Introduction

In a world of growing population food becomes essential for survival

.Especially India who has surpassed China and became the most
populous country on April 2023.To host such a population large areas
of land and recourses are required .Land for agriculture has been
used for making building to host these large masses. Hence to keep
up the production we would need best quality of fertilizers,
pesticides etc to protect and nourish the crops. Pesticides are not
only used in the agricultural industry but also can be used to protect
humans from vector born diseases.
As the agricultural sector has industrialized these pesticides,
fertilizers are not only useful but also contain harmful side effects.
Pesticides can contaminate soil, water, turf, and other vegetation. In
addition to killing insects or weeds, pesticides can be toxic to a host
of other organisms including birds, fish, beneficial insects, and non-
target plants. While chemical fertilizers (man-made fertilizers) can
cause root burn or fertilizer burn as chemical fertilizers do not allow
water intake for the plants. Chemical fertilizers are high in nitrogen
salts, and when the nitrogen is absorbed by soil too quickly; it will
dehydrate and dry up the plant.

Pesticides and Fertilizers

Pesticides are chemical substances that are meant to kill pests. In
general, a pesticide is a chemical or a biological agent such as a
virus, bacterium, antimicrobial, or disinfectant that deters,
incapacitates, kills, pests.

The Food and Agricultural Organization has defined pesticides as any

substance or mixture of substances intended for preventing,
destroying or controlling any pest, including vectors of human or
animal disease, unwanted species of plants or animals, causing harm
during or otherwise interfering with the production, processing,
storage, transport, or marketing of food, agricultural commodities,
wood and wood products or animal feedstuffs, or substances that
may be administered to animals for the control of insects, arachnids,
or other pests in or on their bodies.

This use of pesticides is so common that the term pesticide is often

treated as synonymous with plant protection product. It is
commonly used to eliminate or control a variety of agricultural pests
that can damage crops and livestock and reduce farm productivity.
The most commonly applied pesticides are insecticides to kill insects,
herbicides to kill weeds, rodenticides to kill rodents, and fungicides
to control fungi, mould, and mildew.

Fertilizers are additional substances supplied to the crops to increase

their productivity. These are used by the farmers daily to increase
the crop yield. These fertilisers contain essential nutrients required
by the plants, including nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus
The Food and Agricultural Organisation has defined fertilizers as a
chemical or natural substance or material that is used to provide
nutrients to plants, usually via application to the soil, but also to
foliage or through water in rice systems, fertigation or hydroponics
or aquaculture operations.
Most fertilizers that are commonly used in agriculture contain the
three basic plant nutrients: nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus.
Some fertilizers also contain certain micronutrients such as zinc and
other metals that are necessary for plant growth. Materials that are
applied to the land primarily to enhance soil characteristics (rather
than as plant food) are commonly referred to as soil amendments.

Types of pesticides
Based on its uses and needs pesticides can commonly be classified to
four types insecticides to kill insects, herbicides to kill weeds,
rodenticides to kill rodents, and fungicides to control fungi, mould,
and mildew. These are some well known pesticides, on the contrary
there are also pesticides which are not commonly used or known.
Some of them are Algicides, Antifoulants and Biocides etc.These
algicides are used to kill algae in lakes, swimming pools etc,Biocides
to kill microorganisms and Antifoulants to kill or repel organisms that
attach to underwater surfaces, such as barnacles that cling to boat
bottoms.
They are further divided on the basis of biodegradability and their
affiliation to chemicals.

Biodegradability:
Pesticides can also be considered as:
Biodegradable: The biodegradable kind is those which can be broken
down by microbes and other living beings into harmless compounds.
Persistent: While the persistent ones are those which may take
months or years to break down.

Chemically-related pesticides:
Organophosphate:
Most organophosphates are insecticides, they affect the nervous
system by disrupting the enzyme that regulates a neurotransmitter.
Carbamate:
Similar to the organophosphorus pesticides, the carbamate
pesticides also affect the nervous system by disrupting an enzyme
that regulates the neurotransmitter. However, the enzyme effects
are usually reversible.
Organochlorine insecticides:
They were commonly used earlier, but now many countries have
been removed Organochlorine insecticides from their market due to
their health and environmental effects and their persistence (e.g.,
DDT, chlordane, and toxaphene).
Pyrethroid:
These are a synthetic version of pyrethrin, a naturally occurring
pesticide, found in chrysanthemums (Flower). They were developed
in such a way as to maximise their stability in the environment.
Sulfonylurea herbicides:
The sulfonylureas herbicides have been commercialized for weed
control such as pyrithiobac-sodium, cyclosulfamuron, bispyribac-
sodium, terbacil, sulfometuron-methyl Sulfosulfuron, rimsulfuron,
pyrazosulfuron-ethyl, imazosulfuron, nicosulfuron, oxasulfuron,
nicosulfuron, flazasulfuron, primisulfuron-methyl, halosulfuron-
methyl, flupyrsulfuron-methyl-sodium, ethoxysulfuron, chlorimuron-
ethyl, bensulfuron-methyl, azimsulfuron, and amidosulfuron.
Biopesticides:
The biopesticides are certain types of pesticides derived from such
natural materials as animals, plants, bacteria, and certain minerals.

