ASApedia/Abonos orgánicos y biofertilizantes/en
Organic fertilizers are natural fertilizers derived from plant and animal waste that improve soil quality by providing essential nutrients and increasing organic matter. Their use promotes sustainable agricultural practices, contributing to crop health and reducing dependence on synthetic chemicals.
What are organic fertilizers?
These are all those that come from the degradation and mineralization of organic waste of animal and plant origin, crop residues, and transformation processes of some crops such as coffee pulp and honey waters. They provide nutrients that activate and enhance soil organisms, thereby improving their physical, chemical, and biological properties. They are a natural alternative to improve soil quality and provide nutrients to plants. [ 1 ]
Many organic wastes are considered a problem for producers, such as coffee pulp and slurry, since in many cases, they are unaware of the various ways they can be used. Their improper management and lack of environmental awareness end up generating pollution problems. [ 2 ]
The use of organic waste as an efficient means of recycling nutrients contributes to enriching soils, improving many physical and biological properties, and reducing production costs and pollution.
It is important to consider that crop residues are one of the most important sources for on-site utilization in the field due to the volumes of production generated. Another important aspect is that the product generated in crop plots is an important part of efforts to ensure the sustainability of the agroecosystem, providing a key input for recycling and returning to the soil some of the nutrients used by crops in their production process.
Organic fertilizers contribute a significant amount of organic matter to the soil, which improves its physical properties, such as water infiltration, soil structure, and hydraulic conductivity; they reduce bulk density and evaporation rates due to the coverage they provide, and they also promote improved plant health. [ 3 ]
To a large extent, soil fertility is controlled by the activities of soil organisms that act as tillers and suppliers of nutrients to plants. [ 4 ]
Advantages of organic fertilizers [ 5 ]
Growing awareness of the risks that chemicals pose to the environment has encouraged the use of organic fertilizers. Among the main benefits of their use are the following:
- They improve soil health; natural fertilizers contain organic carbon that supports the bacteria and fungi responsible for decomposition and nutrient cycling.
- They improve soil quality by incorporating organic compounds that increase its water retention capacity and soil fertility.
- Organic fertilizers are used by plants at a slow rate and are rarely lost through runoff, unlike synthetic fertilizers, which tend to overfeed crops and are lost much more frequently.
- A priority for sustainability, organic fertilizers often give a second life to natural materials resulting from production processes, unlike synthetic fertilizers, which rely heavily on fossil fuels and contribute to environmental pollution.
Types of organic fertilizers [ 6 ]
In agriculture, there are various types of organic fertilizers, and it is possible to distinguish three types:
Animal-derived fertilizers
Its main source is animal manure and the byproducts of organic fertilizers of animal origin. Compared to plant-based products, these enrich the soil with more nitrogen. Cow manure has become the most widely used natural fertilizer due to its balanced nutritional profile for plants.
Other examples of organic fertilizers of animal origin include blood meal, which is a great source of nitrogen; bone meal, which provides plants with calcium and phosphorus, necessary for root growth and flowering; poultry manure, which is high in NPK and contains up to 13 essential plant nutrients; and fish meal, a rich source of nutrients, especially nitrogen and phosphorus.
Examples of the nutritional content of cattle manure and chicken manure
These are two of the most widely used fertilizers in Central America. Knowledge of these nutrient contents when using these organic fertilizer sources is important for calculating and supplying crops with the appropriate amounts of nutrients for proper development and productivity. Information on both is presented in Table 1.
| Nutrient | Manure | Chicken manure |
|---|---|---|
| kg/ton | ||
| Nitrogen | 14.2 | 34.7 |
| Phosphorus (P 2 O 5 ) | 14.6 | 30.8 |
| Potassium (K 2 O) | 34.1 | 20.9 |
| Calcium | 36.8 | 61.2 |
| Magnesium | 7.1 | 8.3 |
| Sodium | 5.1 | 5.6 |
| Soluble solutions | 50 | 56 |
Plant-based fertilizers
Plant-based fertilizers are primarily derived from agricultural waste. These natural fertilizers decompose relatively quickly and provide crops with many important nutrients, helping to improve soil structure and porosity.
Organic fertilizers of plant origin include crop residues from various crops, ash, various types of vegetable flours, peat, and seaweed, which contain macronutrients, micronutrients, and growth hormones.
To illustrate, the most common case is corn stover. Castellanos (2005) illustrates the benefits that can be achieved by incorporating this residue, depending on the amount of stover recycled into the soil. This stover returns to the soil about 50% of the nutrients the plant used in its production process.
| Tons of stubble | N | P 2 O 5 | K 2 O | AC | Mg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 25 | 15 | 90 | 20 | 11.5 |
| 10 | 50 | 30 | 180 | 40 | 23 |
| 15 | 75 | 45 | 270 | 60 | 34.5 |
| 20 | 100 | 60 | 360 | 80 | 46 |
Some resources
For the preparation of different types of organic fertilizers, you can consult:
- Organic fertilizers manual - Universidad Veracruzana (2017) .
- Agricultural technical manual - Preparation of solid organic fertilizers, compost type - ICTA-CIAL (2010) .
- Preparation, use and handling of organic fertilizers - National Institute of Agrarian Innovation of Peru .
- Bokashi fertilizer - Technical guide 1 - National Center for Agricultural and Forestry Technology (CENTA) .
Bibliographic references
- ↑ "Organic fertilizer." Wikipedia. Accessed January 30, 2025. https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abono_org%C3%A1nico
- ↑ Ramos Agüero, D., and Elein Terry. 2014. Overview of Organic Fertilizers: The Importance of Bocashi as a Nutritional Alternative for Soil and Plants. Cultrop, vol. 35, no. 4, Havana, Oct.-Dec.
- ↑ Brechelt, Andrea. Ecological Soil Management. Dominican Republic: RAP-AL Publishing House. 2004, no. 1, 27 pp.
- ↑ Atlas, R. and Bartha, R. Microbial ecology and environmental microbiology. Madrid: Addison Wesley. 2002. 677 pp.
- ↑ Cherlinka, Vasyl. "Organic Fertilizers: Types and Advantages of Their Use." EOSDA (blog) . EOS Data Analytics. July 5, 2024. https://eos.com/blog/organic-fertilizers/
- ↑ Ibid (5).
| Authors | Water and Soil for Agriculture |
|---|---|
| License | CC-BY-SA-4.0 |
| Organizations | Catholic Relief Services (CRS) |
| Cite as | Water and Soil for Agriculture (2024–2025). "ASApedia/Organic fertilizers and biofertilizers" . Appropedia . Retrieved August 6, 2025 . |
