Biofertilisers

Defining Biofertilizers

Biofertilizers are natural fertilizers that contain live microorganisms. When applied to seed, soil, or plant surfaces, these organisms enhance plant growth by increasing nutrient supply, enlarging root systems, and improving nutrient absorption.

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Categories of Biofertilizers

Type Description
Symbiotic Nitrogen-Fixing Bacteria Example: Rhizobium. These bacteria form a mutually beneficial relationship with plants, fixing atmospheric nitrogen in exchange for food and shelter from the host plant.
Associative Nitrogen-Fixing Bacteria These bacteria live close to plant roots but are not directly attached. They help in nitrogen fixation near the root zone.
Symbiotic Cyanobacteria Examples include Anabaena in ferns. These organisms fix nitrogen that becomes available to plants like rice after the host plant decomposes.

Key Components of Biofertilizers

  • Bio Compost: Created from agricultural waste, beneficial for soil health and crop protection.
  • Tricho-Card: Aids in combating plant pathogens, ensuring healthy crop growth.
  • Azotobacter: Facilitates the fixation of nitrogen directly from the atmosphere.
  • Phosphorus Solubilizers: Enhance the availability of phosphorus to plants, promoting better growth.
  • Vermicompost: Known for rapidly improving soil fertility with essential nutrients and organic material.

Applications and Usage

  • Seedling Root Dip: Immersing seedlings in a biofertilizer solution to enhance root development.
  • Seed Treatment: Coating seeds with biofertilizer to boost nutrient uptake from the beginning of plant growth.
  • Soil Treatment: Mixing biofertilizer with compost and applying it to the soil before planting enhances soil nutrient content and structure.

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Advantages of Biofertilizers

  • Eco-friendly and sustain soil health.
  • Increase crop yield by 10% to 25%.
  • Enhance soil biology by augmenting beneficial microbe populations.

Limitations of Biofertilizers

  • Cannot completely replace chemical fertilizers.
  • Effectiveness depends on specific microorganisms tailored to each crop type.
  • Sensitive to storage conditions; effectiveness diminishes with prolonged exposure to heat and sunlight.

Usage Precautions

  • Store in cool, dry places away from direct sunlight.
  • Use the correct biofertilizer type for specific crops.
  • Do not mix with chemical fertilizers to avoid adverse reactions.

Also Check: Nutrition in Plants

Effective Application Tips

  • Ensure biofertilizers are free from contaminants and contain viable microorganisms.
  • Apply at the correct time and use the recommended methods such as soil application or seed treatment.
  • For problematic soils, adjust pH levels appropriately before application to maximize efficacy.

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Frequently Asked Questions on Biofertilisers

The term "biofertiliser" (sometimes spelt "bio-fertilizer") refers to a material that contains living microorganisms that, when added to soil, seeds, or plant surfaces, colonise the rhizosphere or inside of the plant and encourage development by boosting the supply or availability of primary nutrients to the host plant.

By supplying nutrients, bio fertilisers immediately raise soil fertility. Biofertilisers produce soluble phosphorus, chemicals that promote plant growth, and nitrogen fixes from the environment to supply nutrients. Biofertilisers are substances that, when added to soil, provide the microorganisms needed for soil fertility and plant growth.

Verifiers and anaerobic biofilters, composed of anaerobic microbes, are the most popular kinds of extensively used biofilters. Such biofilters are also essential for waste chemical treatment using membranes.

The biofertilisers used in our present investigation include Azotobacter and phosphate-solubilizing bacteria (PSB).

Azotobacter and Rhizobium are symbiotic and free-living bacteria, respectively. They aid in increasing the number of nutrients. So they are known as "bio-fertilizers."