AP BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Fertilizers provide crops with nutrients like potassium, phosphorus, and nitrogen, which allow crops to grow bigger, faster, and to produce more food. Nitrogen in particular is an essential nutrient for the growth of every organism on Earth.

Detailed explanation-2: -Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, or NPK, are the “Big 3” primary nutrients in commercial fertilizers. Each of these fundamental nutrients plays a key role in plant nutrition. Nitrogen is considered to be the most important nutrient, and plants absorb more nitrogen than any other element.

Detailed explanation-3: -Fertilizer grade is an expression referring to the legal guarantee of the available plant nutrients expressed as a percentage by weight in a fertilizer, e.g. a 12-32-16 grade of NPK complex fertilizer indicates the presence of 12 % nitrogen (N), 32 % phosphorous (P2O5) and 16 % potash (K2O).

Detailed explanation-4: -The role of fertilizers is to increase yield and ensure healthy produce by supplying the right balance of nutrients to the soil. “Without fertilizers, the soil would be depleted and therefore plants would be particularly difficult to grow. They cannot survive on water alone, and nor can we.