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Slow Release Fertilizer

The document discusses slow release fertilizers which release nutrients gradually to maximize plant uptake and minimize losses. It describes two types - organic and coated chemical fertilizers. Benefits include reduced toxicity, losses, and environmental pollution while providing sustained nutrition. Characteristics and examples of slow release nitrogen, phosphorus, and micronutrient fertilizers are provided.

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KATHIRIYA NIKUNJ
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474 views

Slow Release Fertilizer

The document discusses slow release fertilizers which release nutrients gradually to maximize plant uptake and minimize losses. It describes two types - organic and coated chemical fertilizers. Benefits include reduced toxicity, losses, and environmental pollution while providing sustained nutrition. Characteristics and examples of slow release nitrogen, phosphorus, and micronutrient fertilizers are provided.

Uploaded by

KATHIRIYA NIKUNJ
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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S OW RELEASE

FERTILIZER
INTRODUCTION
• The conventional fertilizer losses dependents most of the processes that nutrients
undergo in soil include transformations induced by
• microbes (N fixation, nitrification, denitrification, immobilization
• chemical processes (exchange, fixation, precipitation, hydrolysis,
• physical processes (leaching, runoff, volatilization etc.).

• The basic concept of slow release chemical fertilizers is that they release their
nutrient contents at more gradual rates that permit maximum uptake and utilization
of the nutrient while minimizing losses due to leaching, volatilization or excessive
growth.
• Slow-release: The release rate of a nutrient from the fertilizers must be slower than
that from a fertilizer in which the nutrient is readily available for plant uptake.
• Slow release fertilizers are of two types

1) organic

• The organic slow release fertilizers are totally


dependent on microbial activity and have a long
persistence in the soil.
• Due to this, these are not available to the plants
at the stage they need them as these take a
long time to break before available to the
plants.
• For making the organic fertilizers more efficient
and active the soil microbial activity should be
increased and the soil temperature should be
warm or moist enough for the microbial
existence.
• 2)soluble or coated slow release fertilizers.

• This is slowly soluble or coated fertilizers which


are mainly available in pellet form to the
growers or farmers.
• These coated fertilizers are dependent on soil
moisture and temperature for the release of the
nutrients which sometimes takes long periods
of time sometimes even up to 12 months.
• The main drawback of slow release fertilizers is
that they are not available to the plants when
they need them most.
w
o
r
k
i
n
g
production
Why need slow release chemical fertilizers ?

• Reduced toxicity
• Reduce possible losses of nutrients- slower leaching
and run off, evaporation losses of ammonia.
• Decreases risk of environmental pollution
• Reduction in relevant gas emission.
• Slower release rate – plants are able to take up
most of the fertilizers.
• less frequent application is required.
• Lower salt index
Characteristics of slow release chemical
fertilizers
• Slowly water soluble
• Low salt
• A single application should supply enough nutrient throughout the
entire growing season
• A maximum percentage recovery
• Not susceptible to environmental loss
• Lasts several weeks to several months
• Formulation allows fertilizer to slowly dissolve or release into the
soil solution surrounding roots
• Nutrient release is dependent on microbial decomposition or
physical and/or chemical processes in combination with microbial
activity. 
Slow release N-fertilizers
• Organic-N Low-Solubility Compounds
• It reduce the rate of N released to soil solution compared to urea
or other inorganic N sources.
• By slowly dissolving during the growing season.
• NO3- will not exceed crop utilization rate, thereby reducing
potential N losses predominately through leaching.
• But reduced denitrification and volatilization losses are also
possible.
Fertilizers N product with a physical barrier
that coated fertilizer
• Coated Fertilizers- These are slightly soluble
in soil solution, where the N release rate
depends on microbial activity and hydrolysis.

• These products are commonly used in turf,


vegetable, and ornamental systems;
however, they are increasingly used in cereal
grain systems.

