Signs of Disease on Your Crops? This Could Be Why
Recently, Horticulturists, farmers and many green thumbs alike have taken an exceedingly high interest in our agricultural approaches and methods that are operated in our society today. Many new studies are finding that the inorganic and chemical fertilizers commonly used are having an alarming increase in long-term negative effects to soil health and the surrounding environment.
The use of fertilizer has been implemented for thousands upon thousands of years. Dating back to historic times, evidence shows that both minerals and manure were used as traditional forms of fertilizer. Since the 20th century, farmers began implementing new methods of fertilizer to even further their plant growth and yield. With these new methods, inorganic and chemical fertilizers have been more abundantly used and the detrimental effects we see are now adding up.
Do the Benefits Outweigh the Damages caused from Chemical Fertilizers?
While both inorganic and chemical fertilizers focus on plant growth, they tend to completely neglect soil health as they strip away all of the soil’s nutrients and structure, which negatively impacts future generations of crops. Once these nutrients have been stripped away, it leaves the plants extremely susceptible to disease and pest infestations. This is because the chemicals and inorganic matter completely disrupt the beneficial microbes, which weakens the entire plant and its ecosystem. What happens when we begin to see the signs of plant disease and pests? You guessed it – Pesticides, Insecticides, and Herbicides. Even more chemicals! This starts the detrimental cycle in the agricultural practices that we frequently see today.
The use of these fertilizers when applied to the surface of the soil can cause a buildup of nutrients that are unavailable to the plant’s roots, ultimately leaving the plant deprived of the fertilizer matter placed down to aid in plant growth to begin with! An additional issue commonly caused from the use of chemical fertilizers, is that there is a higher chance of over fertilization due to the over use and misuse from these products. Frequent use of these fertilizers can also cause an extreme buildup of salinity, which leads the plant to appear wilted and dried due to the over expenditure of energy used to draw the water out from the soil. Along with salinity, repeat applications can lead to a buildup of toxic chemicals that eventually will contaminate the yields being produced. If these inorganic and chemical fertilizers are not applied or used correctly, it will cause more damage than any benefits that they claim to have.
We Know It Harms Our Plants, Now What About Our Environment?
We know that the use of both chemical and inorganic fertilizers can cause a numerous amount of damage to the plant and its entire ecosystem, along with the surrounding earth and soil, but what are the consequences to our environment? One of the main complications caused from the use of chemical fertilizers has to do with our water here on Earth. More specifically, using Chemical Fertilizers creates dangerous issues in our drinking water supplies and groundwater from runoff and erosion, and completely disrupts and destroys aquatic life in contaminated bodies of water. As we know, chemical fertilizers are composed of nutrients (NPK – Nitrogen, Potassium and Phosphorus) that are commonly needed for plants growth, but they also contain inorganic materials. While mostly harmless in small amounts, the over use of chemical fertilizers causes an extreme buildup of these nutrients and inorganic materials, which then accumulate in high numbers. Through erosion, these high doses of nutrients are then being run off into the nearby bodies of water. These high doses of NPK nutrients act as a pollutant to the bodied water through a process called “Eutrophication”. The nutrients are a catalyst in the overgrowth of algae, plankton or other aquatic plants, which consume the majority of the oxygen supply as these plants die. This creates what is referred to as a “dead zone”, due to the deprivation in oxygen left for the fish and other aquatic life. The devastating issue with this, is the fact that the Nitrogen found in these Fertilizers are broken down into nitrates, which then easily pass through the lower levels of the soil. Because these nitrates are water soluble, they can remain in the ground for extremely long periods of time. If we were to stop the use of these chemical fertilizers today, we would still see the effects of them for many years to come.
What Effects do Chemical Fertilizers Have on Human Health?
Today, we are becoming increasingly aware of how chemicals in general are negatively impacting the plants and crops that we grow, as well as the influence it is having on the environment surrounding us. This brings about the question of what are the health consequences and negative results coming from the use of Chemical fertilizers? One issue is that the practices of unsustainable agriculture has traded nutritious fruit and vegetable yields for fast-growing, less nutrient-dense produce. What this means, is that the crops that we are consuming have not developed the proper nutrients and essential vitamins that naturally grown produce would have!
As a society, we have come to realize that cancer rates have risen to all time highs. We have to consider that the food we are consuming that has been developed from seed to plant to produce, and grown with chemical fertilizers and inorganic matters has a direct link to these cancer rates. There have been studies done over the last twenty years on the hidden effects that these chemical fertilizers can have on human health, and each show that the consequences are worsening. We know that the nitrogen levels have destroyed our ground water systems, and we will unfortunately feel these effects for decades to come. What is that to say about the consequences and negative impacts taken on our health, and our future generation’s health?
Conclusion
It is clear that the use of Chemical and Inorganic fertilizers have created negative long-term consequences that we will sadly see the effects of for many years to come. This is why it is so absolutely crucial to find means of more sustainable and environmentally friendly agricultural systems, methods and practices. Organic products are being purchased now, more than ever, which means that more and more people are becoming familiar with the unhealthy and unsafe practices used to yield the foods that we are putting into our bodies. If the demand for organic fruits and vegetables becomes higher, the food production means would change to accommodate those needs and wants.
MicrobeBio® offers a unique, continuous and sustainable solution to all of these issues presented in this post. We have a wide range of exclusive products that are each created to improve the productivity and profitability for farmers and food producers alike, all the while keeping our products environmentally friendly, as well as being safe to use around adults, children and even animals. MicrobeBio® can be found on the OMRI Product list, as we offer specially formulated, soil-enriching and all sustainable products.
You might say MicrobeBio® has taken the best of Mother Nature and put it into a concentrated form and, like all-natural products should be, we never use growth hormones or GMOs, never irradiate and never use chemicals that are harmful to humans, livestock or the planet.
In closing, think of MicrobeBio® products like this: We’re the health food of plant food, here to put a stop to all the horticultural junk-food that’s been shoved down Mother Nature’s gullet for far too long.
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Resources Used
- Thompson, Daniel. “The Disadvantages of Inorganic Fertilizer.” Home Guides | SF Gate, http://homeguides.sfgate.com/disadvantages-inorganic-fertilizer-64756.html. Accessed 12 December 2018.
- (2016, February 11). Civic Issues: Steven Godshall’s Blog. Retrieved from https://sites.psu.edu/godshallcivicissue/2016/02/11/the-overuse-of-inorganic-fertilizers-in-modern-agriculture/
- BucklerDec, L. (2017, December 7). The Hidden Dangers of Chemical Fertilizers. Retrieved from https://eponline.com/articles/2017/12/07/the-hidden-dangers-of-chemical-fertilizers.aspx