What is the crop productivity and environmental impact of too much or too little fertilizer?

Jeremy Hance
mongabay.com
June 18, 2009

While the use of synthetic fertilizer has greatly increased agricultural production globally—helping to feed a global population that is not slowing down—it has brought with it high environmental costs. Fertilizer runoff has polluted many coastal regions creating ‘dead zones’ where the ocean is starved of oxygen by the influx of nitrogen. Synthetic fertilizers have also polluted the air with ammonia, and sent emissions of nitrous oxide into the atmosphere, contributing to global warming. Due to its negative affect on the environment, synthetic fertilizer have acquired a bad name in certain circles, leading some researchers to call for reduction in the use of synthetic fertilizers. However, a new study in Science urges a case-by-case approach to synthetic fertilizer use.

Corn fields in China: a new study finds that Chinese farmers are using far more synthetic fertilizer than is necessary. "Some parts of the world, including much of China, use far too much fertilizer," lead author and biology professor at Stanford University, Peter Vitousek says. "But in sub-Saharan Africa, where 250 million people remain chronically malnourished, nitrogen, phosphorus and other nutrient inputs are inadequate to maintain soil fertility."

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What is the crop productivity and environmental impact of too much or too little fertilizer?

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