Question

Which of the following is not true about fertilizers?
(a)They increase the yield
(b)Their excessive use disturbs the balance of nutrients in the soil
(c)They are generally used in small quantity
(d)They are environmental friendly

Answer 1

Hint: The fertilizers will enter into various water bodies and the fishes in these water bodies will die. Also, the health of farmers who put chemical fertilizers also gets affected.

Complete answer:
The fertilizers are extensively used in crops to enhance crop productivity. Pesticide and some harmful chemicals are the by-products of the fertilizers. The fertilizers are non-biodegradable and thus they get accumulated in soil and water. The plants absorb these pesticides with water and minerals from the soil. When the herbivorous animal consumes these plants, the poisonous pesticide will get transferred into these animal bodies. Subsequently, when the herbivorous animal is consumed by the carnivores, the pesticide enters the carnivorous animal’s body. Likewise, these poisonous substances get incorporated into humans and other higher animals via the food chain. The harmful chemicals will get more concentrated at each trophic level. It is called biomagnification.
The major disadvantages of fertilizer usages are as follows.
-The fertilizers are toxic to both skin and respiratory systems.
- Extensive fertilizer use damages the plant and decreases the fertility of the soil.
- Due to the process called leaching (chemical substance gets drained off from the soil), the fertilizers will reach the river and are responsible for eutrophication. Eutrophication is a situation where the water bodies will become highly enriched with minerals.
- Fertilizers decrease microbial activity and affect the soil’s pH.

So, the correct answer is ‘They are environmental friendly’.

Note: Even though the fertilizers have major drawbacks, it has other major advantages due to which it becomes inevitable to stop the use of fertilizers. The potassium, phosphorus, and nitrogen content of fertilizers aids in the strengthening of stalks, straws of plants, speeds up the root formation as well as the seed formation and increases the growth rate of plants.