Fertilizer: Quick Facts

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Photos and Videos

Red tractor spreading fertilizer across a green field on a farm, with fertilizer visibly spraying from the attached equipment.

A chemical equation shows the reaction of ammonia (NH3) and nitric acid (HNO3) to form ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3), with structural formulas for each compound.

Large pile of manure made from animal excrement and straw sits on a grassy field with trees in the background in France.

Close-up of fava bean (Vicia faba) roots with clusters of round, pale nitrogen nodules attached along the root surface.

A farmer wearing a straw hat and boots uses a pitchfork to turn a compost pile outdoors, surrounded by trees and farm materials.

Two men on a farm unload and shovel white fertilizer from the back of a red trailer, with stacked bags and a green truck visible in the background.

Aerial view of a red tractor pulling a wide applicator as it sprays liquid nitrogen fertilizer across rows of young green corn plants in a large field.

Diagram of a compost heap cross-section showing alternating layers of green-plant material, thin layers of soil, fertilizer, and superphosphate, with a hollow at the top to catch rain and a soil covering. The heap is 3-6 feet tall and 6-8 feet wide.

fertilizer products and their uses

The importance of nitrogen and phosphorus in ecosystems

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Topics

bone meal liming mulch strip test superphosphate Compost Manure guano manure spreader Green manure insecticide Herbicide chemosterilant fumigant Pesticide Tillage Cultivation tilth

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Key People

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Sir John Bennet Lawes, 1st Baronet

English agronomist

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Sir Henry Gilbert

British chemist