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Plants need nitrogen in much greater quantities (10-100x) than they need iron. For this fertilzer to not be used as an explosive it would have to contain much m

by whyenot 14y ago

Plants need nitrogen in much greater quantities (10-100x) than they need iron. For this fertilzer to not be used as an explosive it would have to contain much more iron than would ever be used by plants. Too much iron can be toxic to plants, make plants poisonous for humans to eat and cause other problems. Another issue is that most soil is not alkaline, it's acidic, especially if it has been used for agriculture. The sulfur in this "fertilizer" will further acidify the soil, making it more difficult for many plants to absorb nutrients through their roots (and in a vicious cycle, requiring more use of fertilizer). I'm sure the people involved had their hearts in the right place, but this development doesn't solve anything and by reducing crop yields could lead to many hungry people.

dsl 14y ago
The soil in Afghanistan extremely alkaline, adding the iron sulfate brings it closer to a neutral pH (good for food crops, bad for things like Opium poppies). The low iron content of the soil also leads to a high occurrence of Iron Deficient Anemia.
- whyenot 14y ago
  1. It wouldn't surprise me if much of the virgin soil in Afghanistan is alkaline, soil in arid areas often is. Once soil is used in agriculture and is cultivated and/or irrigated, it tends to become more acidic due to the breakdown of organic matter. 2. Opium poppies may be better able to tolerate alkaline soil, but they do not require require it. You may be surprised by this, but Papaver somniferum is still widely grown in the US as a garden ornamental, and in all kinds of soil, alkaline, neutral and acidic. 3. For plants, iron is a micronutrient, nitrogen is a macronutrient. A typical fertilizer such as Miracle Grow is 0.15% iron for example. High iron concentrations, such as those that would be necessary to make ammonium nitrate non-explosive would be toxic to most crop plants.

by whyenot 14y ago

dsl 14y ago

The soil in Afghanistan extremely alkaline, adding the iron sulfate brings it closer to a neutral pH (good for food crops, bad for things like Opium poppies). The low iron content of the soil also leads to a high occurrence of Iron Deficient Anemia.

whyenot 14y ago
1. It wouldn't surprise me if much of the virgin soil in Afghanistan is alkaline, soil in arid areas often is. Once soil is used in agriculture and is cultivated and/or irrigated, it tends to become more acidic due to the breakdown of organic matter. 2. Opium poppies may be better able to tolerate alkaline soil, but they do not require require it. You may be surprised by this, but Papaver somniferum is still widely grown in the US as a garden ornamental, and in all kinds of soil, alkaline, neutral and acidic. 3. For plants, iron is a micronutrient, nitrogen is a macronutrient. A typical fertilizer such as Miracle Grow is 0.15% iron for example. High iron concentrations, such as those that would be necessary to make ammonium nitrate non-explosive would be toxic to most crop plants.