Are artificial fertilizers over-used?

Question

I need help with my Biology.

Answer 1

Yes 1000 times

Answer 2

YOu bet they are

Answer 3

Every living thing on this planet is over loaded with chemicals

that is put on the land to make crops grow.Pesticides

are now in all animals systems,birds wildlife, humans,cattle and lots more.Wildlife, such as birds eggs,are fast being

damaged by these chemicals,thus no chicks produced

from a clutch of infertile egg because of chemicals.

The only way forward, is for all things that is put on the land

to be organic plus instead of pesticides is to use mother natures remedy's,insects that combat crop pests.

Answer 4

Absolutely. Artificial fertilizers are normally too acidic that's why soil is deteriorating and yield is reducing. Farmers would prefer using artificial fertilizers because they give faster results which have faster returns to the farmers. However, they never consider what would happen in the long run especially when the soil turns bad.

Answer 5

YES OF COURSE. THATS WHAT CAUSES SOIL POLLUTION. THE FERTILITY OF 6THE SOIL IS AFFECTED. IT IS REDUCED.

Answer 6

yes

Answer 7

Many of the people answering are agreeing with your question and aswering by emotion rather than from a realistic view of the required use of food and fiber in our world of consumption.  

The soils that are used to grow much of your food supply is alive and well.  We do not grow 200+ bushels of corn per acre with a non-functional soil base.  Soybeans are being raised with 50-60 bushel per acre averages with test plots up to 130 bushels per acre.  Are there issues to work on, you better believe it.  Soil is a composition of a variety of mediums: loam, sand, clay.  It is what we do to these soils to enhance their qualities or productive potential.  The Morrow Plot at the University of Illinois would be a good class project to review as it has had continuous corn production since 1876.

http://www.americasheartland.org/episode...

Fertilizers used by todays farmers is much too expensive to overuse.  Anhydrous ammonia, source of nitrogen for corn, which is applied to farms in the fall time in Illinois has nearly quadrupled in price to the farmer in less than 10 years.  Input costs for phosphorus, potash are rising sharply.  The price for commodities have been to record highs and the fertilizer companies have raised their prices to take advantage of the profit potential.  World oil prices play a big part in the high cost of production and in turn the higher cost to food prices in the store.

Will farmers replace these fertilizers with organics, not in a hundred years.   There is less than 1.5% of the American poplulation that is willing to make farming their livelyhood.  The amount of money and credit that it takes to manage and run an operation is mind boggling to most folks.  Most do it because they were raised on the farm and it is in their heart and mind to farm even when times are tough which can be quite often.

Going to organics will require small farms who can handle the problems that come with the lack of herbicides and pesticides to manage the weeds and insect issues on the farm.  Farmers are very conscious of their environment.  There are many issues that need to be worked with and as new science, not emotional bias, is available farmers will use it accordingly.  

Several issues that can be studied in biology class is the earthworm population and their effects on the soil.  Soil compaction is a constant source of study.  The hypoxia  situation in the gulf and other areas of the world is studied and farm fields are a source of this issue along with other sources.  

The following links will introduce you to some sources of the topics that I mention and feel free to send me an email if you need further information or have questions.  Good luck with your project.

http://www.gulfhypoxia.net/Research/

http://www.regoproducts.com/Old/ftopics3...

http://www.ontariocorn.org/classroom/pro...

http://www.ncga.com/     This site contains much info regarding corn production.

Answer 8

It is said so.

Answer 9

Yes. Those fertilizers are a short cut quick fix that takes just the plant into consideration and not the soil; the environment the plant evolved in over millions of years. All life depends on the fine balancing of the whole of the environment. The use of chemicals upsets that balance.

Answer 10

Farmers are in business to make money. Overuse of fertilizers is not a good way to make money. A good farmer will apply just enough fertilizer just when it is needed by the growing plant. Fertilizer that runs off into watercourses is costly and wasteful. It is easy to think that natural fertilizer is best but it is easy to poison land with natural fertilizer that contains a lot of chemicals that the soil does not need adding to it.

The modern fertilizer producer will have a soil analysis unit to analyse the farmer's soil and advise what needs to be added, in what quantity and when, based on the crop that is growing, the weather and the stage of growth of the crop. The idea that some is good so more is better is not something a sensible farmer will believe when it comes to fertilizer usage.

Martin

Answer 11

This would depend on the definition of over used.  If fertilizer use efficiency (the amount of nutrients removed divided by the amount of nutrients applied)is greater than 1, then obviously not.  If it is less than 50% then probably so.

While a great deal of the nitrogen and phosphorus pollution in the US surface waters is attributed to use of artificial fertilizers, the critical soil phosphorus threshold levels (available phosphorus >100ppm) are more commonly exceeded in areas surrounding confined animal feeding units (where they applied excess manure) and organic farms/gardens.

This contradiction has not been well addressed and demonstrates the topic is not understood.

Answer 12

Much of the problem is that blame is placed on the wrong cause.  The hypoxic area in the Gulf of Mexico around New Orleans is automatically blamed on nitrogen use in the corn belt.  Like it or not, there's plenty of nitrates that enter the Mississippi River from other sources.  Decomposing leaf litter in forests carries nitrates into streams as does municipal sewage treatment.  Poorly functioning home sewage disposals pump tremendous amounts of nutrients into stream.  

A good example of blaming the wrong cause was when dairy cattle were being blamed for the high nitrate levels in municipal well water in the Springfield, Missouri area.  In depth testing of the water revealed that by far, the majority of nitrates in the water were of human origin.  After that little detail was revealed, the city and local newspapers quickly shut their mouths.

Answer 13

Hate to disagree with most of the other posts here but I at least would say no. "Organic" fertilizers such as cow manure can and have caused outbreaks of E.Coil. If the farmers were using anhydrous ammonia this would not have happened. The nitrogen fixing plant cannot tell the difference between the ammonia in E.Coil or the ammonia in anhydrous ammonia that is injected into the soil.

Organic is not necessarily better. In this case at least it is the organic fertilizer that can sicken someone while the "unnatural" one is harmless if used correctly.

Also, using manure means drainage into nearby streams and ponds which is harmful to the enviroment.