UPSC Articles
Di-Ammonium Phosphate (DAP)
Part of: Prelims and GS-III – Economy
Context An acute shortage of di-ammonium phosphate (DAP) in Haryana has seen desperate farmers pelting stones at the police, blocking roads in protest.
Why is DAP important for farmers?
- Diammonium phosphate (DAP) is the world’s most widely used phosphorus fertilizer.
- DAP fertilizer is an excellent source of Phosphorus and nitrogen (N) for plant nutrition.
- It’s highly soluble and thus dissolves quickly in soil to release plant-available phosphate and ammonium.
- A notable property of DAP is the alkaline pH that develops around the dissolving granule.
- Being a basic nutrient for Rabi crops, the DAP fertiliser has to be sprinkled at the time of sowing crops like mustard and wheat.
- Any delay in its supply could adversely impact the sowing of crops.
Non-agricultural uses
- DAP also acts as a fire retardant. For example, a mixture of DAP and other ingredients can be spread in advance of a fire to prevent a forest from burning. It then becomes a nutrient source after the danger of fire has passed.
- DAP is used in various industrial processes, too, such as metal finishing.
- It’s commonly added to wine to sustain yeast fermentation and to milk to produce cheese cultures.
