Biofertilizers are biologically derived substances (microorganisms) that, when added to soil, improve its fertility and promote plant growth. Biofertilizers are made up of living organisms such as mycorrhizal fungi, blue-green algae, bacteria, or their combinations.
Biofertilizers are cost-effective, environmentally friendly, and renewable sources of plant nutrients. The importance of biofertilizers in agricultural production is extremely important, especially considering the current skyrocketing cost of agricultural inputs.
Benefits of Biofertilizers
Biofertilizers play an important role in agriculture because of the following benefits:
- Biofertilizers supplement chemical fertilizers.
- Biofertilizers are inexpensive and can help to reduce the use of chemical fertilizers.
- Microbes in biofertilizers deliver environmental nitrogen to plants directly.
- They help with the solubilization and mineralization of other plant nutrients such as phosphates.
- Plant development is improved through enhanced production and availability of hormones, vitamins, auxins, and other growth-promoting chemicals.
- Their use increases agricultural output by 10–20 percent on average.
- They help in the growth and survival of beneficial microorganisms in the root zone (rhizospheric bacteria).
- They have the ability to regulate and suppress pathogenic soil bacteria.
- They improve soil texture by increasing the quantity of humus in the soil and help to keep it fertile.
- These are nature-friendly and pollution-free.
Types of Biofertilizers
Biofertilizers are basically divided into two categories:
- Biological nitrogen-fixing biofertilizers
- Potassium mobilizing biofertilizers
Biological nitrogen fixing biofertilizers are microorganisms that may fix biological molecular nitrogen (N2) in plants either symbiotically or symbiotically. Potassium mobilizing biofertilizers have the ability to solubilize or mobilize the soil's fixed insoluble phosphates.
Application Methods
The following are the most important biofertilizer applications:
- Seedling Root Dip: This method is typically used for rice crops. The seedlings are planted in a bed of water and allowed to grow for 8-10 hours.
- Seed Treatment: The seeds are immersed in a fertilizer mixture of nitrogen and phosphate. These seeds are then allowed to dry before being sown as soon as possible.
- Soil Treatment: The biofertilizers and compost fertilizers are combined and left on the soil for one night. This mixture is then spread on the soil where the seeds will be planted.
Things to remember
- Biofertilizers are supplementary to chemical fertilizers, not a replacement for them.
- Biofertilizers only improve crop productivity by 20 to 30 percent. They do not result in a huge rise in productivity like chemical fertilizer.
- Certain crops necessitate the use of certain fertilizers. This applies more to symbiotic microbes. If non-specific rhizobium is used as a fertilizer, it will not result in root nodulation or an increase in crop production.
- Strict aseptic precautions are required during the manufacture of microbial fertilizer. Contamination is a common problem during the mass manufacturing of microbes.
- Microbes are killed when exposed to sunlight for an extended period of time because they are light-sensitive.
- When kept at room temperature, microbial fertilizers must be used within six months of manufacturing, and they must be used within two years if stored at chilling temperature.
- Microbial fertilizer efficiency is determined by soil characteristics such as moisture content, pH, heat, organic matter, and the types of microorganisms present. When these conditions are unfavourable, microbial fertilizer may be ineffective in increasing soil fertility.