Instant Insights: Fertiliser use in agriculture

This collection features five peer-reviewed literature reviews on fertiliser use in agriculture.The first chapter examines the role of biofertilizers and consortia of microorganisms to improve the effectiveness of organic fertilization, before moving on to consider the use of animal excrement, including manures, slurry and guano.The second chapter assesses the management of mineral fertilisers and organic manures in relation to its effects on soil health in terms of soil organic carbon and nitrogen, soil acidification and soil microbiology.The third chapter discusses the history, current status, and future needs of fertilizer developments in light of the goal of achieving global sustainability. It reviews developments in using efficient fertilizer sources to meet the needs of advancing yields of modern crop cultivars/hybrids.The fourth chapter reviews some of the approaches used by decision support systems to determine fertiliser application decisions. The chapter highlights direct met