Agriculture Chapter: Fertilization

Fertilization

• Fertilization is an essential agricultural practice to supply growing plants with nutrients, enhancing growth and productivity.
• Macronutrients are needed in large quantities, while micronutrients are required in very small quantities.
• Organic fertilizers, such as manure and guano, increase water holding capacity in sandy soils.

Organic Fertilizers

• Manure is an organic fertilizer derived from animal feces, like cow dung.
• Cattle manure should be composted before use to minimize the risk of dangerous pathogens.
• Guano is the excrement of seabirds or bats, used as a fertilizer for its high nutrient content, especially phosphorus.

Compost

• Compost is the product of controlled biological decomposition of organic materials, usually of plant origin.
• The Carbon to Nitrogen Ratio (C:N) in composted organic matter affects the composting process, with high C:N ratios slowing it down.
• The optimum moisture content of the compost pile is 45-60%.
• Compost is ready to use in about 3-5 months.

Nitrogen Fixation

• Nitrogen fixed by legumes, such as soybean meal, helps increase soil fertility.
• Steamed and powdered feather is a high source of nitrogen as a fertilizer.

Types of Fertilizers

• Straight fertilizers contain a single nutrient, such as urea, ammonium nitrate, or ammonium sulfate.
• Complex fertilizers contain two or more nutrients, such as monoammonium phosphate, diammonium phosphate, or monopotassium phosphate.

Fertilizer Application

• Fertilizer grade refers to the legal guarantee of available plant nutrients expressed as a percentage in a weight of fertilizer.
• Fertilizer ratio refers to the ratio of nutrients to each other.
• Broadcasting, side dressing, in-row placement, and foliar spray are methods of fertilizer application.
• Fertigation is the process of applying fertilizers, soil amendments, and other water-soluble products to crops along with irrigation water.

Plant Morphology

• Morphology is the branch of biology dealing with the study of the form and structure of organisms.
• Trees have a single woody stem, from which branches grow to form a crown.
• Shrubs have multiple woody stems that arise at ground level.
• Grapevine has tendrils for climbing.
• Most fruit crops are perennial trees.

Plant Structure and Function

• Roots absorb water and nutrients from the soil, store sugar, and fix the tree in the ground.
• The majority of the root system is located in the upper 20-60 cm of soil.
• The trunk consists of four layers of tissues, containing a network of tubes that runs between the roots and leaves.
• Leaves are the food factories of the trees.
• Carob and date palm are examples of compound leaves, while mango and apple are examples of simple leaves.

Flowers and Fruits

• A bud is the origin of the plant organs.
• Complete flowers have sepals, petals, stamens, and pistils.
• Perfect flowers are both male and female, while imperfect flowers may be either male or female.
• Fruits are matured ovaries, consisting of three layers (exocarp, mesocarp, and endocarp).
• Simple fruits are formed from one pistil, while aggregate fruits develop from multiple pistils.
• Multiple fruits develop from the mature ovaries of an entire inflorescence.

Fruit Classification

• Drupe or stone fruit is one-seeded simple fruit developed from an ovary in which the endocarp becomes hard and stony (e.g., mango, peach, and olive).
• Berry fruit is characterized by the ovary wall or at least its inner portions becoming enlarged and usually juicy (e.g., banana, guava, and grapes).

Pruning and Training

• Pruning and training of fruit trees involve cutting parts of the tree to achieve specific aims.
• Pruning is a modification of tree shape to become more suitable for training purposes.
• Thinning involves removing excess fruits from the tree to improve the remaining fruits' size and quality.
• Therapy pruning involves removing diseased, dry, or infected shoots.
• Supporting pruning builds a good tree structure by choosing a good main branch and cutting it to determine height.

Harvesting and Ripening

• Harvesting is the process of gathering or picking a mature or ripe horticultural crop from the fields.
• Maturation means that the edible part of the fruit or vegetable is fully developed in size, although it may not be ready for immediate consumption.
• Ripening is the process by which fruits attain their desirable flavor, quality, color, and textural properties, associated with changes in composition (e.g., conversion of starch to sugar).
• Fruits are measured by calipers, and pre-cooling is performed to rapidly remove field heat immediately following harvest.

