Organic Farming is a
method of cultivation done in line with nature. For a cultivation which
facilitates Biodiversity a cost effective method is to involve Bio-agents. Bio-agents
include Biofertilizers, Bio-Pesticides and Bio-Control Agents. This piece deals
with Biofertilizers – its types, uses and advantages. These are low cost inputs
which helps farmers at both ends. In expenditure end, it is very cheap so
affordable even to poor farmers at income end, the produces excels in quality
compared to the chemically produces ones. Hence farmers gets premium price. As
a bonus to the ecosystem and environment, the microbial load is increased, the
farmers’ friends (insects like spider, earthworm and many beneficial insects) and
their food web are protected.
For increased yield the
farmer should main the fertility of the soil. Only when the soil is fertile,
the crop can absorb the nutrients from soil. Nutrient transfer from source to
sink decides the quality and quantity of the produce. Biofertilizers are
eco-friendly means of supplying nutrients to the soil. Biofertilizers are ready
to use live formulates of such beneficial microorganisms which on application
to seed, root or soil mobilize the availability of nutrients by their biological
activity in particular, and help build up the micro-flora and in turn the soil
health in general.
Biofertilizers:
With intensive
agriculture farmers have dumped a lot of chemicals in the name of fertilizers
which are actually salts which have drastically reduced the microbial load of
the soil. Also fertilizers being a derivative of fossil fuels, make us more
dependent on sources out of farm. Biofertilizers are a good alternative to the
chemical fertilizers. Use of biofertilizers in crop cultivation helps in
safeguarding the soil health and also the quality of crop products. It increases
the crop yield by 20-30% as it stimulates plant growth.
For increasing the
Nitrogen content, Rhizobium is used for legume crops like black gram, green
gram, red gram, chick pea and so on. Azotobacter and Azospirillum are used for
non-legume crops and Acetobacter for Sugarcane only. Blue-Green Algae (BGA) and
Azolla are suitable for low land paddy only. There are biofertilizers to
solubilize Phosphorus, Potash and Zinc.
To use biofertilizers,
the farmer has to mix it with either farmyard manure or vermicompost and
broadcast in field. Biofertilizers are inoculums which feed on the decomposed
farm residues. On their decomposition it provides nutrition or it converts from
one form to another (its excreta or exudes) which make the soil fertile by
enriching with the needed nutrients. The texture of the soil is altered from
hard to fragile which facilitates root penetration and facilitates the root
system to perform better.
With the soaring price
if chemical fertilizers, the farmers can use biofertilizers as an alternative
and can keep agriculture going in a profitable way both economically and
eco-friendly.
Azospirillum is a nitrogen fixing biofertilizer. Nitrogen is a major nutrient for all plants. Azospirillum lipofereum is a very useful soil and root bacterium. It is an associative symbiotic nitrogen fixing bacteria. It is found in the soil around plant roots and root surface. It also produces growth-promoting substances like indole acetic acid (iaa), gibberellins, pantothenic acid, thiamine and niacin and it promotes root proliferation and it improve the plant growth yield. It increases the rootlet density and root branching resulting in the increased uptake of mineral and water. Azospirillum is recommended for rice millets, maize, wheat sorghum etc. and it fixes 20-40 kg N/hectare.
The aerobic bacteria, Azotobacter chroococcum is known to fix
considerable quantity of nitrogen in the range of 20-40 kg of nitrogen / ha in
the rhizosphere in non-leguminous crops. The lack of organic matter in the soil
is a limited factor in the proliferation of Azotobacter in the soil. The
bacterium induces hormones that help plants in better germination, early
emergence and better root development.
Azolla
is a water fern. It fixes atmospheric nitrogen into the soil with the help of
blue green algae by symbiosis process. Its application improves soil health and
soil fertility. Azolla suppresses weed growth, reduces loss of applied chemical
Nitrogen fertilizer. Azolla biofertilizer technology is simple, economic and
ecofriendly. In rice field Azolla grown once before or after planting can
produce upto 25 tons of fresh biomass and contribute upto 50 kg N/ha. Azolla
grown once during the cropping season can easily supply 20-40 kg N/ha. Azolla
can be used as a feed for poultry, duckery, fish and cattle. It is suitable for
flooded condition which fixes upto 40-80 kg N/hectare. When applied in desired
quantity. Around 10 q of Azolla is required for a hectare of land.
BGA
is an algae, fixes 20-30 kg N/hectare. Its application to rice increases yield
by 15-20%.
