Manure and fertilisers play an important role in the growth of a plant. Both manure and fertilisers contribute towards enriching the soil and enhancing the ability of the soil to hold water. In order to engage in proper cultivation, it is necessary to understand the way both manure and fertilisers function. There are both organic and inorganic manures available. This article aims to discuss the types, advantages and application of manure and fertilisers elaborately.

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Manure and Fertilisers: Details

Manure is an organic or natural substance obtained from the decomposition of plants and animal wastes. These are capable of supplying plant nutrients in usable form. These are combined with the soil in the form of nutrients for the healthy growth of plants. The word “Manure” comes from the French word “MANOEUVRER”, which refers to “work with soil”. 

Fertiliser is a natural or artificial substance added to the soil to make the soil fertile or replace the chemical elements taken from the soil by previous crops. These contain many chemical elements which improve the productivity of the plants. These are applied in small quantities and are produced in factories. These are easy to apply and easy to store.

Manuring is the process by which manure and fertilisers are used to increase the productivity of the land.

Manure

Now let’s discuss everything about Manure:

Types of Manure 

The different types of manure are given below:

1. Compost Manure
2. Farmyard Manure
3. Green Manure

1. Compost Manure: Compost manure is acquired by the decomposition of dead plants and animal matter. The organic matter, like kitchen waste, vegetable peels, etc., is put into a compost pit which is then decomposed by microbes and turned into manure. Compost is usually safe to apply directly to the soil. They increase the physical properties of the soil. It increases the humus content of the soil.

2. Farmyard Manure: Farmyard manure is obtained from farmyard wastes such as cattle dung, urine and crop waste. These are slow-acting, bulky organic and low analysis fertilisers, which is commonly used manure in India. All these are mixed and dried in the sun. It improves the structure of the soil and increases the water-holding capacity of the soil.

3. Green Manure: Green manures are manure in which the entire plant or plant part is directly used. It does not involve any decomposition or composting. In green manures, mainly legumes are grown within a rotation and are used to increase soil fertility. It supplies nitrogen and other nutrients for the following crop. It prevents soil erosion.

Examples of Manures

Examples of manures include cattle dung, urine, crop waste like sugarcane trash, stubbles and other related material, weeds like water hyacinth, by-products of agricultural industries like oil cakes, bagasse and press mud, fruit and vegetable processing wastes, domestic waste, human urine, sludge, sewage, droppings of goat and sheep, slaughterhouse wastes like bone meal, blood meal, horn and hoof meal, fish wastes, etc.

Advantages of Manure

The advantages of manure are mentioned below:

1. It increases the physical properties of soil.
2. It increases nutrient availability.
3. It supplies macronutrients and micronutrients to the plant.
4. It enhances the water holding capacity of the soil.
5. It makes the soil porous for easy exchange of gases.
6. It makes the soil rich in humus and increases the number of friendly microbes.

Fertilisers

Let’s discuss everything about fertilisers here:

Examples of Fertilisers

Examples of fertilisers are ammonium sulphate, sodium nitrate, potassium chloride, superphosphate, NPK (Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium), urea, etc.

a) Ammonium Sulphate- It is the most commonly used fertiliser. It can be applied before sowing as a top dressing to the growing crop. The addition of ammonium sulphate in the same soil, again and again, increases the acidity of the soil.

 Fig: Ammonium Sulphate

b) Sodium Nitrate is mainly applied as a nitrogen source to young plants and garden vegetables for quick growth. The addition of sodium nitrate in the same soil, again and again, increases the alkalinity of the soil.

Fig: Sodium Nitrate

c) Potassium Chloride-  It is a widely used potassium fertiliser. It is applied mainly at the time of sowing or before sowing.

Fig: Potassium Chloride

d) Superphosphate- It is the most common and first used phosphoric fertiliser. It manages the development of the modern plant nutrient industry.

Fig: Superphosphate

e) NPK fertilisers- These are complex fertilisers that contain a mixture of three major nutrients, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, in varying proportions. These mainly fulfil the demand for nutrient deficiencies in a more appropriate manner.

Fig: NPK Fertilisers

f) Urea- It is a major organic nitrogen-containing fertiliser. It is suitable for foliar application and causes a less acidic effect than ammonium sulphate.

 Fig: Urea

Advantages of Fertilisers

The advantages of fertilisers are mentioned below:

1. These contain specific nutrients.
2. These are readily soluble in water, so plants quickly absorb them.
3. These are easy to transport, store and handle as they are compact.
4. These increase the yield of crops and improve the quality of the land.

Disadvantages of Fertilisers

The disadvantages of fertilisers are mentioned below:

1. These can cause harm to the soil by changing soil chemistry.
2. These are expensive.
3. These become a source of groundwater pollution as they easily leach out of the soil as water drains away.
4. The excessive use of fertilisers makes the soil less fertile.
5. These can harm the microorganisms present in the soil.

Difference between Manure and Fertilisers

The difference between manure and fertilisers are explained below:

Manure	Fertilisers
1. Manure is an organic or natural substance.	1. Fertiliser is an artificial, inorganic or organic compound.
2. These can be obtained by the deposition of plant and animal wastes. Microbes, earthworms, fungus, etc., play an essential role in the deposition.	2. These are artificially prepared in industries using various chemicals.
3. These improve the texture of the soil.	3. These can harm soil chemistry.
4. These can be absorbed by plants slowly.	4. These can be absorbed by plants quickly.
5. These are cheaper and cost-effective.	5. These are expensive.
6. These play a key role in protecting the environment.	6. These cause water pollution if used excessively.

Summary

Manure is an organic or natural substance obtained from the decomposition of plants and animal wastes. These are combined with the soil in the form of nutrients for the healthy growth of plants. Some examples of manures are cattle dung, urine, crop wastes, domestic wastes, weeds like water hyacinth, by-products of agricultural industries, droppings of goat and sheep, slaughterhouse wastes like bone meal, blood meal, horn and hoof meal, fish wastes, etc. Fertiliser is a natural or artificial substance that is added to the soil to make the soil fertile. These are applied in small quantities and are produced in factories. Examples of fertilisers are urea, ammonium sulphate, potash, NPK (Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium), etc.

FAQs on Manure and Fertilisers

Frequently asked questions related to manure and fertilisers are listed as follows:

Q.1. What is a Fertiliser?
Ans: Fertiliser is a natural or artificial substance added to the soil to make the soil fertile.

Q.2. What is Manure?
Ans: Manure is an organic or natural substance obtained from the decomposition of plants and animal wastes.

Q.3. How are Manure and fertilisers similar?
Ans: Both are used in soil to improve the soil quality that helps the plants to grow. 

Q.4. How are Manure and fertilisers different?
Ans: Manure can be obtained by the deposition of plant and animal wastes. Microbes, earthworms, fungus, etc., play an essential role in the deposition, whereas fertilisers are artificially prepared in industries using various chemicals.

Q.5. What is NPK fertiliser?
Ans: NPK fertiliser is a complex fertiliser that contains a mixture of three major nutrients, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, in varying proportions.

Study The Preparation Of Soil

We hope this detailed article on Manure and Fertilisers helps you in your preparation. If you get stuck, do let us know in the comments section below, and we will get back to you at the earliest.