In order for plants to grow, they require nutrition and chemicals provided from the soil that they live in. The problem is, that when farming after a couple crop rotations, the soil is left barren with little nutrients. Because plants are unable to take nitrogen from the air, it must be taken up from the soil. This is why plants need nitrogen rich fertilizer to grow. The only bad part is that we use way too much fertilizer and it runs off into the local water systems as well as evaporate back into the air.
The problem with this fertilizer run off is not only that plants like it, but algae love these chemicals as well. The run off chemicals cause huge algae blooms which can block sunlight to other plants in a water way. Once the algae dies it is decomposed, which depletes water of oxygen, killing off most life in these waters, causing large “dead zones” do arise.
Not only is this a problem but nitrous oxide evaporates into the air from these fertilizers. Nitrous oxide levels have risen by 20 percent since the past one hundred years. This may not be as much of a problem but nitrous oxide is considered to be a whopping 300 times more potent than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas.
The United States already uses about 12 million tons of fertilizer per year on crops. Other nations also use large amounts of fertilizers. Some say that better calculations to how much fertilizer should be put on could greatly increase monetary gains as well as helping with the environment. After speaking with Dr. Mary Bruns here at Penn State in the College of Ag. Sci., she has made a very interesting discovery just on fields here in State College. She has discovered cyanobacteria that are actually able to take nitrogen out of the air and they are living in soils right her on campus. This is not being taken into account for how much fertilizer is put onto plants.
What kinds of actions should we be taking in order to decrease the amount of fertilizer that is released back into the air as well as contaminating our own water supplies? Many have tried to put in nitrifying bacteria into plants in order to get rid of fertilizers altogether, but they always seem to come up with complications. What other methods do you think should be used to decrease nitrous oxide levels in the environment? The fertilizer industry is a huge part of the economy so many may be afraid to get rid of it all at once. Do the economic benefits outweigh the current ecological downfalls?
Fertilizers also help to increase crop yields to feed those who are hungry. So although fertilizers do seem to be a large danger to the environment, it may be an even greater danger to just stop using them altogether. Instead an alternative must be found so that large crop yields are possible with minimal effect on the environment. What other factors do you think should be taken into account when talking about agricultural efficiency and environmental health? Are there any other issues that you think are important when it comes to fertilizer use? There are always pros and cons to each situation, it is just important that we recognize the bad in order to fix it as soon as possible.
Works Cited
Laskawy, Tom. “Nitrogen Fertilizer Is Bad Stuff — and Not Just Because It Could Blow up Your Town.” Grist. N.p., 25 Apr. 2013. Web. 15 Mar. 2016. <http://grist.org/climate-energy/nitrogen-fertilizer-is-bad-stuff-and-not-just-because-it-could-blow-up-your-town/>.
“How Fertilizers Harm Earth More Than Help Your Lawn.” Scientific American. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Mar. 2016. <http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-fertilizers-harm-earth/>.
“Lawn Fertilizer Service for a Healthy Lawn.” MKServices. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Mar. 2016. <http://www.mkservices.com/residential/lawn-fertilizer-service/>.
“BIZ-QANTAS-HEADER Crop-dusters Give CASA a Spray in Submission to Federal Inquiry.” The Australian Business Review. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Mar. 2016. <http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/aviation/cropdusters-give-casa-a-spray-in-submission-to-federal-inquiry/story-e6frg95x-1226902604323>.
Sienna D Mcnett says
Dan,
Eutrophication and other negative ecological repercussions of fertilizer use are serious issues that most definitely need to be addressed in today’s society. While I think that it is unrealistic to cut these chemicals out of use completely, I think that one piece of action would be to ensure that companies are only using the amount of fertilizers they NEED.
Your post was very informative and brought to light an issue that much of the civic sphere may not be aware of. I really liked how you remained unbiased on the topic and how you connected it with research that is being done here at Penn State. I can’t wait to read what you write about next time!
cbd5194 says
Dan,
When reading your post, I found it very interesting to see the chain reaction that occurs from using fertilizer. It is crazy how what we out on our crops contributes to dead zones in water. Fertilizers and their usage is definitely a complicated issue in the United States when considering the huge agribusiness that we have and the mega corporations who find politics and monopolize farming. I appreciated how you hi lighted the pros as well as the cons of fertilizer usage so as to show why we can’t just eliminate them based on their negative effects.
Thank you!
Caroline