Rhizobium
is a nitrogen fixing biofertilizer. Rhizobium sp. is the symbiotic nitrogen
fixer which assimilates atmospheric nitrogen and fixes in the root nodule,
formed in the roots of leguminous plants. These bacteria infect the roots of
leguminous plants, leading to the formation of “lumps” or “nodules” where the
nitrogen fixation takes place. The bacterium also produces enzymes
(nitrogenase) that supply a constant source of reduced nitrogen to the host
plant. Rhyzobium is suitable for Ground nut, Black gram, Green gram, Red gram,
Cow pea, Bengal gram, Mustard, Soy bean, French bean, Cluster bean, Lab-lab,
Sesbania sp, Leguminous trees etc.
- Rhizobium
+ Phosphobacteria at 200 gm each per 10 kg of seed as seed treatment are
recommended for pulses such as pigeonpea, green gram, black gram, cowpea
etc, groundnut and soybean.
- Azotobacter
+ Phosphobacteria at 200 gm each per 10 kg of seed as seed treatment are
useful for wheat, sorghum, maize, cotton, mustard etc.
- For
transplanted rice, the recommendation is to dip the roots of seedlings for
8 to 10 hours in a solution of Azospirillum + Phosphobacteria at 5 kg each
per ha.
- Rhizobium
is used for pulse legume. It fixes 50-100 kg N/hectare with legumes. For
different pulse crops specific rhizobium cultures are required.
Applications:
Seed
treatment: 200 g of nitrogenous biofertilizer and 200 g of Phosphobacteria
are suspended in 300-400 ml of water and mixed thoroughly. Ten kg seeds are
treated with this paste and dried in shade. The treated seeds have to be sown
as soon as possible.
Seedling
root dip: For rice crop, a bed is made in the field and
filled with water. Recommended biofertilizers are mixed in this water and the
roots of seedlings are dipped for 8-10 hrs.
Soil
treatment: 4 kg each of the recommended biofertilizers are
mixed in 200 kg of compost and kept overnight. This mixture is incorporated in
the soil at the time of sowing or planting.
Phosphorous plays the
key role in the integrated nutrient management to plants next to nitrogen. It
is the key factor for the crop productivity. It is one of the major essential
macronutrients for plants and is applied to soil in the form of phosphate
fertilizers. However, a large portion of soluble inorganic phosphate which is
applied to the soil as chemical fertilizer is immobilized rapidly and becomes
unavailable to plants.
Phosphobacteria
solubilizes the available source of phosphate in the soil and made readily available
to the plant and improves soil properties in turn sustains soil fertility as it
aids utilization of Potash and other nutrients. It stimulates the growth of the
plant. Hence it results in plumpness and succulence of fruits and grains with
increased protein percentage. An increase in yield from 10% to 20% is
documented. Such produces fetches good price.
Phosphorus is a major
nutrient for plants inducing vigorous growth and also contributing to their
disease resistance. Phosphorous helps in root formation and plant growth. The
plants utilize only 10–15% of phosphate applied. The balance 85 – 90% remains
in insoluble form in the soil. The bio promoter has highly efficient phosphate
solubilizing bacteria (Bacillus megaterium) that grow and secrete organic
acids, which dissolve this unavailable phosphate into soluble form and make it
available to the plants. Thus, the residual phosphate fertilizers in the soil
can be well utilized and external application can be optimized. It facilitates root
formation and plant growth, improves soil quality with subsequent uses.
Potash Mobilizer is a
beneficial bacterium capable of mobilizing Potassium available in soil into the
root zone of plants. It works well in all types of soil. Use of such bacteria
in powder form can increase the availability of more potash in usable form to
the plants. When applied to soil, potash mobilizing bacterium multiplies, and
helps to mobilize potassium fixed in soil. This mobilized potassium is easily
available to the plants and reduces Potassium application. The mobilizing power
is so high that it can save upto 50-60% of the chemical potassium fertilizer. Potash
mobilized is immediately available to the plants. It stimulates flowering and
fruiting. It improves soil properties and sustains soil fertility. It encourages
plumpness and succulence of fruits and grains and increases brix level. Increases
the yield from 10% - 20% and it improves the quality of produce and thus
fetches good price.
Zinc
Mobilizer is a bio-fertilizer made of pure cultures of
naturally occurring soil-borne zinc solubilizing bacterium. Zinc solubilizing
bacterium multiplies, secrete organic acids and helps to solubilize insoluble
and chelated zinc fixed in the soil. This mobilized zinc is easily available to
the plants.
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