Fertilizers are natural or man-made chemical products applied to soil / land to increase its fertility and
maintain enhanced agricultural production. Fertilizers enhance the natural fertility of the soil or replace
the chemical elements taken from the soil by previous crops. Any natural or synthetic material
containing at least 5% of one or more of the three primary nutrients, nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P), or
potassium (K), may be considered as a fertilizer. The sulfur (S), magnesium (Mg), calcium (Ca), boron (B),
chlorine (Cl), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), molybdenum (Mo), zinc (Zn) and nickel (Ni) are
nutrients of secondary importance. Industrially manufactured fertilizers are also referred to as mineral /
chemical / synthetic / artificial fertilizers. This introductory volume of the series primarily deals with the
inorganic and organic fertilizers and the environmental issues concerned with the manufacture and
application of commercial fertilizers. The volume consists of 27 chapters that can be sub-classified in
three sections: first section containing 6 chapters discusses the impact of land degradation on world
food security and necessary remedial actions through the use of organic and inorganic fertilizers and
their associated challenges; second section covers the wide area of synthesis of different types of
synthetic, organic, inorganic and explosive fertilizers in next 13 chapters. The effect of colloidal
nanoparticles on plant growth has also been discussed in this section. Fertilizer industries have always been held responsible for generating significant negative environmental effects. The last section
comprising of 8 chapters focuses on N2O emission, treatment of fertilizer industry effluent and several
other environmental issues. Two case studies from Nigeria have also been included in this section. The
articles of this volume have been contributed by 63 senior academicians, researchers and experienced
industry professionals from different parts of the world. The publishers do hope that this scholarly series
will prove to be a valuable resource to students, researchers, academicians and industry professionals
involved in this vast field.