The entire fertilizer sector faces drastic changes as a result of changing production and trade policies such as the removal of the price controls and subsidies, the production of new types of fertilizers, the increased role of the private sector and the use of modern methods for determining crop fertilizer requirements according to variety, location, and farming system.
The efficient and proper use of fertilizers is essential for increasing soil productivity. Soil productivity and soil fertility levels change over time and on-going studies are required. The following are some proposals for helping to improve the use of fertilizers:
Reliable systems of soil and plant tissue testing need to be developed to complement the results obtained from field trials. Much has been done in this area but there is a need for more work to establish the critical limits of major and micronutrient elements for various soils and crops.
Many mixed and compound fertilizers have been introduced to the farmer before evaluation of their effectiveness and their suitability under different agroclimatic conditions.
In Egypt, soils are poor in organic matter, with less than two percent in most soils. However, very few studies have been conducted on the use of organic manures and biofertilizers, in spite of the fact that these organic manures improve the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of the soil, as well as conserving the environment from pollution.
Crop breeders are developing new varieties of various crops, with a high yield potential. Before the introduction of these new varieties to the farmer, high priority should be given to the development of appropriate fertilizer management techniques, to ensure that appropriate fertilizer recommendations are available.
NP, NPK, PK, NPK fertilizers plus microelements should be developed that are suitable for drip and sprinkler irrigation systems used especially in the newly reclaimed areas.
Very few studies have been carried out on the nutritive value and cooking quality. The main objective of this proposal is to improve the nutritive value and the cooking quality of food crops through the efficient use of fertilizers.
Most studies carried out to evaluate different sources of phosphate have focused on the direct effect of these sources. Very little work has been done to evaluate the residual effect of these sources by means of long-term experiments. The fertilizing value of various sources of phosphate should include both the direct and the residual effect of the different sources under different cropping systems.
The objective of this would be to study the rate of the fertilizer nitrogen applied to the main crops, using different sources of nitrogen and time and method of application, in order to increase the efficiency of fertilizer nitrogen and to reduce nitrogen losses (Hamissa, 2000).
The objective of this is to communicate more effectively to the farmer new techniques in fertilizer management and thus to improve the efficiency of their use.
