B.

AGRICULTURAL PROCESSING MANAGEMENT:

1.8. IMPORTANCE OF BIO-FERTILIZERS:

Bio-fertilizers play an important role in improving fertility of the soil. In addition,
their application to soil improves the structure of the soil and minimizes the sole use of
chemical fertilizers. Under low land conditions, the application of blue green algae (BGA)
plus Azospirillum proved significantly beneficial in improving yield of grain. Bio-fertilizers
inoculation with Azotobacter and Rhizobium and Vesicular Arbuscular Mycorrhiza gave the
highest increase in straw and grain yield of wheat plants with rock phosphate as phosphate
fertilizer. Azolla is inexpensive, economical, eco-friendly, which provides benefit in terms
of carbon and nitrogen enrichment of soil. It was recorded microorganisms such as Bacillus
subtilis, Thiobacillus thioxidans and Saccharomyces spp. can fix atmospheric nitrogen
symbiotically and about 80–90% nitrogen demand could be supplied by soya bean through
symbiosis.

Bio-control, a modern approach of disease management can be a significant role of

bio-fertilizer in agriculture. Trichoderma based bio-fungicides has been found promising to
control root rot of mung bean. Growth, yield and quality parameters of certain plants
significantly increased with bio-fertilizers containing bacterial nitrogen fixers, phosphate
and potassium solubilizing bacteria and microbial strains of some bacteria. The importance
of bio fertilizers are highlighted below:

 Secretion of plant growth hormones which help in plant growth.

 Protection of the plant against attack by pathogens.
 Improvement soil fertility.
 No special care is necessary while using bio-fertilizer.
 Reduction in the use of chemical fertilizers.
 Bio-fertilizers are cost effective compared to synthetic fertilizer.
 Promotes growth of plants.
 Bio-fertilizers restore the soil’s natural nutrient cycle and build soil organic matter.
 Bio-fertilizer provides protection against drought.
 Fruit and vegetable production calls for strategies to ensure their round the year
availability to the increasing population at reasonable prices besides safeguarding the
interest of the farmers. There has been substantial increase both in the production and
productivity of the vegetables with the adoption of high yielding varieties and improved
production technologies. The growing of high yielding varieties and the use of chemical
fertilizers are increasing day by day. This indiscriminate use of chemical fertilizers has
simultaneously resulted in many problems like degradation of soil productivity, environment
pollution, depletion of non-renewable source of energy etc. Hence, the use of chemical
fertilizers should be reduced to the minimum and may be substituted with integrated use of
manures, fertilizers, green leaf manure and bio-fertilizers. The approach of integrated plant
nutrient system aims at sustaining productivity with minimum deleterious effects of
chemical on soil health and environment.

In this direction, the applications of bio-fertilizers in fruit and vegetable crops have
been found very effective. Bio-fertilizers offer an economically attractive and ecologically
sound means of reducing external inputs and improving quality and quantity of internal
sources. These inputs contain microorganisms which are capable of mobilizing nutritive
elements from non-usable form to usable form through different biological process. They are
also less expensive, eco-friendly and sustainable; do not require non-renewable source of
energy during their production and improve growth and quality of crops by producing plant
hormones. Bio-fertilizers also increase the sustainability of the soil and make it more
productive. Being bio-control agents, these control many plant pathogens and harmful
microorganisms.

Various bio-fertilizers which commonly used are Azotobacter, Azospirillum,

Phosphate solubilizing bacteria, Vesicular arbuscular mycorrhiza etc. Azotobacter (free
living) and Azospirillum (Associative symbiotic) are nitrogen fixing bacteria, fixes about 30
kg N/ ha. Apart from the ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen, these are also known for
synthesis of biologically active growth promoting substances such as indole acetic acid,
gibberellin and Vitamin B in culture media. Phosphate solubilizing bacteria and Vesicular
arbuscular mycorrhiza are the important microbes in releasing and making available
phosphorous by colonizing the root surface of growing plant root. They also improve the
plant growth due to increase in nutrient uptake particularly phosphorus, zinc and other
micronutrients, production of growth promoting substances and resistance to plant
pathogens.

1.9. WHAT IS BIO-FERTILIZER:

A bio-fertilizer is simply a substance which contains living microorganisms which
when applied to the soil; a seed or plant surface colonizes the Rhizo-sphere and promotes
growth by increasing the supply or availability of nutrients to the host plant. A bio-fertilizer
is a modernized form of organic fertilizer into which beneficial microorganisms have been
incorporated. Bio-fertilizer is most commonly referred to as selected strains of beneficial
soil microorganisms cultured in the laboratory and packed in suitable carriers. In a large
sense, the term bio fertilizer may be used to include all organic resources for plant growth
which are rendered in available form for plant absorption through microorganisms or plant
associations or interactions.

