Role of Biofertilizers in Agriculture

Background of Biofertilizers

The fertility Status of Indian soils with respect to the

Available nitrogen is generally low (62.5% low)
Low to medium in phosphorus
Medium to high in potassium
The intensive modern agriculture practices dependent more on
chemical fertilizers, which are non-renewable fossil fuel based
energy, which is becoming more and more expensive.
There fore it is essential to evolve and adopt an integrated nutrient
supply system by judicious combination of organics along with
microbial inoculants or biofertilizer.
 Background of Biofertilizers
Indiscriminate use of synthetic fertilizers has led to pollution and
contamination of soil and water basins. This has resulted in soil being
deprived of essential plant nutrients and organic matter. It has led to
depletion of beneficial micro-organisms and insects indirectly
reducing soil fertility and making crops more prone to diseases.
It is estimated that by 2020, to achieve the targeted production of
321 million tons of food grain, the requirement of nutrient will be
28.8 million tons, while their availability will be only 21.6 million tons
being a deficit of about 7.2 million tons, thus depleting fossil fuels
(energy crisis) and increasing cost of fertilizers which would be
unaffordable to small and marginal farmers
 ORGANIC FARMING AND BIOFERTILIZERS

o Heterotrophic nature of biofertilizer agents

o Level of organic matter in soil decides activity of

biofertilizers: positive correlation

o Form and type of organic matter in soil

o C:N ratio and nutrient availability

DEFINITION
Any biological living organism used for the purpose of enriching
the soil fertility is known as Bio-fertilizer.
'Bio-fertilizer' is a substance which contains living
microorganisms which, when applied to seed, plant surfaces, or soil,
colonizes the rhizosphere of the plant and promotes growth by
increasing the supply or availability of nutrients to the host plant.
Bio-fertilizer, a term which refer to all such microorganism which
add, fix, mobilize or solibilize the nutrient in simpler form which is
easily used by plants.
Biofertilizers are natural fertilizes which are living microbial
inoculants of bacteria, algae, fungi alone or in combination and
they augment the availability of nutrients to the plants.
Bio-fertilizers are the beneficial organisms used for
N2 enrichment- Ex. Rhizobium, Azotobactor, Azosprillum,

Acetobacter, Azolla, Cynobacteria, Frankia.

P solubalization: Ex. Pseudomonas, Fusarium, Aspergillus.
P mobilization: Ex. Mycorrhiza.
Providing Plant Growth Promoting Substances like growth
hormones and antimicrobial substances: ex. Azotobactor,
Pseudomonas.
In recent years, bio-fertilizers have emerged as an important
component of INSS (Integrated Nutrient Supply System) and hold a
promise to improve the crop yields and nutrient supplies.
 
Beneficial functions:
Fixation of atmospheric nitrogen
 Germination increase up to 20 percent. Improved seedling emergence
and growth.
 Increase yield from 10 to 40 per cent.
 Improve the quality of fruit and keeping quality.
 Saving of 25 to 35 percent inorganic fertilizers.
Increase the availability and up take of N and P in plants.
Improve the status of soil fertility maintain good soil health and crop
productivity
 Degrade toxicants including pesticides
Production of growth promoting substances, antibiotics and bioactive
compounds IAA (Indole Acetic Acid), Gibberellins, Vitamins and Ascorbic
acid
Complication of heavy metals to limit plant uptake
Suppression of soil born plant pathogens
Bio-fertilizers- produces plant growth promoting substances, provide
protection against drought
Symbiotic nitrogen fixation:
1)It is the process of nitrogen fixation in soil in which
nitrogen fixing bacteria live with host plants  to fix the
nitrogen.
2) Bacteria and plant live in the condition where both take
benefits from each other 3) This bacteria mostly live in the
nodules of roots of plant. Ex : Rhizobium + legumes
Non-symbiotic nitrogen fixation: 
1)The nitrogen fixation that is done by free living bacteria
in the soil in known as Non-symbiotic nitrogen fixation.
2)The bacteria live in free state , no symbiosis with plants
and directly fix the nitrogen to make it available for the
organisms Ex : Azotobacter, Beijerinkia, Clostridium
 Types of Biofertilizers
SI.No. Types of biofertilizers Examples
N 2 fixing Biofertilizers
1 Free-living/Asymbiotic Azotobacter, Beijerinkia,
Clostridium, Klebsiella, Anabaena,
Nostoc
2 Symbiotic Rhizobium, Frankia, Anabaena
azollae
3 Associative Symbiotic Azospirillum
P Solubilizing Biofertilizers
4 Bacteria Bacillus megaterium var.
phosphaticum, Bacillus subtilis,
Bacillus circulans, Pseudomonas
striata
5 Fungi Penicilliumsp, Aspergillus awamori
6 P Mobilizing Biofertilizers
Arbuscularmycorrhiza Glomus sp., Gigaspora sp.,
Acaulospora sp.,
Scutellospora sp. & Sclerocystis sp.
 Types of Biofertilizers

