What are the reasons for low fertilizer use efficiency?
Many people choose to apply an appropriate amount of chemical fertilizer when growing crops. Chemical fertilizer is also the key to ensuring increased and high crop yields, but many people find that after applying chemical fertilizer, the increase in crop yield is not very obvious. Continuously increasing fertilizer input not only raises costs but also causes relatively serious pollution to the environment. So what causes low fertilizer use efficiency? Below, let's take a look at the reasons for low fertilizer use efficiency with the editor!
1. Different crop and fertilizer varieties
Every crop has different growth characteristics, so different crops also differ in their fertilizer use efficiency. For example, the absorption and use efficiency of corn for nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium is generally about 20.6%:14.2%:34.5%. For wheat, it is 26.5%, 8% and 29%, etc. Generally, cereal crops have lower use efficiency for phosphate fertilizer, while legume crops have higher efficiency. Then, different fertilizer varieties also differ in their use efficiency. Even for the same type of element, as long as the variety is different, the use efficiency will be different.
2. Improper application methods
There are many types of chemical fertilizers, and different fertilizers also have different application methods. For example, when applying ammonium bicarbonate, if it is applied deeply and then covered with soil, the use efficiency can reach about 40%, while if it is applied on the surface, it will decrease by about 15%. Generally, the use efficiency of surface application is 15%-30% lower than that of deep application. In addition, when fertilizing, if the fertilization structure is unreasonable and causes an imbalance in nutrient proportions, it will also lead to reduced use efficiency. Many people still follow traditional fertilization methods, and their blindness and randomness are very serious, which is also unfavorable to crop growth.
3. Soil moisture content
Soil moisture content is a major factor affecting fertilizer use efficiency. Within a certain range of field moisture content, fertilizer use efficiency will decline as soil moisture content decreases. However, water should not be excessive either, because if there is too much water, the fertilizer will be leached as a result, and its fertilizer effect will also decline. In addition, some chemical fertilizers will form a form that cannot be used due to leaching loss, volatilization, or being fixed by the soil. It may also be caused by crops being unable to absorb it in time, because the absorption capacity of crop roots is still limited. It is impossible to absorb it all completely, so this will also lead to a decline in fertilizer use efficiency.
4. Soil hardening
Professional statistical data has shown that in crop farmland, about 55% of the nitrogen that cannot be absorbed will enter water bodies and the atmosphere. This causes eutrophication of water bodies, leading to phenomena such as crazy growth of algae and deterioration of water quality, resulting in the death of aquatic organisms. If it remains in the farmland, the soil will become hardened as a result, leading to the breeding of pathogens, and the nitrate nitrogen content in groundwater will also exceed the standard as a result. After the soil hardens, the soil's aggregate structure is destroyed, causing an imbalance in soil acidity and alkalinity, thereby reducing water and fertilizer retention, leading to serious fertilizer loss and a decline in use efficiency.
The above is a brief introduction to the reasons for low fertilizer use efficiency. That is all for today's introduction. This article is for reference only. Thank you all for reading and supporting.