1.10. HISTORY OF BIO-FERTILIZER:

Bio-fertilizers such as Rhizobium, Azotobacter, Azospirillum and Blue green algae
(BGA) have been in use a long time ago. The knowledge of applied microbial inoculum is a
long history which passes from generation to generation of farmers. It started with culture of
small scale compost production that has evidently proved the ability of bio-fertilizer. This is
recognized when the culture accelerates the decomposition of organic residues and
agricultural by-products through various processes and gives healthy harvest of crops. The
commercial history of bio-fertilizer began with the launch of “Nitragin”. This was followed
by the discovery of Azotobacter and then Blue-green algae and a host of other
microorganisms which are being used till date as bio-fertilizer.

In Malaysia, industrial scale production of microbial inoculants started in late 1940s

and picking up in 1970s taking guide by “Brady Rhizobium” inoculation on legumes.
Government Research Institute, the Malaysian Rubber Board (MRB) had been conducting
research on Rhizobium inoculums for leguminous crops in the inter rows of young rubber
trees in large plantation. Besides, University Putra Malaysia (UPM) also conducted many
researches since 1980s on Mycorrhiza and initiated the research to evaluate the contribution
of nitrogen from Azospirillum to oil palm seedling. Bio-fertilizers are usually prepared as
carrier based inoculants containing effective microorganisms.

1.11. TYPES OF BIO-FERTILIZERS:

Bio-fertilizers are classified into different types depending on the type or group of
microorganisms they contain. Following table shows the classification of bio-fertilizers on
the bases of the different types of microorganisms used. The different types of bio-fertilizers
include:

Table 1.3 Different Microorganisms used in Bio-fertilizer Production

Groups Examples
Nitrogen fixing bio-fertilizers
Free-living Azotobacter, Bejerinkia, Clostridium,
Klebsiella, Anabaena, Nostoc
Symbiotic Rhizobium, Frankia, Anabaena, Azollae
Associative symbiotic Azospirillum
Phosphate solubilizing bio-fertilizer
Bacteria Bacillus megaterium var, Phosphaticum,
Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus circulans
Fungi Penicillum Spp. Aspergillus awamori
Phosphate mobilizing bio-fertilizers
Arbuscular Mycorrhiza Glomus Spp., Gigaspora Spp., Acaulospora
Spp. Scutellospora Spp. and Sclerocystis Spp.
Ectomycorrhiza Laccaria Spp. Pisolithus Spp, Boletus Spp. and
Amanita Spp.
Ericoid Mycorrhiza Pezizella ericae
Orchid Mycorrhiza Rhizoctonia solani
Bio-fertilizers for micronutrients
Bacillus Spp Silicate and zinc solubilizers
Plant growth promoting Rhizobacteria
Pseudomonas Pseudomonas fluorescens
Above table show the different micro-organisms used in Bio-fertilizer Production.
1.12. LIMITATION OF BIO-FERTILIZER:
The most important limitation of bio-fertilizer is their nutrient content when
compared to inorganic fertilizers. This might result to deficiency symptoms in plants grown
with the bio-fertilizer. However, this problem can be curbed by the addition of substances
such as bone meal (rich in phosphorus), wood ash (rich in potassium) or other substances of
natural origin such as phosphate rock to enrich the fertilizer. Also the use of nutrient rich
wastes such as palm wastes (rich in potassium), wood ash (rich in potassium also) in making
bio-fertilizer can help to remedy the problem. The addition of phosphorus to wastes makes
the bio-fertilizer more balanced and reduces nitrogen losses. Again storage of bio-fertilizer
goes a long way in affecting its efficacy. Even though bio-fertilizer has many positive
aspects, its use can sometimes not lead to the expected positive results and this could be
because of exposure to high temperature or hostile conditions before usage. Bio-fertilizer
should be stored at room temperature or in cold storage conditions away from heat or direct
sunlight and polythene bags used in packaging bio-fertilizer should be of low density grade
with a thickness of about 50 –75 microns. Other constraints limiting the use of bio fertilizer
technology may be environmental, human resource, unawareness, unavailability of suitable
strains, and unavailability of suitable carrier and so on. Short shelf life, lack of suitable
carrier material, susceptibility to high temperature, problem in transportation, and storage
are bio fertilizers bottlenecks that still need to be solved in order to obtain effective
inoculation.

1.13. CAUTION IN THE USE OF BIO-FERTILIZERS:

 Never mix bio-fertilizers with nitrogen fertilizers.
 Never apply bio-fertilizers with fungicides.
 Never expose bio-fertilizers to sunlight directly.
 Bio-fertilizers are stored at room temperature, not below O°C and above 35°C.
 Do not keep used solution overnight.
1.14. OBJECTIVES:
1. To study the capital investment of Krishivishwa Biotech Pvt. Ltd.
2. To estimate per unit cost of production of Arjun (PSB).
3. To workout profitability of Arjun (PSB).
4. To study the problems faced by Krishivishwa Biotech Pvt. Ltd.
5. To give suggestions to overcome the problems.
6. To understand all the production methods/procedure of Arjun (PSB).