Got it ✅ Since you want this more detailed, I’ll expand the article into a full instructional

manual style—with deeper explanations, examples, tables, and scenarios—suitable for

Agricultural Crops Production NC II learners.

📘 Learner’s Manual on Fertilizers: Types,

Composition, Uses, and Safe Handling

1. Introduction
Fertilizers are materials added to soil or plants to improve their nutrient supply, thereby
increasing crop yield and quality. They are classified broadly into organic and inorganic
fertilizers.

Modern agriculture depends heavily on fertilizers, but improper use and unsafe handling can:

 Damage crops through nutrient burn or toxicity

 Degrade soil fertility and cause long-term acidity
 Contaminate rivers and groundwater (eutrophication, nitrate pollution)
 Expose farmers to health risks like skin burns, respiratory problems,
and poisoning

This manual provides a comprehensive reference on fertilizer types, their composition, uses,
dangers, and recommended safe practices.

2. Types of Fertilizers
A. Organic Fertilizers

Derived from natural sources such as plants, animals, and microbes. They improve not just
nutrient supply but also soil health.

NPK Dangers if
Type Uses Advantages
Composition Mishandled

Farmyard 0.5% N, 0.2% Improves Cheap, May carry weed

Manure (FYM) P, 0.5% K soil fertility available, seeds, pathogens,
and improves foul odor
 NPK Dangers if
Type Uses Advantages
Composition Mishandled

structure water-holding

Improves If poorly
Enhances
1% N, 0.5% P, aeration, decomposed, may
Compost microbial
1% K reduces harbor disease
activity
waste organisms

Green Manure Adds If plowed late,

(mungbean, organic Increases soil competes with
1-2% N
cowpea, ipil- matter and fertility crops for
ipil) nitrogen water/nutrients

Improves
1–2% N, 1– Eco-friendly, Can attract flies if
root
Vermicompost 1.5% P, 1– rich in not fully
growth, soil
1.5% K microbes decomposed
aeration

Chicken: 3– High in
Enhances May burn plants if
Animal 4% N; nutrients,
vegetative fresh; produces
Manures Carabao: 1% especially
growth ammonia odor
N nitrogen

B. Inorganic (Chemical) Fertilizers

These are manufactured fertilizers containing nutrients in readily available forms.

1. Nitrogenous Fertilizers
Dangers of Improper
Type Composition Uses
Handling

Easily lost to air

Rapid vegetative
(volatilization); leaf
Urea (46-0-0) 46% N growth (rice, corn,
burn if applied on wet
leafy vegetables)
leaves

Ammonium 21% N, 24% S Improves protein Long-term use leads to

Sulfate (21-0-0 and oil content soil acidity
+ 24% S) (rice, sugarcane,
 Dangers of Improper
Type Composition Uses
Handling

coconut)

Calcium
Ammonium 26% N (nitrate Quick and slow- Hygroscopic, clumps in
Nitrate (CAN, + ammonium) release nitrogen storage
26-0-0)

2. Phosphatic Fertilizers
Compositi Dangers of
Type Uses
on Improper Handling

Single Root development, Soil P buildup;

16–20%
Superphosphate early growth, micronutrient
P₂O₅
(SSP, 0-20-0) legumes deficiencies

Triple High-value crops Can cause

44–46%
Superphosphate (vegetables, root phosphorus fixation in
P₂O₅
(TSP, 0-46-0) crops) alkaline soils

3. Potassic Fertilizers
Compositio Dangers of Improper
Type Uses
n Handling

Muriate of Enhances fruiting, Chloride harmful to

Potash (MOP, 60% K₂O sugar content, disease sensitive crops (potato,
0-0-60) resistance tobacco)

Sulfate of
50% K₂O + For fruits, vegetables, Costly; may leach in
Potash (SOP,
18% S chloride-sensitive crops sandy soils
0-0-50)

4. Compound (Complete) Fertilizers

Contain more than one major nutrient.

Type Composition Uses Dangers if Mishandled

14- 14% N, 14% P₂O₅, General use for May not meet specific
14-14 14% K₂O vegetables and cereals nutrient needs

16- Starter fertilizer (corn, Potassium deficiency if not

16% N, 20% P₂O₅
20-0 rice, root crops) supplemented

C. Special Fertilizers
Type Examples Uses Dangers

Quick correction of
Foliar NPK foliar spray, Leaf burn if too
deficiencies via
Fertilizers micronutrient mix concentrated
leaves

Zinc sulfate, Treats specific

Micronutrient
Borax, Ferrous nutrient Toxic if overdosed
Fertilizers
sulfate deficiencies

Slow/ Coated urea, Expensive; crops may

Long-term
Controlled polymer-coated show deficiencies if
nutrient supply
Release NPK too slow

Rhizobium,
Fixes nitrogen, Less effective in poor
Biofertilizers Azotobacter,
enhances uptake soils; slower results
Mycorrhiza

3. The Dangers of Improper Fertilizer Handling

For Crops and Soil

 Leaf scorch from foliar application of strong solutions

 Salt injury from excessive chemical fertilizers
 Soil acidification with continuous nitrogen fertilizer use
 Nutrient imbalance (luxury consumption of one nutrient, deficiency of
another)

For Humans

 Inhalation of fertilizer dust → respiratory irritation, coughing, asthma

 Skin contact → burns, itching, rashes
  Accidental ingestion → poisoning (nausea, vomiting, convulsions)
 Eye exposure → severe irritation or blindness

For the Environment

 Water pollution → runoff leads to algal blooms (eutrophication), fish

kills
 Air pollution → ammonia volatilization, nitrous oxide emissions (a
greenhouse gas)
 Biodiversity loss → aquatic life harmed due to oxygen depletion

4. Safe Handling Practices

1. Personal Safety
o Wear PPE: gloves, boots, goggles, face mask, long sleeves.
o Avoid eating, smoking, or drinking while handling fertilizers.
o Wash thoroughly after application.

2. Application Guidelines
o Follow the 5Rs Principle: Right type, Right amount, Right time,
Right method, Right place.
o Do not apply fertilizers during heavy rain or flooding.
o Mix fertilizers carefully; avoid direct contact with skin.

3. Storage and Transport

o Store in cool, dry, well-ventilated rooms.
o Keep away from children, animals, and food supplies.
o Do not stack bags directly on the ground; use wooden pallets.
o Transport in covered vehicles to avoid spillage.

4. Equipment Care
o Clean spreaders, sprayers, and containers after use.
o Calibrate equipment for uniform application.
o Dispose of containers properly (do not reuse for food/water).

5. Case Example: Safe Fertilizer Use in Rice Production

 Basal application (before planting): 14-14-14 at 200 kg/ha
 Side-dress (at tillering): Urea at 100 kg/ha
 At panicle initiation: Ammonium sulfate at 50 kg/ha
  Precaution: Apply urea during calm weather, incorporate in soil to
avoid volatilization

6. Conclusion
Fertilizers are essential in agriculture, but their safe and efficient use requires knowledge,
discipline, and responsibility. Farmers who understand the composition, uses, and dangers of
fertilizers are better able to:

 Improve crop yield and quality

 Protect their health
 Preserve soil fertility
 Safeguard the environment

Adopting the 5Rs principle, proper storage, safe handling, and PPE use ensures that
fertilizers remain a boon, not a hazard, to sustainable agricultural production.

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