Fertilizer Quality Assessment Methods for Sustainable Agriculture

Agriculture is one of the most significant economic activities since it is necessary to maintain livelihoods and ensure food production. Soil is the key material to process agriculture and is the source of nutrients that are crucial for crop's growth. Plants use soil nutrients and are further degraded by microorganisms releasing the nutrients back into the soil upon the end of their life. One important strategy to ensure the agriculture production system to be viable is to provide quality fertilizers, whether from natural sources like manure or manufactured fertilizers like ammonium. Fertilizers restore the nutrients lost by crops in the soil. Crop yields and agricultural input would be substantially reduced if fertilizers were not used. This study aimed to highlight the different methods of measuring the quality of the fertilizers and the instruments that can be used to conduct the process effectively. The study also emphasizes the relevance of micro and macronutrient fertilizers, particularly NPK (Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium), by mentioning a significant fertilizer analysis parameter. Paper discussed different methods/instruments such as fertilizer sphericity, chlorophyll meter SPAD-502, NIR spectroscopy, Gravimetric method, Vacuum desiccators method, Flame photometer analysis, etc. measure the quality of the fertilizer and a brief note on the importance of using quality fertilizer for more productive and sustainable agriculture.