As an undergraduate-level Chemistry teacher, you can use this set of computer-based tools to help you in teaching about fertilizers, types of fertilizers, the assessment of different types of fertilizers, the possible effect of fertilizer use on the environment due to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and best practices to mitigatethese effects.
The teaching tools in this lesson plan help students to understand the significance of GHG emissions from fertilizer use. Further, the lesson plan triggers a discussion on practices to mitigate such emissions because GHGs are possible contributors to climate change. Thus, the use of this lesson plan allows you to integrate the teaching of a climate science topic with a core topic in Chemistry.
Questions
Use this lesson plan to help your students find answers to:
Why are fertilizers important for agriculture globally?
What is the potential impact of fertilizer use on climate?
How does nitrogen (N) fertilizer contribute to nitrous oxide emissions?
What are the best practices to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions caused by fertilizer use?
Contributed by Dr. Shikha Gulati, Assistant Professor, Sri Venkateswara College (University of Delhi), India.
Want to know more about how to contribute? Contact us.
About Lesson Plan
Grade Level
Undergraduate
Discipline
Chemistry
Topic(s) in Discipline
Fertilizers, Types of Fertilizers
Fertilizers in Agriculture
Effects of the Use of Fertilizers on the Environment
Management of Fertilizers
Climate Topic
Climate and the Atmosphere
The Greenhouse Effect
Location
Global
Language(s)
English
Access
Online
Approximate Time Required
30-50 min
Contents
Micro-lecture (video) (~6 min)
A micro-lecture to introduce the topic of fertilizers, the need for fertilizers, the types of fertilizers used in agriculture, and the benefits and potential risks of using them.
A simplified diagram to explain the nitrogen cycle in agricultural practices and the resultant emission of a GHG nitrous oxide (N20) by the application of nitrogen (N) fertilizers.
A visualization and corresponding data set to show the global warming potential (GWP) of one-unit masses of various GHGs, including N20, relative to that of carbon dioxide.
A video that briefly explains how fertilizers affect plant growth and how a GHG N2O is released to the atmosphere due to soil bacterial action on N fertilizers. Best management practices (BMPs) to mitigate these adverse effects of fertilizer use are also introduced here.
Here is a step-by-step guide to using this lesson plan in the classroom/laboratory. We have suggested these steps as a possible plan of action. You may customize the lesson plan according to your preferences and requirements.
1
Introduce the topic by playing a micro-lecture (video)
Play the micro-lecture (video) “Introduction to Fertilizer” by Dr. John Shields, interim director of the IFDC Research and Development Division. The tool will help you to introduce the topic of fertilizers, the different types of fertilizers and their compositions and their relative advantages and disadvantages.
Use the video to explain how excess nutrients added to the soil are harmful to the environment and discuss what the consequences could be.
Finally, discuss the need for using fertilizers in agriculture to feed the increasing global population.
Discuss the topic further by using a visualization
Explain the nitrogen cycle (with reference to agricultural practices) and supplement by using this simplified diagram “N Cycle”.
Discuss how nitrogen fixation in the soil occurs through natural processes and how it can be carried out artificially through the usage of fertilizers.
Discuss the role of microbes in the nitrogen cycle and how bacterial actions on N fertilizers added to the soil can cause the emission of nitrous oxide (N20) to the atmosphere.
Explain using a visualization and the analysis of a data set
Use the visualization and associated data set “Global warming potential of greenhouse gases over 100-year timescale” to explain the global warming potential (GWP), over a 100-year time-scale, of one-unit masses of various GHGs, and specifically of N20, relative to that of carbon dioxide. With a much higher GWP than carbon dioxide per unit mass, students will learn that the possible impact of N2O emissions from fertilizers on climate is more potent than that of carbon dioxide.
Discuss why a small change in N2O emissions could have a significant impact on global warming.
Play a video to explore possible ways to mitigate the undesired effects of fertilizer use
Play the video “ for an overview of the need to use fertilizers in agriculture and best management practices (BMPs) to mitigate the adverse effects of fertilizer use on global warming.
A visualization that allows students to explore data of GHG emissions across different sectors, thereby providing insights on the GHGs that are particularly significant in agriculture.
This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.
Strictly Necessary Cookies
Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.
If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.
