Difference Between Manure and Fertilizers

Whether farming on a small or big scale, the ultimate objective is to create financially feasible profits and yield. This needs good agricultural production and management strategies such as land preparation, seed selection, manure and fertilizers use, and so on.

Manure and fertilizers are used for good agricultural production, knowing difference between manure and fertilizers is necessary for healthy production.

Why we use Fertilizers and Manure

Using fertilizers and manure is one of the methods used by farmers to increase production. However, excessive usage might result in capital loss in addition to crop loss. Most farmers, particularly in underdeveloped nations, are unaware of the consequences of fertilizer.

Plants require nutrients such as nitrate, magnesium, and others, which they obtain from the soil. However, if the soil lacks essential minerals that these plants require to grow, then these minerals are then introduced into the soil in the form of fertilizers and manure to compensate for the sterility of the soil in order for it to become productive.

What is Manure

  • Manuring is the process of adding natural nutrition sources to a crop. 
  • Dead wastes from plants, people,  animals and other wastes, are natural sources. When they decompose, they produce organic materials known as organic manure or simply manure.
  • Manure enhances the soil’s water holding capacity, aeration, and texture. 
  • This resulted in the creation of a new agricultural practice known as organic farming, which uses only organic fertilizers, herbicides, and so on.
Manure
Manure (Source)

What are Fertilizers

  • Fertilizers are chemical substances that include salts or organic molecules such as urea, ammonium sulfate, sodium nitrate, and so on. 
  • They supply plant nutrients such as potassium, nitrogen, and phosphorus. Fertilizers are commercial items that are mostly produced in factories. 
  • They increased the yield on their own.
  • Chemical fertilizers should be used carefully and with caution. Their overuse can cause soil infertility, water pollution, and even illness.
  • Overall, it is harmful to the crop. As a result, it is preferable to use organic manure rather than artificial fertilizers.
Fertilizers
Fertilizers (Source)

Difference Between Manure and Fertilizers

ManureFertilizer
Because manures are natural nutrients, they are not harmful to the soil and are environmentally benign.Excessive fertilizer use may damage soil and harm the ecosystem.
Prepared in the fieldsManufactured in factories
It is budget friendlyCostly compared to manure
It enriches the soil with humus.It does not add humus to the soil.
Plant nutrients are less abundant.Plant nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphate, and potassium are abundant.
It is difficult to store and move.Simple to store and travel
Plants absorb it slowly.Plants quickly absorb
Green manure is an example.Urea is an example.

FAQs

Why is manure such an effective fertilizer?

Manure, being a rich organic matter decomposes into a naturally developed plant food, Micronutrients, nitrogen, and microbes aid plant growth by providing the basic elements needed to construct the plant’s structure.

What kind of fertilizer or manure do farmers use?

Fertilizers For Nitrogen – Neem Coated Urea, Ammonium Sulfate, Calcium Ammonium Nitrate (CAN) Complex 
Fertilizers for Nitrogen and Phosphorus – DAP, NPK (NPK 10:26:26, NPK 28:28:0, NPK 14:35:14, NPK 17:17:17, NPK 20:20:0:13, NPK 16:16:16, NPK 15:15:15, NPK 12:32:16) 
Fertilizes For Phosphorus – SSP and TSP 
Fertilizers For Potash – MOP 
Organic Manure – Farm Yard Manure, City Compost, Vermicompost, De oiled Cake

Manure is inexpensive and environmentally beneficial, so why do farmers continue to use fertilizers on a huge scale?

First and foremost, if you do not have your own cattle, manure is not inexpensive. Buying manure for a plot of land is more expensive than using synthetic/chemical fertilizers to fertilize it. So farmers use fertilizers on a larger scale than manure.

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