crop plants: fertiliser

Question 1

what do fertilisers increase?

Answer 1

the amount of key nutrients in the soil for crop plants, meaning they can grow larger and are more healthy- increasing the yield

Question 2

what do pesticides do?

Answer 2

kill off unwanted insects and weed species- meaning there is less damage done to crop plants by insects and reducing competition from other plant species- increasing yield

Question 3

what do fertilisers provide?

Answer 3

elements needed by plants to grow such as nitrates for proteins and magnesium for the production of chlorophyll

Question 4

what do fertilisers replace?

Answer 4

mineral ions

Question 5

what can fertilisers do for crops?

Answer 5

make crops grow bigger and faster so that yields are increased

Question 6

what 2 forms can fertilisers be in?

Answer 6

organic
inorganic (chemical)

Question 7

what are organic fertilisers commonly used by farmers?

Answer 7

farmyard manure
compost

Question 8

what is organic fertiliser made from?

Answer 8

the faeces of a range of animals- sometimes mixed with straw
compost from legumes such as clover

Question 9

what is chemical fertiliser?

Answer 9

inorganic compounds carefully formulated to yield a specific concentration of a particular ion when applied according to the manufacturer’s instructions

Question 10

how are chemical fertilisers applied to the soil?

Answer 10

in dry granules or sprayed on in liquid form

Question 11

what 3 ions do fertilisers usually provide crops with?

Answer 11

nitrogen
phosphorous
potassium

Question 12

what is nitrogen absorbed in the form of?

Answer 12

nitrates

Question 13

what is nitrogen needed to make?

Answer 13

amino acids- the building bocks of proteins

Question 14

what does a lack of nitrogen cause?

Answer 14

weak growth and yellowing of the leaves of plants

Question 15

what is phosphorous absorbed in the form of?

Answer 15

phosphates

Question 16

what is phosphorous needed to make?

Answer 16

DNA and cell membranes

Question 17

what can a lack of phosphorous create?

Answer 17

poor root growth and discoloured leaves

Question 18

what is potassium absorbed in?

Answer 18

various compounds of potassium

Question 19

what does potassium allow?

Answer 19

allows enzyme reactions to take place to produce ATP in respiration as well as being needed for the enzymes in photosynthesis

Question 20

what can a lack of potassium cause?

Answer 20

poor growth of fruit and flowers as well as brown spots on leaves

Question 21

advantages of organic fertiliser?

Answer 21

improves soil structure
greater range of minerals
less cost to farmer- already available on the farm

Question 22

disadvantages of organic fertiliser?

Answer 22

slow acting- has to be decomposed first
bulkier- more difficult to apply than inorganic fertilisers
may contain pests

Question 23

what are the advantages of inorganic fertilisers?

Answer 23

mineral ions release immediately so fast acting
contents known
easy to appy

Question 24

what are the disadvantages of chemical/inorganic fertilisers?

Answer 24

can lead to eutrophication as fertiliser is soluble
requires regular reapplication

Question 25

what 3 things do plants need to grow?

Answer 25

water
minerals
CO2

Question 26

how do plants get minerals?

Answer 26

active transport
diffusion
osmosis from the soil into the roots

Question 27

the amount of these minerals in the soil can be limited/depleted if….

Answer 27

if another crop has been grown in the same soil, it may have used up all the mineral ions already
some soils contain fewer minerals

Question 28

what are the consequences of lack of magnesium?

Answer 28

leaves turn yellow

Question 29

how can farmers replenish the minerals in the soil?

Answer 29

crop rotation
adding manure
artificial fertilisers

Question 30

what is crop rotation?

Answer 30

changing your crop each yield
one season have a leguminous plant- next season have a non-leguminous plant

Question 31

what is adding manure?

Answer 31

contains straw
manure contains leftover food, urine, faeces- the urea- ammonium-nitrates
free, natural fertiliser
not easy to move manure around the farm and it smells

Question 32

artificial fertilisers

Answer 32

produced by chemical manufacture
can pick what minerals you want in it
easier to store, easier to carry around
more expensive, not natural
contains the minerals farmers specifically need

Question 33

what must the compounds be?

Answer 33

water-soluble so plants can absorb them through their roots

Question 34

how do legume crops replace nitrates lost?

Answer 34

their root nodules contain nitrogen fixing bacteria- can turn nitrogen into nitrates

Question 35

what can too much fertiliser cause?

Answer 35

pollute water supplies and cause eutrophication
the extra mineral ions cause algae to overgrow, blocking sunlight and killing other plants- there is not enough oxygen in the water for aquatic organisms to survive