Urea Controlled Released Fertilizers for Agricultural Applications

Abstract

Fertilizers have been widely used in the modern agriculture especially nitrogen and urea fertilizer which are provide essential nutrients required in large amounts by all plants. In general, nitrogen in the soil is insufficient for the requirements of the plant. It is necessary to enrich the soil with the fertilizers for healthy plants growth and high yields. The urea fertilizer makes green leaves of plants and involves in photosynthesis processes, making plants grow in height, larger thick leaves and dark green leaves. In addition, it improves protein yield because fertilizers provide nutrients to plants that meet the needs of the plants and can also be customized to suit the quantity of chemical fertilizers in the soil and plants. However, chemical fertilizers have drawbacks. Fertilizers will accelerate the decomposition of organic matter in the soil and some microorganisms living in the soil decrease. Moreover, they even cause in losing of nutrients through leaching or change into unused forms or evaporate into the air. This usually occurs before the plants get nutrients from fertilizer. As a result, the plant is never obtain enough nutrients. The farmers have to use more chemical fertilizers leading to high production costs. In addition, excessive amounts of chemical fertilizers can show a negative effect on both plants and soil. This could lead to plant death and lack of soil fertility. To encounter with this problem, research, development and invention of controlled release fertilizers have been done many researcher groups by making fertilizers which dissolve slowly in the amount as the need of plants and to reduce such losses. Typically, a slowly dissolve materials were coated externally on fertilizer or organic materials that slow decomposition will be used as fertilizer resulting in useful and effective fertilizers. It also helps plants to uptake nutrients continuously until harvest. The controlled release fertilizer is therefore a good choice of farmers in reducing costs and saving nature, improving soil fertility as well as improving the better productions of farmer.