Advantages and Disadvantages of Organic manures
Advantages :
•In addition to releasing nutrients, it improves soil structure
•Increases water holding capacity
•Slow in action hence very difficult to over fertilize plants
•No risk of forming toxic build up of chemicals
•Renewable, biodegradable, eco friendly
Disadvantages:
•Slow in action, microbes required to release nutrients microbes require moisture, so seasonal variation may affect
•Nutrient ratios are unknown
Advantages of applying fertilisers to the land:
It increases crop yield and improves poor quality land.Manure improves soil texture, recycles nitrogen and introduces essential bacteria.Pasture is improved so animals fatten up quicker.Once marshland is drained, fertilisers can help reclaim that land for pastureCrops grow faster – particularly when hybrid seeds are used.
Disadvantages of using artificial fertilisers:
Crops grow better, but so do weeds. Therefore herbicide sprays are required too.Better quality plants attract insects so pesticides may be needed.Excess nitrogen from fertilisers gets into water supplies, causing fish to die.Chemicals need to be used safely. In poorer countries in particular, farmers can
damage their health by applying fertilisers, pesticides and herbicides incorrectly.Artificial fertilisers, applied without organic additions, do not improve soil structure.