Agricultural Chemistry: Definition, Significance, Photosynthesis, Fertilizers, Uses

Agricultural chemistry is a field of study that examines methods for influencing the biochemical and chemical processes that occur in soil and plants, plant nutrition, and the use of fertilizers and other chemicals to boost fertility and yield. It discusses a variety of different ways to boost productivity, such as the use of herbicides and growth stimulants, and offers the scientific reason for integrating chemical processes into agriculture. Agricultural chemistry has many of the same objectives, methods, and research interests as the chemical and biological sciences. The fields of soil science, forestry, meteorology, plant and biochemistry, agricultural microbiology, physics, and chemistry are also strongly related to it.

Definition

The study of chemistry and biochemistry in connection to agriculture and agricultural practices with the aim of enhancing soil quality and plant nutrition, boosting production, and protecting the environment is known as agricultural chemistry.

Significance

In our lives, chemistry has always been very significant. Chemistry is relevant in the broad sense of photosynthetic activity, which directly contributes to the air we breathe, but it also has the huge potential to improve our quality of life and offer us more convenience. While it is simple to assume that all aspects of agriculture are solely biological, including food processing, the addition of preservatives, and the use of fertilizers to raise the quality of the soil where our food is grown, chemical activity plays a significant part in agriculture.

Photosynthesis

The extremely straightforward but crucial chemical interaction of carbon dioxide interacting with water to create glucose and oxygen underlies the process of photosynthesis. The plant directly utilizes the presence of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which is why it continues to survive, develop, and create oxygen as a consequence, which is ultimately accountable for life on earth. Knowing how important photosynthesis is to plant life, man has developed creative ways to foster the circumstances necessary for plants to perform their photosynthetic function to the fullest.

Fertilizers

It is another crucial use of chemistry in agriculture. When applied to the soil, fertilizers are organic or even inorganic compounds that can provide an abundance of the nutrients a plant needs to develop. There are several fertilizers that may be added to soil, depending on its quality. This turns out to be a highly profitable technique to boost efficiency since sometimes the soil lacks some of the nutrients needed for the most effective plant development.

Haber-Bosch Process

The method used to produce inorganic fertilizers is known as the Haber-Bosch process. Fritz Haber, a German scientist who earned the Nobel Prize in 1918 for his work on it, was the one who invented it. It was not economically advantageous for farmers to buy ammonia before this technology was developed since it was difficult to produce. After Haber, it was simple to produce ammonia and sell it to consumers.

High pressure was employed for the first time in an industrial chemical process with the Haber-Bosch method. This was accomplished by removing hydrogen and nitrogen from the air and putting them under extremely high pressures at reasonable temperatures. The produced product is quickly removed for its ammonia. The amount of ammonia produced increases with decreasing temperature and increasing pressure.

Organic Fertilizers

Organic fertilizers are those that are produced from organic materials like animal dung, compost, and other similar natural waste. When these materials are given to the soil, microbes break them down and enrich the soil's nutritional content by adding more nitrogen, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, sulfur, and other elements. Then, after being put into the soil where plants are grown, these fertilizers work on the plants.

Inorganic Fertilizers

On the other hand, synthetic fertilizers are inorganic fertilizers. Ammonia is often the by-product, which is combined with nitrogen to produce urea or anhydrous ammonium nitrate. Crop yields may increase thanks to these fertilizers. Inorganic fertilizers have the disadvantage of gradually degrading the quality of the soil and the land. This has a negative impact on the land quality, which is deteriorating over time due to dramatic and fast urbanization. Farmers are weaning themselves off of inorganic fertilizers since there is a high potential for widespread desertification in the upcoming years.

Uses

• The manufacturing of pesticides and insecticides, which are widely employed to keep outside organisms from damaging crops. Rodenticides, pediculicides, biocides, fungicides, herbicides, and so forth are included in this.

• Production of irrigation pipes, storage and preservation of produce and other goods, food processing, and the recovery of chemicals from agricultural waste are all areas where agricultural chemistry is applied.

Storage And Preservation Of Agricultural Products

Grain is kept fresh and usable for a longer length of time by using sulfur dioxide. Salicylic acid and sodium benzoate are two examples of food preservatives that are used to extend shelf life. There have been new generation refrigerants. To encourage fruit ripening or seed germination, chemicals are introduced. The material created by chemical advances has led to developments in food packaging. A broader variety of foods are now available to humans thanks to agricultural chemistry, which has also boosted the availability of both animal and plant food in general.