5.3 Fertilisers

5.3 understand the use of fertiliser to increase crop yield

To increase crop yield in agricultural farming fertilisers are added to the soil. Fertilisers are usually nitrates, phosphates, or a combination of the two. The compounds enter the plants through the roots in the soil and move through the transpiration stream to the leaf
Nitrates -> Proteins
Phosphates -> DNA/ Membrane structure

Fertilisers can be divided into two groups

1. Organic fertilisers
• Animal waste – cow faeces
• Decomposed/fermented
• Manure (slurry)
2. Artificial fertilisers
• Chemicals - Potassium Nitrate and Ammonium Nitrate
• Applied in solution to release nitrates and phosphates