Table 1.

Common methods of plant nutrition and production.

Application Methods	Advantages	Limitations
Organic fertilizer	Improving yield crop and soil performance, and soil acidification (Zhang and Wei, 2012; Li et al., 2018; Chang et al., 2010).	Contains variable nutrients, lack of quick availability in the plant, need for growth-stimulating bacteria suitable for the type of host, bacterial resistance, and incompatibility of plant growth bacteria with the environment causing short-term effects. May contain human pathogens such as Escherichia coli, antibiotics, and heavy metals. (Kyakuwaire et al., 2019; Marques et al., 2021).
Inorganic fertilizer	Easy and fast application, increase the micronutrient content in various crops (Naguib, 2011; Lin et al., 2019).	High fertilizer requirement, harmful biological effects, the need for time and chemical application, and increased activity of heavy metals, labor-intensive to apply (FAOSTAT, 2021; Marques et al., 2021)
Soaking seed	Improving yield and seed germination, better establishment of seedlings, and development of the root system (Farooq et al., 2019)	Effectiveness depends on time, genotype, and environmental factors