Fertilisers Flashcards
(17 cards)
What do fertilisers do?
Add nutrients to soil.
What are the 2 types of fertilisers?
Organic and Inorganic.
What is an inorganic fertiliser?
A fertiliser that is man made and has chemical additives. It typically comes as powder, pellets, granules or liquid.
What is an organic fertiliser?
All natural things, it has a lower nutrient concentration than inorganic fertiliser. They don’t harm the plants and have long term positive effects on the soil.
What is in Inorganic fertilisers?
Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.
What is in organic fertilisers?
Bat guano, compost, peat moss, wood ash and manure.
Apart from using organic fertiliser, what is another natural way a farmer could increase nitrogen in the soil?
Planting clover.
What does nitrogen assist in the growth of a plant?
Increases speed of growth and overall yield, healthy leaves.
What type of plants benefit from fertilisers with lots of potassium?
Fruits.
What is a problem with inorganic fertilisers?
They can leach into freshwater and add unwanted nitrates.
What does algal bloom do?
Reduces light levels which kills plants living in the freshwater. These become food for bacteria so bacteria increases. This bacteria then takes up all the oxygen so other organisms in the freshwater die.
What do pesticides do?
Kill pests.
What happens with non-biodegradable pesticides?
They are consumed by organisms and then passed on in the food chain(increasing their toxicity levels), meaning they build up inside and animal.
What is it called when toxic pesticides build up in an animal?
Bioaccumulation.
What is biological control as opposed to pesticides?
Adding natural predators of the pests into an area.
What is an example of an animal used in biological control?
Ladybirds, cane toads.
What are scientists discovering as an alternate option to fertilisers?
Genetic modification in plants, reducing the need for fertilisers as yields are increased.
