Straight, Complex and Mixed Fertilizers

The straight fertilizers are those fertilizers which supply only one primary plant nutrient, either N or P or K. On this basis, the fertilizers can be straight nitrogenous, straight Phosphatic or straight Potash fertilizers. For example, Urea provides only N while Potassium Chloride provides only K.

• Examples of straight nitrogenous fertilisers include Ammonium Sulphate (AS), Calcium Ammonium Nitrate (CAN), Ammonium Chloride and Urea.
• Examples of straight Phosphatic fertilizers include Single Super Phosphate (SSP) and Triple Super Phosphate (TSP)
• Example of straight Potash fertilizer is Potassium Chloride

Complex fertilizers on the other hand provide two or three primary nutrients in which nutrients of at least two are in chemical combination. For example, Diaammonium Phosphate provides both N and P. Further, Mixed fertilizers are physical mixtures of the straight fertilizers. We note here that complex and mixed fertilizers are considered agronomically better.