Summary
This narrative review examines the paradox of chemical fertiliser use in modern agriculture: whilst essential for maintaining soil fertility and production, excessive or poorly calibrated application above threshold levels causes soil and atmospheric pollution and reduces nutrient use efficiency. The authors argue that the key challenge is optimising fertiliser application to balance sustained productivity with environmental sustainability and cost-effectiveness.
Regional applicability
The paper does not specify a geographic focus. Findings on fertiliser overuse and inefficiency are potentially relevant to United Kingdom arable and mixed farming systems, where nitrogen use efficiency remains a policy concern, though direct applicability would depend on the paper's detailed analysis of regional agronomic and pedological contexts.
Key measures
Threshold levels of chemical fertilisers; nutrient availability constraints; fertiliser use efficiency; crop yield sustainability
Outcomes reported
The paper discusses the impacts of excessive and disproportionate chemical fertiliser application on soil contamination and atmospheric pollution, and examines the relationship between fertiliser use efficiency and sustained crop productivity.
Topic tags
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