Fertilisers
Summary
Fertilisers are materials applied to soil or foliage to supply essential plant nutrients and sustain agricultural productivity. They comprise organic amendments—such as composts, manures and plant residues—and inorganic formulations of primary macronutrients, notably nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K). Nitrogen compounds—urea, ammonium and nitrate salts—drive vegetative growth but require careful management to minimise volatilisation and leaching. Phosphorus sources, including superphosphates and rock flour, promote root development and energy transfer, while potassium formulations strengthen cell turgor and stress resilience. Secondary elements (calcium, magnesium, sulfur) and micronutrients (iron, zinc, copper and others) correct specific deficiencies. Precision application techniques—drip fertigation, foliar feeding and enhanced-efficiency formulations—seek to improve nutrient-use efficiency, diminish environmental losses and align supply with crop demand. Innovations in biostimulants and slow-release coatings further refine synchrony between nutrient availability and plant uptake. Globally, fertilisers underpin food security but also contribute to greenhouse gas emissions and eutrophication, prompting research into circular approaches, bio-based inputs and policy reforms to achieve sustainable nutrient management.
Research from Nature Portfolio
Recent studies have revealed synergistic uses of bio-oils with mineral fertilisers and novel applications in protected crops. Foliar applications of pyroligneous acid combined with standard NPK rates were shown to enhance photosynthetic efficiency and yield in greenhouse-grown tomato, increasing chlorophyll content, fruit number and antioxidant activity without adverse effects on plant health. Other work has demonstrated that wood vinegar bioproducts can serve as valuable biocontrol and fertilizer adjuncts: concentrations of 2.68–3.35% effectively inhibited oil palm seedling pathogens while maintaining nutrient uptake, suggesting dual fungistatic and growth-promoting roles for pyrolysis-derived liquids in tropical agroforestry systems.
Fertilisers publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in fertilisers across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Biostimulant: A substance or microbe that, when applied to plants or soils, enhances nutrient uptake, stress tolerance or crop quality without acting as a conventional fertiliser.
Urease inhibitor: A compound that suppresses the activity of the enzyme urease in soil, slowing the conversion of urea to ammonia and reducing nitrogen loss.
Pyroligneous acid: A complex aqueous condensate from biomass pyrolysis, rich in organic acids and phenolic compounds used as a biostimulant or biocontrol agent.
Fertigation: The practice of delivering fertiliser through irrigation systems to synchronize nutrient availability with water application.
NPK fertiliser: A compound or blended product supplying nitrogen (N), phosphorus (as P₂O₅) and potassium (as K₂O), the three primary macronutrients for plants.
References
- Boosting the resilience to drought of crop plants using wood distillate: A pilot study with lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.). Plant Stress (2024).
- Water-Soluble Pyrolysis Products as Novel Urease Inhibitors Safe for Plants and Soil Fauna. ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering (2023).
- Foliar application of pyroligneous acid acts synergistically with fertilizer to improve the productivity and phytochemical properties of greenhouse-grown tomato. Scientific Reports (2024).
- Bioactivity of an organic farming aid with possible fungistatic properties against some oil palm seedling foliar pathogens. Scientific Reports (2023).
- Fertilizers.
About these summaries
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