Question

The use of fertilizers in farming is an example of
A. no-cost production
B. low cost production
C. high cost
D. None of these

Answer 1

Hint:-Fertilizers are chemical substances which are applied to soil for raising good crops. They contain essential plant nutrients. They may be of natural or synthetic origin.

Complete step-by-step solution:-
Plants need essential elements for their proper growth. Fertilizers help farmers to increase the productivity and yield of crop plants. Fertilizers contain essential nutrients like nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus etc. which nourish the plant. They increase fertility and the water retention capacity of soil.
Fertilizers are categorized mainly into two types. These are- Inorganic and organic fertilizers.
- Inorganic fertilizers include nitrogen fertilizer, phosphorus fertilizers etc.
- Organic fertilizers include livestock dung manure, agricultural waste, municipal sludge waste, etc.
- Fertilizers are easy to use and store. They are water soluble and easily dissolve in soil. plants readily absorb them from the soil. Their effect is quick and assured. They result in high crop yield.
- Fertilizers are generally expensive. Thus, it is important for farmers to get the soil analysis done before administering fertilizers in crop fields. The quality of a fertilizer varies with its cost, i.e., higher the cost superior would be its quality. The high cost of fertilizers puts a burden on the farmers.
So, the correct answer is (C), High cost.
Additional information:
Excessive use of fertilizers causes leaching of soil and results in eutrophication of waterbodies. Prolonged fertilizer use reduces soil fertility and microbial activity thereby causing imbalance in soil pH.


Note:- All fertilizers are graded and follow a national standard. Every bag of fertilizer has a label of three bold numbers called fertilizer grade. The first number is the amount of available nitrogen, the second number is the amount of available phosphate and the third number is the amount of available potassium. A bag labelled 10-10-10 denotes 10% nitrogen, 10% phosphorus and 10% potassium.