WEEK 6 : FERTILIZER APPLICATION

Hello there earthlings! Do you guys know the types of fertilizer ? How to apply it? The suitable amount to apply it?  So, today I will share about fertilizer application.

What is fertilizer? Fertilizer is any materials either natural or synthetic and is applied to soil to give nutrients.  There two types of fertilizer ; Organic and Inorganic. 

Organic fertilizers are fertilizers derived from animal matter, animal excreta (manure), and vegetable matter (e.g. compost and crop residues).Naturally occurring organic fertilizers include animal wastes from meat processing, peat, manure and slurry.

For inorganic fertilizers they are produced through chemicals. There are two types of inorganic .fertilizers ; Straight and compound.

Fertilizers are classified in several ways. They are classified according to whether they provide a single nutrient (e.g., K, P, or N), in which case they are classified as "straight fertilizers." "Multinutrient fertilizers" (or "complex fertilizers") provide two or more nutrients, for example N and P.

There are two types of nutrients ; MICRONUTRIENTS AND MACRONUTRIENTS.

For macronutrients it is needed in large quantities. There are primary ( NPK ) and secondary ( Ca, Mg, S ).

For micronutrients it is needed only in small quantities, for example Fe, Cu, Zn.

There are a few methods to apply the fertilizer. 

Foliar application

Foliar fertilizers are applied directly to leaves. The method is almost invariably used to apply water-soluble straight nitrogen fertilizers and used especially for high value crops such as fruits

Liquid vs solid

Fertilizers are applied to crops both as solids and as liquid. About 90% of fertilizers are applied as solids. The most widely used solid inorganic fertilizers are urea, diammonium phosphate and potassium chloride. Solid fertilizer is typically granulated or powdered. Often solids are available as prills, a solid globule. Liquid fertilizers comprise anhydrous ammonia, aqueous solutions of ammonia, aqueous solutions of ammonium nitrate or urea. These concentrated products may be diluted with water to form a concentrated liquid fertilizer . Advantages of liquid fertilizer are its more rapid effect and easier coverage.The addition of fertilizer to irrigation water is called "fertigation".

Broadcasting

You can use a walk-behind drop spreader or hand-held spreader with a crank to scatter granular or bulk fertilizer on the ground. This method, called broadcasting, is good for flowerbeds, lawns, trees and vegetable gardens. Fertilizer may be broadcast on of the ground before planting and then tilled or watered into the soil. If it is broadcast on growing plants and watered into the soil, it is called topdressing.

Madam Salwa showed us the types of fertilizers that we used.

Other than fertilizer application, we were briefed about soil by Madam Norazlina. If the concentration of the soil is high, it will lead the plant to scorching. pH is the concentration of Hydrogen. The higher the pH, the higher the acidic of the soil.  To have a suitable pH of the soil, we can use lime. But before using lime, we need to know our soil first.

Madam Norazlina briefed to us about soil.

                                     After Madam Norazlina briefed to us about soil, we went to the oil palm field. We were briefed about the mophology of the oil palm and the common disease of oil palm. She also instructed us to identify the diseases that has infected the oil palm in the field.

The students is listening the briefing from Madam Norazlina about oil palm.

This is one of the diseases that we had identified. This oil palm fronds has been infected . It is called algal leaf spot.

This is the most common diseases of oil palm in Malaysia which is Ganoderma boninense

That is all for this week report. Thank you for reading! Hope you have a wonderful day!