Types And Importance Of Biofertilizers

May 20, 2023, 16:45 IST

If you are looking for biofertilisers, you have come to the right place!

We will discuss bio-fertilisers in this article. Indian farmers require bio fertilisers because of the country's agricultural economy. Even though the monsoon influences most of our farming activities, using good fertiliser can help farmers produce better crops and boost soil fertility.

The different kinds, uses, elements and significance of biofertilisers will be covered in this article.

Introduction

The term "biofertiliser" refers to biological products containing living microorganisms that, when applied to soil, plant surfaces, or seed, encourage growth through various mechanisms, including increasing the availability of nutrients, increasing root biomass or area, and enhancing plant nutrient uptake.

What are Biofertilizers?

A biofertiliser contains living microorganisms that colonise the host plant's rhizosphere and stimulate growth by increasing the supply or availability of vital nutrients when applied to soil, seeds, or plant surfaces. Bio fertilisers add nutrients to the soil through organic procedures, including nitrogen fixation, phosphorus solubilisation, and the creation of hormones that promote plant development.

Types of Biofertilizers

Following are some significant categories of bio fertilisers:

• Symbiotic Nitrogen-Fixing Bacteria: Rhizobium is an example of a symbiotic nitrogen-fixing bacterium that receives food and protection from plants in exchange for the plants' fixed nitrogen. Rhizobium is one of the most effective symbiotic nitrogen-fixing microorganisms. Here, bacteria look to plants for protection and sustenance. In return, they provide the plants with free nitrogen to help them.
• A Loose Association of Nitrogen-Fixing Bacteria: Although they live beside the plants, certain bacteria are not directly related to them. Rhizosphere association refers to these bacteria gathering, exudating, and consuming it. This behaviour is known as associative mutualism.
• Symbiotic Cyanobacteria that Fix Nitrogen: Numerous cyanobacteria that fix nitrogen symbiotically exist, including those found in liverworts, cycad roots, microbes discharged during fern plant death, etc. Many plants have a symbiotic relationship with cyanobacteria, sometimes known as blue-green algae. The leaf chambers of the fern contain Anabaena. It is in charge of fixing nitrogen. The rice plants can utilise the nutrients released when the fern plants break down. The fern Azolla pinnata flourishes in rice fields, yet it has little impact on the plant's development.

Components of Biofertilizers

The following are the components of a biofertiliser:

• Bio Compost: It is made from waste products from the sugar industry and is environmentally beneficial. It also contains some plants, germs, and fungi.
• Tricho-Card: This non-pathogenic eco-friendly product benefits many crops and plants by destroying crop-harmful substances.
• Azotobacter: It aids atmospheric nitrogen fixation and defends plant roots from soil infections.
• Phosphorus: Phosphorus fertilisers are beneficial for determining the precise nitrogen level a plant needs and the amount of nitrogen in the soil.
• Vermicompost: These organic fertilisers, which contain the vitamins, Sulphur, hormones, organic carbon, and antibiotics necessary for plant growth, are known for fast-increasing soil fertility. They are also among the most environmentally benign fertilisers.

Applications of Biofertilizers

Here are a few examples of biofertiliser applications:

• Seedling Root Dip: The seedlings are inserted into a waterbed for 8 to 10 hours using the seedling root dip technique for rice crops.
• Seed Treatment: The seeds are treated by being soaked in fertilisers that are a mixture of nitrogen and phosphorus. They are planted as soon as possible after drying.
• Treatment of the Soil: The Biofertilizer and Compost Fertilizer Mixture is stored overnight and applied to the Soil the next Day. Before planting the seedlings, this therapy is administered.

Benefits of Biofertilizers

Bio-fertilizers are active microorganisms of bacterial, fungal, or algal origins. They can be used separately or in combination, although their modes of action are different.

• Biofertilizers in legume crops fix atmospheric nitrogen and release it to the plant through the soil and root nodules.
• They convert phosphates, including tricalcium, iron, and aluminium phosphates, that are insoluble and soluble.
• They plunder the soil layers for phosphate.
• They create hormones and antimetabolites that encourage the growth of roots.
• They aid in the mineralisation of soil and the breakdown of organic materials.
• Biofertilizers can be applied to soil or seed to increase nutrient availability and boost yield by 10% to 25% without harming the soil or the environment.

Disadvantages of Biofertilizers

A few drawbacks of biofertilizers are listed below:

• Biofertilizers complement chemical fertilisers, not replace them.
• Biofertilizers increase only 20–30% of crop output. They do not significantly increase productivity, in contrast to chemical fertilisers.
• Specific fertilisers are required for certain crops. This is more relevant to microorganisms that coexist in symbiosis. Applying non-specific Rhizobium as a fertiliser will not increase root nodulation or crop yield.
• Microbial fertiliser must be produced under strict aseptic conditions. Contamination is a frequent issue in microbial mass production.
• Because they are light-sensitive, microbes are destroyed for a lengthy period when exposed to sunlight.
• Microbial fertilisers must be used within six months after being held at room temperature and within two years of being stored at a chilling temperature.

Precautions to Take while Using Biofertilizers

The following precautions should be observed when applying bio fertilisers:

• Packets of biofertiliser must be kept cool, dry, and out of the sun.
• The proper biofertiliser combinations must be employed.
• Rhizobium should only be used for the designated crop because it is crop-specific.
• Biofertilizers shouldn't be combined with other chemicals.
• When making a purchase, one should make sure that each packet contains the relevant details, such as the product's name, the crop it is meant for, the manufacturer's name and address, the product's date of manufacturing, its expiration date, the batch number, and usage instructions.
• The packet must be used only on the designated crop before it expires and using the suggested application technique.
• Because they are living items, bio fertilisers must be stored carefully.
• For the best results, employ both phosphatic and nitrogenous fertilisers.
• Biofertilizers should be used in addition to chemical fertilisers and organic manures. Although they cannot replace fertilisers, bio fertilisers can help plants get nutrients.

How to use Biofertilizers Effectively

• Biofertilizer products must be free of contaminating microorganisms and include an excellent, effective strain in the right population.
• Use biofertilisers in the proper proportions and before their expiration date.
• Use the recommended application technique and apply it at the right time according to the instructions on the label.
• For best results, use an appropriate adhesive when treating seeds.
• Use corrective techniques for difficult soils, such as seed pelleting with gypsum or lime or adjusting the pH of the ground using lime.
• Make sure phosphorus and other nutrients are available.

Biofertilisers: FAQs

Q1. What exactly is a biofertiliser?

Ans. 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.

Q2. How do bio fertilisers improve the fertility of the soil?

Ans. 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.

Q3. Which biofertiliser is most popular?

Ans. 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.

Q4. What substance is present in biofertiliser?

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

Q5. Which one is the free living biofertiliser?

Ans. 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."