Dawood Fertilizers
4. Hercules Fertilizers
5. Fatima Fertilizers
6. Pak China fertilizers
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30. Domestic production &consumption of nitrogen
fertilizers
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31. Potential for making Natural fertilizers in
Pakistan
Pakistan has a huge population of livestock but it is
estimated only 50% of animal wastes is collected and rest
is unattended . The higher percentage of the collected
animal is used as fuel. Thus very little animal wastes are
available for use as organic sources of plant nutrients. But
other wastes like left-over fodder and household wastes
can be matched and mixed with animal waste to compost
fertilizers . it is estimated that about 1.5 million tones of
nutrients are available these types of waste.
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32. Potential Resources for making Natural
Fertilizers
1. Poultry manure is rich in nutrients , estimates have
shown that if poultry manure is managed can contribute
high amounts of nitrogen
2. Sugar Cane waste is thrown out or sold to brick
industries to use as fuel in large amounts by sugar
industries. This waste is a large source of organic matter
and macronutrients especially potassium
3. City Waste like Sewage, Sludge, Waste water, Fish
pond effluent, City refuse and wastes from food
processing industries can be processed to remove the
impurities such as plastics and metals and clean
material is used to make fertilizers
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33. Reference Reading
• https://www.pakissan.com/english/advisory/ftilizer.selec
tion.for.sustainable.agriculture.shtml
• https://www.pakissan.com/english/advisory/organic.far
ming/organic.matter.status.of.pakistan.shtml
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34. A: Pakistan should
manufacture more of its
own chemical fertilizers to
reduce the need for
importing them
B : Pakistan should rely
less on chemical
fertilizers and reduce
the need for importing
them by using natural
alternatives
Ms Asma Akbar Ali All About Fertlisers 34
Chemical fertilizers to help increase agricultural
production are one of Pakistan’s main imports. These
imports are expensive
Which view do you agree with more? Give reasons to
support your answer and explain why it is important to
reduce imports of chemical fertilizers. Question is given for
practice
Respond to the
Situation