Many vegetable gardeners swear by the benefits of manure as a fertilizer. Adding manure to soil improves the soil's texture and water-holding capacity while providing nutrients needed by growing plants. Unfortunately, fresh manure can also contain bacteria that can contaminate vegetables and cause human disease.
Manure is often disposed of in piles, slurries or lagoons, which can lead to significant emissions of the greenhouse gas methane, as well environmental degradation, negative health impacts, and the loss of valuable nutrients that could be added to soil.
Manure adds nutrients to the soil without affecting its fertility. It does not damage crops and produces healthy plants. Fertilizers are chemicals which lower the fertility of the soil if used regularly. They also damage the crops and make them unhealthy for consumption.
The phosphorus and nitrogen in cow manure, after it's applied to farmland as fertilizer, can run off with rainfall into local waterways, including Lake Erie, contributing to algal blooms that turn the water green and can produce toxins harmful to drinking water.
Manure has some potential disadvantages when used as fertilizer. It can contain weed and pest seeds, rodents and other pests, and pathogens such as E. coli. It can also cause pollution if not managed properly, as the manure may flow into the surface or groundwater.
The biggest disadvantage of using an organic fertilizer is that it may not contain primary nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorous or potassium, also known as NPK. Manure-based fertilizers contain these nutrients and are still considered organic.
Manures are obtained from natural sources, whereas fertilisers are synthetically manufactured in the factories. Manures are eco-friendly, whereas fertilisers harm the useful microbes present in the soil and also decrease the soil fertility if used for a longer time.
First of all, you should avoid using fresh or un-composted raw manure on all your fruits and vegetables. Mainly the root vegetables such as radish, carrot, beetroot, and potato. It can burn and damage your crops. But, this is not the case for composted animal manures.
Manure contains primary macronutrients—namely nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium—meaning it can substitute for or complement commercial fertilizers. Manure also supplies secondary macronutrients such as calcium, magnesium, and sulfur, as well as micronutrients.
The ecological consequences are typically drastic, with the high levels of nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrates in manure leading to the spread of waterborne pathogens, and the growth of harmful algal blooms.
Manure provides nutrients to the soil while keeping its fertility. It produces healthy plants and has no negative effects on the crops. Fertilizers are substances that reduce soil fertility when used on a regular basis.
Animal manure can enhance soil biological activity, favoring nutrient cycling and availability for crops and generating the “glue” critical to stable soil aggregates. Several studies demonstrated the positive effects of manure on soil biological properties, and its impact in microbes and larger fauna.
Drawbacks of composting by-products are cost for site preparation and equipment, the lengthy treatment period, targeting final use of compost product, and environmental issues such as odors and dust. Some investment in equipment and site preparation is required or recommended.
Adding manure to soils is an excellent way to increase soil organic matter. Soil organic matter contributes to overall soil health — the soil's ability and sustainability to function as a living ecosystem.
Manure contamination can increase nitrate levels in ground water and cause bacterial contamination and fish kills in surface waters. Excess phosphorus can be contained in erosion or runoff from fields and accumulate in surface water impoundments such as ponds and lakes.
Manure does not always contain as many nutrients as fertilizers. Manure is mainly based on an animal's diet and can only be created when they lay waste. Whereas Fertilizers are made in an industrial environment. Manure is organic whereas fertilizers are a synthetic product.
It's important that it be aged for it to work with your plants, as explained in this article: Turn manure into compost for your garden. When properly used, manure eliminates the need to apply chemical fertilizer, since they both supply, the three major nutrients needed by plants: nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.
The correct option is C It is of high cost and can't be prepared in fields. The following are the advantages of using manure in fields: It adds a large amount of humus in soil. It is rich in soil-friendly organisms.
Manure is a type of organic matter and a good fertilizer that contains nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. On the other hand, organic matter is the collection of carbonic compounds that derive from plants, animals, microorganisms, etc. Thus, this is the key difference between manure and organic matter.
Organic manure or organic fertilizer is made up of organic biodegradable waste like animal excreta and agriculture wastes. As it biodegradable it cannot harm the environment and increase the soil fertility it is better than chemical fertilizer.
Broadcasting manure onto the surface of a field is the oldest method of spreading. It is easy, cheap, and can be done during almost any season. But, there are also some significant disadvantages. From a nutrient standpoint, a substantial amount of nitrogen can be lost within a few days of application.