Published in Scientific Papers. Series A. Agronomy, Vol. LXVIII, Issue 1
Written by Ali COSKAN
The organic agriculture system refuses mineral fertilizers in a wide range; however, plants utilize essential plant nutrients in mineral forms. This is because the elements bonded to the structure of organic matter are not readily available for plant uptake. Thanks to the mineralization process that leads to mineral nutrients released from organic matter, the decomposition rate depends on several environmental factors. Thus, either lower or higher nutrient amounts may appear in the soil which would be far from meeting plant nutrient requirements or ecological concerns may arise. Nitrogen has a priority in the scope of environmental issues. The results gathered by the working group revealed that nitrate concentration may be even higher in organic farming systems on average. Some researchers draw attention to mineral fertilizer production's economic and environmental costs. Yet, ammonia gas sources in the livestock industry threaten the atmosphere and may be sources of organic agriculture-friendly nitrogenous fertilizer. This article was prepared to highlight that using mineral fertilizers from certain sources should be allowed in organic agriculture within certain limits and based on soil analysis.
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