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.