5.3 - Fertilizers

- achieved in farming by fertilizers in soil - these take the form of nitrates or phosphates (can be a combination of both) 
- go down into the soil and are take up by the root structure - go up to the leaf and is then used for the construction of: 
nitrates --> proteins
phosphates --> DNA and membrane structure 


Fertilizers can be split into two groups 
Organic and Artificial 

Organic: 
- produced from animal waste on farms, cow faces --> collected by the farmer and goes through decomposition and fermentation and forms slurry (gives nitrate and phosphate to promote growth) 


Artificial: 
- Chemicals which are produced. Such as Potassium nitrate and ammonium nitrate --> go into solution in the soil water --> release nitrate and promotes growth like an organic fertilizer 

Eutrophication - problem which arises through the use of artificial fertilizers