Plants require nutrients in order to grow, develop and complete their life cycle. Mineral fertilizers, and hence the fertilizer industry, constitute one of the most important keys to the world food supplies. There is growing concern about the safety and quality of food. Carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, which, together with nitrogen, form the structural matter in plants, are freely available from air and water. Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, on the other hand, may not be present in quantities or forms sufficient to support plant growth. In this case, the absence of these nutrients constitutes a limiting factor. The supply of nutrients to the plants should be balanced in order to maximise the efficiency of the individual nutrients so that these meet |