Chemical Fertilizer Necessity and Sustainable Earth Life

Mineral nutrition - availability of water and good variety; control of diseases, insects, and weeds; and the farmer's socio-economic conditions – is important in increasing crop productivity. Nutrient concentrations in soil solutions have been of interest for many years as an indicator of soil fertility in agriculture (Hoagland et al., 1920). Mineral nutrition refers to the supply of inorganic origin elements, their availability, their uptake and transport within the plant, and their use for the growth and development of plant plants. In the 20th century (1950-1990), grain (wheat, maize, and rice) yields tripled worldwide. Wheat yields in India, for example, increased by about 400% from 1960 to 1985, while rice yields more than doubled in Indonesia and China. The increase in production was mostly the result of high-yielding varieties, improved irrigation facilities, and the use of chemical fertilizers, especially nitrogen. The results were particularly significant in terms of developments that led to using the term green revolution in Asia and Latin America (Brady and Weil, 2002). The increase in the productivity of annual crops with the application of manure and lime in the Brazilian serrado (savanna) region during the 1970s and 1980s is another 20^th-century example of agricultural frontier expansion on acid soils (Borlaug and Dowswell, 1997).

Stewart et al. (2005) reported that while the average percentage of yield growth attributed to fertilizers ranged from about 40% to 60% in the United States and England, it tended to be much higher in the tropics, particularly in the 20th century. Moreover, Stewart et al. (2005) show that the widely cited generalization that at least 30 to 50% of crop yield can be attributed to commercial fertilizer nutrient inputs is a reasonable, if not conservative, estimate. Additionally, Stewart et al. (2005) stated that in the United States, not applying mineral nitrogen to maize would reduce the yield of this crop by 41%, while they added that this lack of nitrogen would result in an estimated 37% reduction in cotton production. These researchers also emphasized that it would not be a surprising result if the estimated yield reduction was higher if the effects of other nutrients, such as phosphorus and potassium, were added. Baligar et al. (2001) reported that half of the yield increase in agricultural products in the 20th century was due to the increased use of fertilizers. The contribution of chemical fertilizers to the total increase in grain yields in China has been reported to reach 50-60% (Lu and Shi, 1998).

It has been determined that there is a significant increase in the grain yield of rice produced under aqueous conditions in Brazilian Inceptisols with nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers; this increase is 85% with nitrogen application and 90% with phosphorus application. These results show the importance of nitrogen and phosphorus in the yield of rice grown under irrigated conditions in Brazilian Inceptisols. Fageria and Baligar (2001) and Fageria et al. (1997) stated that there were significant increases in grain yield with nitrogen and phosphorus application of rice grown in irrigated rice conditions in Brazilian Ineptisols. Similarly, Fageria and Baligar (1997) reported that nitrogen, phosphorus, and zinc are the most yield-limiting nutrients in annual crop production in Brazilian Oxisols.

Raun and Johnson (1999) stated that low nitrogen recovery in cereals and deficiencies of this mineral nutrient to produce cereals such as rice, wheat, sorghum, millet, barley, maize, and oats are very common worldwide. Similarly, Fageria et al. (2003) determined the deficiency of macro and micronutrients in irrigated rice worldwide. Fageria et al. (2002) listed the causes of micronutrient deficiencies as follows: (1) reported that micronutrient deficiencies are common in crop plants due to increased micronutrient demands from intensive farming practices and the adoption of high-yielding varieties with high micronutrient demand; (2) increased crop production on marginal soils with low levels of essential nutrients; (3) the use of high analysis fertilizers with increasing levels of micronutrient contamination; (4) reducing the use of animal manure, compost, and crop residues; (5) use of soils naturally deprived of micronutrient reserves; and (6) the involvement of natural and anthropogenic factors that limit adequate plant availability and create elemental imbalances. Fageria and Baligar (2005) stated that low soil fertility (due to natural element deficiencies or unusability) is probably the most important factor limiting crop production yields worldwide. Using chemical fertilizers containing macro and micronutrients contributed significantly to the great increase in world food production in the 20th century. Loneragan (1997) stated that 50% of the yield increase in crop production worldwide in the 20th century was due to the use of chemical fertilizers. The importance of mineral nutrients in increasing plant yield in the world will continue to increase in the 21st century because it is predicted that the world population will be more than 8 billion by 2025. Limited natural resources such as soil and water and stagnation in crop yields make food security a major challenge and opportunity for agronomists in the 21st century. To meet the demand for both basic nutrition and welfare-based nutrition of the growing world population, it is predicted that the food supply in cultivated lands must be doubled today. Provided that it is applied correctly and in a balanced way, chemical fertilizers not only have a positive effect on the increase in yield, thanks to the increased vegetative mass, but on the condition that these masses are properly managed after the harvest (plant residues are not burned, but mixed with the soil and/or composted properly) It can be said that it will also have a reducing effect on greenhouse gases.

When conditions are like this, the use of chemical fertilizers and improvements in soil fertility appear as indispensable practices to ensure food production at the desired level. In addition, to meet future food needs, it is estimated that while the total fertilizer use was 133 million tons in 1993, it should reach 200 million tons per year by 2030 (FAO, 2000). Scientific figures given in a publication published in the journal NATURE in 2012 show that if we turn all production to organic production under current conditions, it will lead to a decrease in yields varying between 5-34%. In addition, it should not be forgotten that all of the organic fertilizers (animal, vegetative, and/or urban) depend on vegetative yield, and yield reductions due to a limitation in the use of chemical fertilizers will directly cause significant decreases in the amount of these fertilizers and make this decrease even more dramatic. The possible annual amount of compost produced in Turkey is approximately 6 million tons ( http://www.bloomberght.com/ comment/irfan-donat/1946855-chemical-gubrenin-yerini-organomineral-gubre-alir-mi/ ), a total of 239 Even if it is assumed that this compost is applied most healthily on a million decares of land, 25 kg of organic material is added per decare. This figure, on the other hand, decreases to a very insignificant level when compared to 2.500 kg of organic matter naturally present in an area of 1 decare containing 1% organic matter and the organic matter that will come from the harvest residues of the plants. What needs to be done here is that the most accurate evaluation of organic wastes as an additional resource should be considered as an additional resource input. It is the dissemination of BEST PLANT NUTRITION PRACTICES, which ensure environmental, economic, and social sustainability by applying chemical fertilizers, which are accepted all over the world, at the right dose, at the right place, and at the right time, as summarized here briefly, if they are not used, will significantly limit plant production.

Emin Bülent ERENOĞLU 

12.09.2021