Abstract
Asian agriculture has made enormous gains in food production despite rapid population growth and a shortage of land. This paper reviews the role of fertilizer in agricultural production and the results of recent research on fertilizers and plant nutrition in the region. Fertilizer use has contributed greatly to the increase in food production which has occurred largely in the high potential areas. In these areas research has shown that losses reduce the efficiency of broadcast urea and that the use of high analysis fertilizers is inducing sulfur deficiency in some areas. In upland areas, research has highlighted a major problem of boron deficiency in Thailand. Research progress is being made in understanding the magnitude of nitrogen fixation inputs and the role of shrub legumes in upland systems.
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Craswell, E.T., Karjalainen, U. Recent research on fertilizer problems in Asian agriculture. Fertilizer Research 26, 243–248 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01048762
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01048762