Question

Why are manures considered better than fertilizers in maintaining soil fertility? Give any two points in support of your answer.

Answer 1

Hint: The ability of soil to sustain plant growth and optimize crop yield by providing essential plant nutrients, organic and inorganic fertilizers, and favorable habitat for plant growth is called Soil Fertility. To overcome the decrease in the productivity of soil, manures and fertilizers are added to the soil.

Complete answer:
Manures are obtained from the decomposition of dead plants and animal wastes and have a small number of nutrients and a large quantity of organic matter.
Fertilizers are chemical substances of synthetic origins that are supplied to the soils to increase their productivity and increase the crop yield.
Advantages of Manures and Fertilizers:

Manures	Fertilizers
Increase the water holding capacity of the soil.	Quick in providing plant nutrients and restoring soil fertility.
Improves the texture of the soil.	Highly compact and portable.
Increases the number of friendly microbes in the soil.	Easily absorbed by plants.
It makes soil porous so that gaseous exchange can take place.	Improves and increases the productivity of many regular crops like wheat etc.
Provides a lot of humus to the soil.	Improve the physical condition of the soil.

Manures are considered better than fertilizers in maintaining soil fertility because:
i) They add nutrients to the soil without affecting its fertility. Due to the presence of chemicals in fertilizers, when used constantly, they have the potential to decrease the fertility of the soil.
ii) Fertilizers sometimes damage the crops and make them harmful for consumption.
iii) Manures improve the structure of soil by increasing its water holding capacity, porosity, and texture. They also promote the growth of crops.
iv) Fertilizers also tend to harm the microorganisms present in the soil.

Note:
The other reasons why manures are considered better that fertilisers are:
i) Fertilizers do not provide any humus to the soil.
ii) Unlike fertilizers, manures are not nutrient specific so they replenish all the nutrients of the soil.
iii) Manure does not cause any sort of pollution.