Fertilizer Use, Soil Health and Agricultural Sustainability

Abstract

Due to the growing population and consequent pressure of use, agricultural soils must maintain adequate levels of quantity and quality to produce food, fiber, and energy, without falling victim to a negative impact on their balance of nutrients, health, or their ability to function. The use of mineral fertilizers has long been a key tool to offset nutrient outputs and thus achieve increased yields [1–4]. Fertilizer application is believed to have been responsible for at least 50% increase in crop yield in the 20th century [5,6]. According to [5], average corn yields would decline by 40 percent without nitrogen (N) fertilizer application, while long-term studies confirmed a 40–57 percent yield decline in wheat without fertilizer application. Yousaf et al. [6] reported a 19–41% yield increase in rice, and a 61–76% increase in rapeseed with the combined application of NPK fertilizers.