Reduce chemical inputs.Increase yields:
Soil nutrients are important for plant growth and development.Plants obtain carbon,hydrogen and oxygen from air and water.But other essential nutrients like nitrogen,phosphorus,potassium,calcium,magnesium,sulfur and more must be obtained from the soil.
Fertilizers contaminate the soil with impurities, which come from the raw materials used for their manufacture. Mixed fertilizers often contain ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3), phosphorus as P2O5, and potassium as K2O. For instance, As, Pb and Cd present in traces in rock phosphate mineral get transferred to super phosphate fertilizer.Since the metals are not degradable, their accumulation in the soil above their toxic levels due to excessive use of phosphate fertilizers, becomes an imperishable poison for crops.
The over use of NPK fertilizers reduce quantity of vegetables and crops grown on soil over the years. It also reduces the protein content of wheat, maize, grams, etc., grown on that soil. The carbohydrate quality of such crops also gets degraded. Excess potassium content in soil decreases Vitamin C and carotene content in vegetable & fruits.
