BIOFERTILZERS FACTS AND FIGURE

BYMr.ALLAH DAD KHAN

AGRICULTURE EXPERT KPK PAKISTAN

Biofertilizers Definition

• Biofertilizers :are defined as biologically active products ormicrobial inoculantsofbacteria,algaeandfungi(separately or in combination), which may help biologicalnitrogenfixation for the benefit of plants. They did not contain any chemical which are detrimental to the living soil.

Why Biofertilizers? After the introduction of chemical fertilizers in the last century, farmers

were happy of getting increased yield in agriculture in the beginning. But slowly chemical fertilizers started displaying their ill-effects such as leaching out, and polluting water basins, destroying micro-organisms and friendly insects, making the crop more susceptible to the attack of diseases, reducing the soil fertility and thus causing irreparable damage to the overall system.

Why Bio Fertilizers? contd

1. With the introduction of green revolution technologies the modern agriculture is getting more and more dependent upon the steady supply of synthetic inputs (mainly fertilizers) which are products of fossil fuel (coal+ petroleum). Excessive dependence of modern agriculture and the supply of these synthetic inputs and the adverse effects being noticed due to their excessive and imbalanced use has compelled the scientific fraternity to look for alternatives.

2. Excessive and imbalanced use of chemical fertilizers has adversely affected the soil causing decrease in organic carbon, reduction in microbial flora of soil, increasing acidity and alkalinity and hardening of soil.

3. Excessive use of N-fertilizer are contaminating water bodies thus affecting fish fauna and causing health hazards for human beings and animals.

4. Production of chemical fertilizers adds to the pollution.

Advantages of Biofertilizers 1. Renewable source of nutrients , Longer shelf life -12-24 months.

2. Sustain soil health , no contimination , easy to use.

3. Supplement chemical fertilizers.

4. Replace 25-30% chemical fertilizers

5. Increase the grain yields by 10-40%., better survival on seeds and soil.

6. Decompose plant residues, and stabilize C:N ratio of soil

7. Improve texture, structure and water holding capacity of soil

8. No adverse effect on plant growth and soil fertility.

9. Stimulates plant growth by secreting growth hormones.

10. Secrete fungistatic and antibiotic like substances

11. Solubilize and mobilize nutrients with high enzymatic activity since contimination is nil.

12. Eco-friendly, non-pollutants and cost effective method

Types of Bio fertilizers

Nitrogen Biofertilizers Azobacter = For non legume cropsRhizobium = For legume cropsBlue green algae =For rice cropAzospirillum = Millets , oil seed and cottonAzolla =For Rice Acetobacter = For sugarcane crop

Azotobacter • It is important and well known free living nitrogen fixing aerobic

bacterium. It is used as a Bio-Fertilizer for all non leguminous plants especially rice, cotton, vegetables etc. Of the several species of Azotobacter, A. chroococcum happens to be the dominant inhabitant in arable soils capable of fixing N2 (2-15 mg N2 fixed/g of carbon) in culture media. The lack of organic matter in the soil is a limiting factor for the proliferation of Azotobacter in the soil

Rhizobium

• It has been estimated that 40-250 kg N/ha/year is fixed by different legume crops by the microbial activities of Rhizobium

Quantity of Biological N fixed by Liquid Rhizobium in different crops

Host group Rhizobium species Crops Fixed N kg/ha

Pea group R.leguminosarum Green pea ,lentil 62-132

Soybean Group R.japonicum Soybean 57-105

Beans Group R.Phaseoli Beans 80-110

Clover Group R.trifoli Clovers 130Alfafa Group R.Melilotus Alfalfa 100-150

Cow Peas R.species Cow Peas 57-105

Blue Green Algae (Cyanobacteria)

• These are free-living as well as symbiotic cyanobacteria (blue green algae) and described by a group of one-celled to many-celled aquatic organisms. These can be brown, purple or red in colour, found in wet and marshy conditions, only used for rice cultivation and do not survive in acidic

Azospirillum • It belongs to bacteria and fix the considerable quantity of nitrogen in the range of

20- 40 kg N/ha in the rhizosphere in nonleguminous plants such as cereals, millets, oilseeds, cotton etc. The organism proliferates under both anaerobic and aerobic conditions. It do not form root nodules and live inside plant roots. It stimulates for the production of growth promoting substance (IAA), disease resistance and drought tolerance

Azolla• Azolla is a free-floating water fern that floats in water and fixes atmospheric

nitrogen in association with nitrogen fixing blue green alga Anabaena azollae. Azolla is used as biofertilizer for wetland rice and it is known to contribute 40-60 kg N/ha per rice crop Besides its cultivation as a green manure, Azolla has been used as a sustainable feed substitute for livestock especially dairy cattle, poultry, piggery and fish.