SI. Types of biofertilizers Examples

No.
P Mobilizing Biofertilizers
8 Ectomycorrhiza Laccaria sp., Pisolithus
sp., Boletus sp., Amanita
sp.
Biofertilizers for Micro nutrients
9 Silicate and Zinc Bacillus sp.
solubilizers
10 Plant Growth Promoting Pseudomonas and
Rhizobacteria Bacillus
Pseudomonas Pseudomonas fluorescens
Methods of application
Seed treatment: 500 gm of power based bio-fertilizers is treat
with 1 ha seeds by using water or cow dung slurry or jaggry
solution.
Soil treatment: 2 kg of bio-fertilizers inoculants is mixed with 50-
100 kg of vermicompost, FYM keep it for 15 days then applied to
soil and cover it with soil by suitable tillage operation.
Cutting or seedling treatment: 1 to 1.2 kg of bio-fertilizers is
dissolved in 20-30 liters of water or cow dung slurry. Cutting or
seedling are dipped in this slurry for about five minutes and these
are sown immediately.
Different bio-fertilizers used in OF
Rhizobium: Nodules formed by Rhizobium on legumes roots are responsible for fixing
atmospheric nitrogen. Benefited crops: All leguminous crops. fix nitrogen 50-
100 kg/ ha. with legumes.
•Azotobacter: This bacteria have multiple action, they can fix atmospheric nitrogen in
non leguminous plants, it also release plant growth promoting substances like, IAA
(Indole Acetic Acid), Gibberellins, Vitamins and Ascorbic acid. Azotobacter can control
plant pathogens
•Benefited crops: All non-leguminous crops including cereal crops and Horticultural
crops.
•Azospirillum: Azospirillum is a associative nitrogen fixing bacteria. Also know to
produce plant growth promoting substances like, IAA, Gibberellins and Cytokinins.
•Benefited crops: Sorghum, Pearl Millet, Finger Millet, Maize, Wheat, Rice, few
vegetables and mulberry etc.
•Acetobacter: It can fix atmospheric nitrogen in high sugar containing plants very
efficiently. The bacteria multiplies around the roots and fixes nitrogen.. Benefited crops:
Sugarcane, Sugarbeats and Coffee.
•Frankia: these are the organisms which leads to non-leguminous symbiosis. Frankia is
collective name for Actinomycetes which develop association with non-leguminous
plants. Fixes 12-120kg N per ha, it associated with upgrading of poor soils. Benefited
crops: Aluns, Casuarina, etc.
•Azolla: Azolla is a fresh water fern. Azolla have symbiotic
association with Anabaena azollae (Cynobacterium) and fixes
nitrogen. The association utilize the energy from photosynthesis to
fix atmospheric nitrogen. Temperature, light intensity and
phosphorus plays a major role in the functioning of the system.
Most benifited crop is rice, fixes 40-60 kg N per ha and increase in
yield is 15-20%. Dosage: 20 kg/ha in rice fields.
•Blue Green Algae (Cynobacteria): Cynobacteria fix nitrogen
and excrete vitamins B12, auxins, ascorbic acid which contributes
to growth of rice. Most benefited crop is rice and apply 12.5 kg
BGA inoculated compost to I ha area of rice field.
•Phosphate Solubilizing Bacteria/ Micro-organisms: These are
the micro-organisms which solibilize unavailable phosphorus
(fixed form) and make available to plants (HPO4 or PO4). Many
soil bacteria belongs to the genera Pseudomonas and Bacillus,
fungi belongs to the genera Penicillium and Aspergillus have the
ability to bring insoluble phosphate in soil into soluble forms by
secreting organic acid which lower the pH and brings about
dissolution of bound forms of phosphate.
•Mycorrhiza: The word mycorriza was coined by German Botanist
FRANK in the year 1885. It is symbiosis between fungi and roots of
the plant. Two major types of mycorriza are
•Ectomycorriza: has compact network of hyphae in the soil over the
root surface and intercellular hyphae in the cortex. Mostly found in
forest trees.
•Endomycorriza: has loose network of hyphae in the soil within the
root with the extensive hyphal growth cortex present in most of the
Angiosperms.
