Why is phosphorus so important in fertilizers?

Phosphorus is a key nutrient because living cells use it in ATP, the molecule that stores and transfers energy, as well as in DNA and phospholipids. Plants absorb phosphorus mainly as phosphate ions from soil, but many soils do not contain enough available phosphate for high crop yields. That is why phosphate fertilizers are widely used in agriculture. The phosphorus cycle is a major part of modern farming, and rock phosphate deposits are mined and processed into fertilizers around the world.