Types of Bio fertilizers • Phosphorus biofertilizers • Phosphate solubilizing microorganisms (PSM): The species of Pseudomonas, Bacillus, Aspergillus etc.

secrete organic acids and lower the pH in their vicinity to bring about dissolution of bound phosphates in soil.

• Phosphatika for all crops to be applied with Rhizobium, Azotobacter, Azospirillum and Acetobacter• Am Fungi• The transfer of nutrients mainly phosphorus and also zinc and sulphur from the soil milleu to the cells of

the root cortex is mediated by intracellular obligate fungal endosymbionts of the genera Glomus, Gigaspora, Acaulospora, Sclerocysts and Endogone which possess vesicles for storage of nutrients and arbuscles for funneling these nutrients into the root system. By far, the commonest genus appears to be Glomus, which has several species distributed in soil.

• Availability for pure cultures of AM (Arbuscular Mycorrhiza) fungi is an impediment in large scale production despite the fact that beneficial effects of AM fungal inoculation to plants have been repeatedly shown under experimental conditions in the laboratory especially in conjunction with other nitrogen fixers.

Types of biofertilizers

Compost Biofertilizers 1. Cellulolytic fungal culture2. Phosphotika and Azotobacter culture

Biofertilizers and Fertility 1. The Rhizobium legume symbiosis could meet more than 80% need

of legume crop and increase yield of pulse crop by 10-15 %2. Azolla ( Blue green algae relevant to rice crop contributes 20-40

%kg/ha fertilizer equivalent to Nitrogen .3. Phosphate solubilizing bacteria with low grade rock phosphate

contribute about 30-35 kg P/ha in neutral to slightly alkaline soils.4. The farm produce does not contain traces of hazardous and

poisonous materials5. Thus those products are accepted across the world as Organic

ones.6. Hence for organic farming the use of biofertilizers is mandatory.

How Biofertilizers works?

1. Biofertilizers fix atmospheric nitrogen in the soil and root nodules of legume crops and make it available to plants.

2. They solubilize the insoluble form of phosphate like tricalcium iron and alluminium into available form.

3. They scavenge phosphate from soil layers.4. They produce hormones and anti metabolites in soil.5. They decompose organic matter and help in

mineralization of soil.6. Incerase yield by 10-15 % without adversely affecting the

soil and environment.

Application of BiofertilizersSeed treatment

• The seeds are uniformly mixed in the slurry of inoculant and then shade dried for 30 minutes. The shade dried seeds are to be sown within 24 hours. One packet of the inoculant (200 g) is sufficient to treat 10 kg of seeds

Application of BiofertilizersSeedling root dip

This method is used for transplanted crops. Two packets of the inoculant are mixed in 40 litres of water. The root portion of the seedlings is dipped in the mixture for 5 to 10 minutes and then transplanted

Application of BiofertilizersMain Field Application

Four packets of the inoculant are mixed with 20 kgs of dried and powdered farm yard manure and then broadcasted in the main field just before transplanting.

Application of BiofertilizersSet Treatment

This method is recommended generally for treating the sets of sugarcane, cut pieces of potato and the base of banana suckers. Culture suspension is prepared by mixing 1 kg (5 packets) of bio-fertilizer in 40- 50 litres of water and cut pieces of planting material are kept immersed in the suspension for 30 minutes. The cut pieces are dried in shade for some time before planting. For set treatment, the ratio of bio-fertilizer to water is approximately 1:50

Difference between Biofertilizer and organic manure

Biofertilizer Organic manure

Bio-fertilizer it self explains, fertilizer that contains living organisms that synthesis the atmospheric plant nutrient in the soil or in the plant body, the bio' fertilizers may be in solid or liquid medium and micro organisms are in huge numbers i.e. 10000000 \gm

Organic manure is the manure prepared from the animal\plant wastes after properly decomposing the raw material it may contain all necessary plant nutrients in small quantities. these are required in large quqntities. these may the medium for bio-fertilizers.