• Polymer-coated fertilizers are the most


recent technology for controlling N release
and reducing N losses by leaching,
denitrification, and volatilization.
• Only about 30% of granules are perfectly coated, whereas the coating of
remaining granules is thin and/or cracked, which accelerates dissolution of
the urea granule and N release.
• If the S coating is too thick, then N release is slowed or "locked-off (no N
release).
• Therefore, the initial rapid N release could occur too early for recovery by
the target plant, and a portion not released or released after the N is
needed by the plant.
• Coating degradation rate will increase with soil temperature and moisture.
Nitrification Inhibitors (NIs)
• Nitrification Inhibitors:- Adding NIs to fertilizer or manure reduces N03-
formation, maintaining more of the applied N as NH4+ , thus, reducing N
leaching potential. A substance that inhibits the biological oxidation of
ammoniacal-N to nitrate-N.

•NIs also reduce potential denitrification of applied N by reducing the amount of


N03- available for denitrification.

•Nitrapyrin and dicyandiamide are the most common NIs that reduce N losses
when conditions are suitable for rapid nitrification to N03-.
Slow Release Phosphorus Fertilizers
• P fertilizer through the use of polymer coatings may slow the formation of
these compounds increasing the supply of crop- available P.
• It has long been understood that even under the best conditions only 20-
30% of applied fertilizer P is taken up by the crop during the first cropping
season.
• It is also understood that at high soil pH levels, P is fixed by calcium (Ca) and
magnesium (Mg) and at low soil pH levels predominately by iron (Fe) and
aluminium (Al).
• Thus, the historical problem with the soil chemistry of residual P not taken
up by the crop (70-80%).
• It remaining on or near the soil surface has a possible environmental impact
(Eutrophication) through the combined effects of soil erosion and higher P
concentrations in run-off water and P fertilizers has been lack of availability
Slow Release Micronutrient fertilizers
• Micronutrients are essential components
of proteins and enzymes and are vital for
increasing crop yields as well as
improving the nutritional quality of food.
• The bulk of micronutrients used all over
the world today are water soluble salts
that include mainly the sulphates or
their chelated forms [Diethylene
triamine penta acetic acid (DTPA), EDTA
(Ethylene diamine tetra acetic acid) etc.].
• The focus of research on slow-release
fertilizers has been on the
macronutrients (NPK).
• Here slow-release functionality has been achieved by
encapsulation of water soluble materials within a membrane
or conversion to polymers of the urea Aldehydes.
• For micronutrients, the insoluble oxides and phosphate
glasses and amino acids are also used .
• A glassy phosphate produced by fusing oxides of
micronutrients in phosphoric acid at 8000C.
• Slow-release compositions are characterized by nutrient
release mechanism that is based on either
(i) diffusion through a membrane/coating or
(ii) slow hydrolysis.
• Meta phosphates and glassy phosphates dissolve by slow
hydrolysis to release nutrient into the soil.
• Nutrient release by diffusion or hydrolysis is dependent on soil
parameters like water content, pH, ionic content, temperature
• Insoluble compounds can be effective fertilizers only if rates of
release of nutrient ions can match plant requirements
throughout the growth period.
• The slow-release fertilizer in this study has been developed
with a different mechanism of nutrient release.
• Here, plant roots are able to “digest” certain insoluble
compounds by ion-exchange with the root hairs or by
extracellular organic acid secretions that extract nutrients by
chelation.
• These compounds have low water solubility and high solubility
in citrate and diethylene triamine penta acetic acid (DTPA)
Benefits of slow release fertilizers:

• These make the possibility of availability of nutrients to the plants in


late stages of growth also. This is possible due to their long time
persistence in soil or in the plant body.
• These also decrease the loss of fertilizers due to seepage or runoff and
thus increase their uptake to the plants or into soil.
• These also help in increased crop productions in the areas where the
moisture availability is less or in drought areas. As when they met water
they become reactive and break down into soluble products.
• Slow-release fertilizers are also economic and easy to use than the fast
or controlled release fertilizers.
• These also do not go for soil pollution as remain inactive in the soil for
longer periods and thus do not have any detrimental effect on soil or
environment

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