Fertilization

• Fertilization is an essential agricultural practice to supply growing plants with nutrients, enhancing growth and productivity.
• Macronutrients are needed in large quantities, while micronutrients are required in very small quantities.
• Organic fertilizers, such as manure and guano, increase water holding capacity in sandy soils.

Organic Fertilizers

• Manure is an organic fertilizer derived from animal feces, like cow dung.
• Cattle manure should be composted before use to minimize the risk of dangerous pathogens.
• Guano is the excrement of seabirds or bats, used as a fertilizer for its high nutrient content, especially phosphorus.

Compost

• Compost is the product of controlled biological decomposition of organic materials, usually of plant origin.
• The Carbon to Nitrogen Ratio (C:N) in composted organic matter affects the composting process, with high C:N ratios slowing it down.
• The optimum moisture content of the compost pile is 45-60%.
• Compost is ready to use in about 3-5 months.

Nitrogen Fixation

• Nitrogen fixed by legumes, such as soybean meal, helps increase soil fertility.
• Steamed and powdered feather is a high source of nitrogen as a fertilizer.

Types of Fertilizers

• Straight fertilizers contain a single nutrient, such as urea, ammonium nitrate, or ammonium sulfate.
• Complex fertilizers contain two or more nutrients, such as monoammonium phosphate, diammonium phosphate, or monopotassium phosphate.

Fertilizer Application

• Fertilizer grade refers to the legal guarantee of available plant nutrients expressed as a percentage in a weight of fertilizer.
• Fertilizer ratio refers to the ratio of nutrients to each other.
• Broadcasting, side dressing, in-row placement, and foliar spray are methods of fertilizer application.
• Fertigation is the process of applying fertilizers, soil amendments, and other water-soluble products to crops along with irrigation water.

Plant Morphology

• Morphology is the branch of biology dealing with the study of the form and structure of organisms.
• Trees have a single woody stem, from which branches grow to form a crown.
• Shrubs have multiple woody stems that arise at ground level.
• Grapevine has tendrils for climbing.
• Most fruit crops are perennial trees.

Plant Structure and Function

• Roots absorb water and nutrients from the soil, store sugar, and fix the tree in the ground.
• The majority of the root system is located in the upper 20-60 cm of soil.
• The trunk consists of four layers of tissues, containing a network of tubes that runs between the roots and leaves.
• Leaves are the food factories of the trees.
• Carob and date palm are examples of compound leaves, while mango and apple are examples of simple leaves.

Flowers and Fruits

• A bud is the origin of the plant organs.
• Complete flowers have sepals, petals, stamens, and pistils.
• Perfect flowers are both male and female, while imperfect flowers may be either male or female.
• Fruits are matured ovaries, consisting of three layers (exocarp, mesocarp, and endocarp).
• Simple fruits are formed from one pistil, while aggregate fruits develop from multiple pistils.
• Multiple fruits develop from the mature ovaries of an entire inflorescence.

Fruit Classification

• Drupe or stone fruit is one-seeded simple fruit developed from an ovary in which the endocarp becomes hard and stony (e.g., mango, peach, and olive).
• Berry fruit is characterized by the ovary wall or at least its inner portions becoming enlarged and usually juicy (e.g., banana, guava, and grapes).

Pruning and Training

• Pruning and training of fruit trees involve cutting parts of the tree to achieve specific aims.
• Pruning is a modification of tree shape to become more suitable for training purposes.
• Thinning involves removing excess fruits from the tree to improve the remaining fruits' size and quality.
• Therapy pruning involves removing diseased, dry, or infected shoots.
• Supporting pruning builds a good tree structure by choosing a good main branch and cutting it to determine height.

Harvesting and Ripening

• Harvesting is the process of gathering or picking a mature or ripe horticultural crop from the fields.
• Maturation means that the edible part of the fruit or vegetable is fully developed in size, although it may not be ready for immediate consumption.
• Ripening is the process by which fruits attain their desirable flavor, quality, color, and textural properties, associated with changes in composition (e.g., conversion of starch to sugar).
• Fruits are measured by calipers, and pre-cooling is performed to rapidly remove field heat immediately following harvest.