Mycorriza provide immobile elements to available form to the plants
like P, CU, Zn, enhance the water transport, increase tolerance to high
temperature and reduce intake of heavy metals, plants are less
susceptible to attack of pathogens like Fusarinumm, Rhizoctonia and
nematodes
•Organic matter decomposers: the composting microorganisms
are present in the nature but complete degradation of agri- wastes
takes around one year because of low population and less potency
of composting microorganisms. Composting culture do this work
within two to three months.
Specification of composting culture mixture: Culture should have
efficient microorganisms like Trichoderma, Penicillum,
Crysoginum, Pleurotus, Aspergillus, etc. decomposers can be
enriched with Azotobactor, PSB and 1% rock phosphate.
Dosage: One kg of culture is sufficient to decompose one tone of
agri-waste material.
Benefited waste: Crop residues, agri-wastes, city wastes, vegetable
and fruit wastes etc.
Silicate solubilizing bacteria (SSB):
Microorganisms are capable of degrading silicates and aluminium
silicates. Ex :Bacillus sp.
Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR):
The group of bacteria that colonize roots or rhizosphere soil and
beneficial to crops are referred to as plant growth promoting rhizobacteria
(PGPR).
The PGPR inoculants promote growth through suppression of plant
disease (termed Bioprotectants), improved nutrient availability (termed
Biofertilizers), or phytohormone production (termed Biostimulants).
Species of Pseudomonas and Bacillus can produce phytohormones
or growth regulators
 These PGPR are referred to as Biostimulants and the
phytohormones they produce indole-acetic acid, cytokinins, gibberellins
Constraints and bottle neck in bio-fertilizer industry
Constraints include physical, chemical, biological and technical fields.
In the summer, some parts of India have high temperature it is not suitable for
bio-fertilizer storage, transport and use.
Highly acidic or alkaline soils also adversely affect population of introduced bio-
fertilizer.
Bacteriophages, protozoa and nematodes act as a predator of bio-fertilizers
added to soil.
Good quality peat and lignite are only available in Nilgiri areas of TN resulting
in cost of transport.
Suitable strains for popular crops are available but these do not cover all the
crops.
Sterilization of carrier is not complete, only gama irradiation is proper
sterilization which cannot be afforded by all producers due to high cost.
Field response of bio-fertilizers is not immediately observed as compared to
chemical fertilizers.
Response of bio-fertilizer is also slow due to unfavorable soil conditions,
temperature, pH, water logging, drought, deficiency of nutrients etc.
Amount of Nutrients Fixed by Some Biofertilizers in Various Crops
Microorganisms used as Nutrient fixed Beneficiary crops
Biofertilizer (kg/ha/year)
Rhizobium 50 to 300 kg N / ha Groundnut, Soybean, Redgram, Green-
gram, Black-gram, Lentil, Cowpea,
Bengal-gram and Fodder legumes
Azotobacter 0.026 to 20 kg N / ha Cotton, Vegetables, Mulberry,
Plantation Crop, Rice, Wheat, Barley,
Ragi, Jowar, Mustard, Safflower, Niger,
Sunflower, Tobacco, Fruit, Spices,
Condiment, Ornamental Flower
Azospirillum 10-20 kg N /ha Sugarcane, Vegetables, Maize, Pearl
millet, Rice, Wheat, Fodders, Oil seeds,
Fruit and Flower
Blue Green Algae 25 kg N /ha Rice, banana
Azolla 900 kg N /ha Rice
Phosphate solubilising Solubilize All Crops (non specific)
bacteria and fungi about 50-60% of the
fixed phosphorus in
the soil
 HOST SPECIFICITY OF BIOFERTILIZERS
1. RHIZOBIUM-LEGUME SYMBIOSIS: CROSS INOCULATION
GROUPS
2. AZOSPIRILLUM: C-4 TYPE OF CROPS
3. AZOTOBACTER: CEREALS, VEGETABLES, FRUIT CROPS
4. ACETOBACTER: SUGARCANE
5. PSB: ALL CROPS
6. ARBUSCULAR MYCORRHIZAE: MOST OF THE CROP PLANTS
BIOFERTILIZER- ESSENTIAL COMPONENT OF ORGANIC FARMING