Types of Fertilizers

Fertilizers are essential production resources that promote crop growth and development and enhance agricultural productivity. There are many different types of fertilizers.
1. Organic Fertilizers: Organic fertilizers are primarily derived from organic matter and are considered the earliest type of fertilizer used in China. The most common examples include manure from poultry and livestock, such as chicken manure, sheep manure, and cow manure, as well as human feces and urine; Next are green manures formed from the decomposition of crop straw; then there are miscellaneous fertilizers formed from weeds in fields that wither and decompose into the soil, or from wood ash produced by burning; and finally, there are fertilizers formed from silt in ponds and small streams. Additionally, by digging pits near fields and piling together rice straw, manure, urine, or household wastewater and food scraps, the resulting fertilizer—commonly known as “compost”—also falls under the category of organic fertilizers.
2. Inorganic Fertilizers
What is commonly referred to as “chemical fertilizer” is actually inorganic fertilizer, most of which is synthesized from inorganic compounds. Common types of inorganic fertilizers (chemical fertilizers) include elemental fertilizers, compound (mixed) fertilizers, controlled-release fertilizers, and water-soluble fertilizers.
3. Microbial Fertilizers
Microbial fertilizers are now being adopted by an increasing number of farmers. For example, certain probiotic fertilizers significantly enhance crop disease resistance; while nitrogen-fixing or rhizobium fertilizers help crop roots perform aerobic respiration more efficiently, supplying nutrients to stems and leaves and improving flowering and fruit-setting rates. Given the wide variety of microorganisms available, there is considerable flexibility in selecting specific bacterial types and formulations; some farmers also refer to microbial fertilizers as biological bacterial fertilizers.