Fertilisers

The BASIS professional register requires members to meet specified criteria one of which is to annually take part and pass an online exam under the heading of “FACTS qualified advisors annual assessment.”

For the 20/21 year the subject matter was “Accurate application of manufactured and organic fertilisers.”

Fertiliser has to be ONE of the key inputs to generate profit for commercial farming. Fertilisers provide elements needed by plants to grow and yield well. Elements applied must be water-soluble so plants can absorb them through their roots.

The use of manure and compost as a fertiliser is probably almost as old as agriculture itself. Egyptians, Romans, Babylonians, and early Germans all are recorded as using minerals and/or manure to enhance the productivity of their farms.

In the 19th century, guano which had been known and used in the Andes for at least 1500 years was taken in large quantities from Peru and Chile to Europe and the USA.

Accurately applying bulky organic materials to a field and crop can be problematic.

With inorganic fertilisers thanks to the introduction of quality standards and the use of modern technology such as GPS these problems have largely been overcome!