Soil fertility, fertilizers, and crop nutrition: Past, present, and future

Society has made (and will be making) significant demands on agriculture in the not-to-distant future. Meeting future sustainability goals and environmental regulations while simultaneously continuing to meet requirements for food, feed, fuel, and fiber requires a firm understanding of how “we” have collectively arrived at our current status as it relates to our fertility principles and beliefs as well as the processes that address them. We have advanced far from the earliest thoughts on rudimentary plant nutrition to a sophisticated science of prescription crop nutrition. This article represents the first part of a series that intends to describe crop nutrition and fertilizers from where we have been to where the authors believe that we will likely need to be prepared to go if we are to support world demands into the foreseeable future. Earn 1.5 CEUs in Nutrient Management by reading this article and taking the quiz.

Over the past few decades, the North American fertilizer sector has experienced significant transformations, integrating into the global supply chain, which is pivotal for sustaining an abundant source of food, fiber, and energy. While the fundamental fertilizer products containing N, P, K, and S have remained largely unchanged, common fertilizers have evolved into agricultural commodities that are extensively traded on a global scale. Consequently, farmers often lack visibility into the origins of the fertilizers used for their crops. The role of the modern plant nutrient industry is essential for feeding a hungry world and preventing degradation of vital soil resources. There is growing awareness of the need for enhanced nutrient stewardship to meet local, regional, and global concerns. This is the second article in a three-part series on the past, present, and future of the North American fertilizer industry. Earn 1.5 CEUs in Nutrient Management by reading this article and taking the quiz at https://web.sciencesocieties.org/Learning-Center/Courses.