History of biofertilizers

• The commercial history of Biofertilizers began with the launch of ‘Nitragin’ by Nobbe and Hiltner, a laboratory culture of Rhizobia in 1895, followed by the discovery of Azotobacter and then the blue green algae and a host of other microorganisms. Azospirillum and VesicularArbuscular Micorrhizae (VAM) are fairly recent discoveries.

Concepts of Biofertilizers

Care for biofertilizers

1. Biofertilisers are live product and require care in storage

2. For best results use both nitrogenous and phosphatic biofertilisers

3. Use of biofertilizers is being empasized along with chemical fertilizers and organic manures.

4. Biofertilizers are not replacement of fertlizers but can supplement their requirement.

CONSTRAINTS IN

BIOFERTILIZERS

Technological constraints

1. Use of improper, less efficient strains for production.2. Lack of qualified technical personnel in production

units.3. Unavailability of good quality carrier material or use

of different carrier materials by different producers without knowing the quality of the materials.

4. Production of poor quality inoculants without understanding the basic microbiological techniques

5. Short shelf life of inoculants.

Infrastructural constraints

1. Non-availability of suitable facilities for production

2. Lack of essential equipments, power supply, etc.

3. Space availability for laboratory, production, storage, etc.

4. Lack of facility for cold storage of inoculant packets

Financial constraints

1. Non-availability of sufficient funds and problems in getting bank loans

2. Less return by sale of products in smaller production units

Environmental constraints

1. Seasonal demand for biofertilizers2. Simultaneous cropping operations and short

span of sowing/planting in a particular locality

3. Soil characteristics like salinity, acidity, drought, water logging, etc.

Human resources and quality constraints

a. Lack of technically qualified staff in the production units.b. Lack of suitable training on the production techniques.c. Ignorance on the quality of the product by the manufacturerd. Non-availability of quality specifications and quick quality control

methodse. No regulation or act on the quality of the productsf. Awareness on the technologyg. Unawareness on the benefits of the technologyh. Problem in the adoption of the technology by the farmers due to

different methods of inoculation.i. No visual difference in the crop growth immediately as that of

inorganic fertilizers.

Awareness on the technology

a) Unawareness on the benefits of the technology.b) Problem in the adoption of the technology by

the farmers due to different methods of inoculation.

c) No visual difference in the crop growth immediately as that of inorganic fertilizers.

d) Unawareness on the damages caused on the ecosystem by continuous application of inorganic fertilize

Marketing constraints

1. Non availability of right inoculant at the right place in right time.

2. Lack of retain outlets or the market network for the producers.

Recommendationsa. For pulses such as moong, urad, arhar, cowpea etc and legume oil seeds such as

groundnut and soyabean use Rhizobium + Phosphotika 200 gm each per 10 kg of seed as seed treatment.

b. For non legume crops such as wheat, sorghum maize, cotton mustard etc use Azotobacter + Phosphotika 200 gm each per 10 kg of seed as seed treatment.

c. For Jute - Azospirillum + Phosphotika 200 gm each as seed treatment.d. Vegetables like tomato, brinjal, chilli, cabbage, cauliflower etc. use

Azotobacter/Azospirillum + Phosphotika, 1 kg each as seedling root dip.e. Low land transplanted paddy Azospirillum + Phosphotika 2 kg each/acre as

seeding root dip for 8-10 hrs.f. Potato, ginger colocassia, turmeric, sugarcane and zoom paddy-use

Azospirillum/Azotobacter + Phosphotika 4 kg each/acre mixed with compost and applied as soil treatment.

g. Sugarcane-use Acetobacter + Phosphotika 4 kg each/acre as seed set dipping.h. Plantation crops-Azotobacter _Phosphotika 4 kg each/acre with compost and applied

in soil in two splits per year.