Benefits and side effects:

The major advantage of pesticides is that they can save farmers as
they can protect crops from insects and other pests. These below are
its primary benefits.
1) Controlling pests and plant disease vectors.
2) Controlling human, livestock disease vectors and other nuisance
organisms.
3) Controlling organisms that harm other human activities and
structures.
But as all its benefits are listed ,there is a need to know its side
effects too. Some of it are as follows

1) While the toxic effects in these are designed to deliberately

released into the environment. Though each pesticide is meant to kill
a certain pest, a very large percentage of pesticides reach a
destination other than their target. Instead, they enter the air, water,
sediments, and even end up in our food.

2) Pesticides have been linked with human health hazards, from

short-term impacts such as headaches and nausea to chronic impacts
like cancer, reproductive harm.

3) The use of these also decreases the general biodiversity in the soil.
If there are no chemicals in the soil there is higher soil quality, and
this allows for higher water retention, which is necessary for plants
to grow.

Types of Fertilizers
Fertilisers are mainly of two types Organic and inorganic.

Organic fertilizers
Also known as organic manure Organic/Natural fertilizers are derived
from plants and animals. By adding carbonic molecules necessary for
plant growth, it enriches the soil. Organic fertilizers boost the
amount of organic matter in the soil, encourage microbial
reproduction, and alter the physical and chemical composition of the
soil. It is regarded as one of the essential elements for foods that are
green.
Organic fertilizers can be obtained from the following products:

1) Agricultural Waste
2) Livestock Manure

3) Industrial Waste

4) Municipal Sludge

Inorganic/Chemical fertilizers

Inorganic Fertilizers

Chemical fertilizers generated by chemical techniques that contain

nutrients for crop growth are known as inorganic fertilizers. The
inorganic fertilizers are of the following types:

Nitrogen Fertilizers

Nitrogen fertilizers contain nitrogen necessary for the development

of crops. Nitrogen, a key constituent of chlorophyll, helps main
balance in the process of photosynthesis. It is also a part of amino
acids in plants and contains protein. Nitrogen fertilizers improve the
production and quality of agricultural products.

Phosphorus Fertiliser

In a phosphorus fertilizer, phosphorus is the principal nutrient. The

effective phosphorus concentration, fertilization techniques, soil
characteristics, and crop strains all affect how successful a fertilizer
is. The protoplasm of the cell contains phosphorus, which is crucial
for cell growth and proliferation. The growth of the plants’ roots is
aided by the phosphorus fertilizer.

Fertilizers play a huge role in the agricultural industry these are some
of its benefits that has made it quite a suitable crop growth product.
Advantages of Fertilisers
The advantages of fertilizers are mentioned below:

1) Easy to transport, store, and apply

2) For supplying a specific nutrient we can select a specific fertilizer
due to its nutrient specific nature
3) Water-soluble and can easily dissolve in the soil. Hence, they are
easily absorbed by the plants
4) They have a rapid effect on the crops
5) Increase the crop yield and provide enough food to feed the large
population
6) Predictable and reliable
While fertilizers help us meet the growing demand for food crops
there are also side effect that it brings along with the benefits that it
provides us.

Disadvantages of Fertilisers
Fertilizers have the following disadvantages:
1)Expensive
2)The ingredients in the fertilizers are toxic to the skin and
respiratory system
3)Excessive use of fertilizers damages the plants and reduces soil
fertility
4)Leaching occurs and the fertilizers reach the rivers causing
eutrophication
5)Long term use reduces the microbial activity and disturbs the pH of
the soil
Precaution & Prevention
As precaution one should change clothes and wash our
hands immediately after applying pesticides Before applying a
pesticide (indoors or outdoors), remove children, toys and pets
from the area and keep them away until the pesticide has dried or as
recommended by the label. Remove or cover food during indoor
applications
Not all pesticide residues can be removed by washing. Peeling and
trimming: Peel fruits and vegetables when possible to reduce dirt,
bacteria, and pesticides. Discard outer leaves of leafy vegetables.
Trim fat from meat and skin from poultry and fish because some
pesticides residues collect in fat.

Prevention
1) The harm caused by inorganic fertilizers can be kept to a minimum
if organic fertilizers and manure are used instead.
2) use of chemical/inorganic fertilisers can be reduced if cover crops
are used in annual crop rotation.
3) To reduce use of pesticides Substitute non-resistant plants with
pest-resistant ones. Reduce the need for pesticides by using
substitutes such as biological control of insects or natural predators
which are harmless to the crop. In cases of limited pest infestation,
traps or manual removal could substitute for pesticides.