The idea of putting sewage on plants and crops may not seem very appealing. However, new research suggests recycled sewage helps to improve plant and crop yields. This is after the sewage has been ‘thermally conditioned.’
With concerns about the use of chemical fertilizers being discussed in both the U.S. and Europe, news that fungi might present an alternative means for improving crop yields has been welcomed by scientists and policy makers.
Washington -
After years of debate and lobbying, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is set to begin testing foods for the controversial herbicide glyphosate. What is this chemical and why might it be a problem?
Biologists are proposing that a common soil fungus could be a candidate as a ‘bio-fertilizer’, replacing the more harmful phosphate based chemicals. In a study on rice crops, the fungus has triggered improved root growth.
A new aeration technology has been used to make slurry smell better and to become more hygienic. The method also allows for the recycling of manure nutrients.
With an overload of fertilizer, soil microbes on farms produce high levels of nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas with 300 times as much heat-trapping power as carbon dioxide.
Nitrogen from fertilizers may persist in soil for 80 years, according to a new report. This means that fertilizer applied today could still be around in 2093.
Texas City -
West, in Texas is evacuated after explosion hits fertilizer plant, killing at least five people and injuring approximately 200, including some children
Save the Children and Medical Aid for Palestinians say that the water in Gaza is unfit for human consumption, as it is contaminated with fertilizers and sewage.
Around the world, the number of dead zones, some of which are naturally occurring, increased from 149 in 2003 to more than 200 in 2006, according to a 2008 report by the United Nations Environmental Program.
Do government ordinances banning the use of lawn fertilizer really help reduce phosphorus pollution? A new study conducted by the University of Michigan shows they have a positive effect.
What do you do with mounds of turkey manure that you are stockpiling to sell for fertilizer when you encounter a bunch of angry people at a meeting in the courthouse? You quickly seek out another use for the poop.
Severnside fertilizer works. This plant is owned by Terra Nitrogen UK Ltd. and manufactures ammonia and ammonium nitrate.
Sharon Loxton / Severnside fertilizer works
Winter crop in Lush green paddy field in Tripura, India. However, excessive use of chemical fertilizers is causing soil erosion and reducing the productivity of the land apart from inflicting environmental pollution.
An anti-meth sign posted on a tank of anhydrous ammonia, a common farm fertilizer used in making methamphetamine. According to Wikipedia, in 2005, the state of Iowa gave out thousands of locks in order to prevent criminals from accessing farmers' tanks.
Photo by Bill Whittaker
A bag of ammonium nitrate
MGSpiller
A scarecrow is a decoy placed in open fields to discourage birds from disturbing and feeding on recently cast seed and growing crops.
