Observation on chemical fertilizers on agriculture
Answers
The harmful effects of excessive application of chemical fertilizers are likely to be the following:
1. Waterways and nearby water bodies can be adversely affected by use of excessive chemical fertilizers from chemical run off through rain water. As a result, the amount of oxygen is reduced in the water leading to hypertrophication to the aquatic system. The living organisms existing in the water use up the oxygen. Such depletion of oxygen can cause death of majority of aquatic organisms including fish
2. Carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide, greenhouse gases, can be released in the atmosphere by over and repetitive application of nitrogenous fertilizer beyond the crop’s assimilation capacity contributing to global warming and erratic climatic conditions
3. Acidification of soil can take place due to decrease of organic matter in the soil by excessive use of chemical fertilizers causing threats to survival of plants
4. Application of chemical fertilizers in imbalanced ratio consumes the indispensable part of the nutrients in soil reducing the amount of minerals and vitamins in the food items.