The reason for the price difference between USD800/MT and USD2800/MT of water-soluble fertilizer
The reason for the price difference between USD800/MT and USD2800/MT of water-soluble fertilizer
I. Raw material levels
Raw materials are the most fundamental factor in determining the price of water soluble fertilizers. There are four levels of raw materials used in the production of water soluble fertilizer: food grade, feed grade, industrial grade and agricultural grade. The grade of raw materials directly determines the price of water soluble fertilizer is very different. Taking potassium dihydrogen phosphate as an example, the price of food grade is around USD1850, feed grade is around USD1710, industrial grade raw material is around USD1150, and agricultural grade is around USD1000. High quality water soluble fertilisers are generally produced using industrial grade raw materials, which are expensive and significantly better than agricultural grade raw materials in terms of fertiliser nutrient content, water solubility, absorption efficiency, heavy metal content and product stability. Poorer water soluble fertilisers are produced using agricultural grade raw materials at low prices, making it difficult to guarantee quality, and there are even unscrupulous manufacturers who make use of full water solubility that add pure magnesium sulphate, potassium chloride or potassium nitrate and other raw materials for profiteering.
II. Sources of phosphorus
The source of phosphorus is very important in water soluble fertilisers, as it plays a very important role in promoting flowering and fruit retention and in promoting root development. The phosphorus content of water soluble fertilisers is expressed in terms of phosphorus pentoxide (P2O5). The main emphasis is on a product that is free from impurities and will not clog the tiny drip tips of drip irrigation pipes, with water insoluble matter of ≤ 0.1%-0.2%, which means that the raw material source of all kinds of water soluble fertilisers is a high purity chemical, generally at the industrial grade (TECH-GRADE) level, also known as drip or greenhouse grade. The choice of a poor phosphorus source means that the product will not flow well and will tend to clump and clog drip irrigation pipes and heads, leading to solid deposits and scaling in the customer's tank. Poor phosphorus sources do not mix well with other ingredients as a compounding ingredient and have low uptake rates.
III. Potassium sources
There are four main sources of potassium: potassium chloride, potassium sulphate, potassium nitrate and potassium dihydrogen phosphate. Generally speaking, potassium chloride is the least expensive type of fertiliser, followed by potassium sulphate and, best of all, potassium nitrate and potassium dihydrogen phosphate. Because potassium sulphate and potassium chloride contain a large amount of sulphate and chloride ions, long-term application can easily lead to calcium deficiency in the crop, which can easily lead to cracked fruit, rotten heads, blackened root tips that stop growing, yellow leaves, navel rot and other diseases. In addition, the long-term use of fertilisers containing sulphate and chloride ions will greatly reduce the absorption efficiency of nitrate nitrogen, which will enrich the soil salinity and aggravate soil caking and is not conducive to crop root growth. With potassium nitrate and potassium phosphate water soluble fertilisers, either of the two types can be absorbed by the crop without the above symptoms such as salt accumulation, and the corresponding price point is the highest.
IV. Formulation
On the basis of the formula, according to the technical advantages of each manufacturer, a good water soluble fertilizer will add some combination of additives to the water soluble fertilizer formulation to prevent the product from caking, add chelating agents to prevent leaching loss of elements, improve fertilizer utilization rate, improve crop yield and quality. The small manufacturers are good at adding hormones and other substances to the water soluble fertiliser, which can cause excessive cell expansion and damage the growth of the plant, with very obvious results in the early stages, but in the middle and late stages it is easy to cause premature failure, reducing plant resistance and seriously affecting the plant's yield in the middle and late stages, and can easily cause drug damage, with the ultimate victim being the farmer. In this regard, it is also crucial that high quality water soluble fertilisers do not have a distinct ammonia smell or pungent hormone taste.
The above is some knowledge about water soluble fertilizer, I hope that the majority of dealers and farmers friends in the choice of products can keep your eyes open, choose the regular manufacturers, do not