Why Biofertilizers

Biofertilizers

Biofertilizers are defined as preparations containing living cells or latent cells of efficient strains of microorganisms that help crop plants’ uptake of nutrients by their interactions in the rhizosphere when applied through seed or soil.  They accelerate certain microbial processes in the soil which augment the extent of availability of nutrients in a form easily assimilated by plants.

Very often microorganisms are not as efficient in natural surroundings as one would expect them to be and therefore artificially multiplied cultures of efficient selected microorganisms play a vital role in accelerating the microbial processes in soil.

Use of biofertilizers is one of the important components of integrated nutrient management, as they are cost effective and renewable source of plant nutrients to supplement the chemical fertilizers for sustainable agriculture. Several microorganisms and their association with crop plants are being exploited in the production of biofertilizers. They can be grouped in different ways based on their nature and function.

 

Liquid Biofertilizers

Biofertilizers are such as Rhizobium, Azospirillum and Phosphobacteria provide nitrogen and phosphorous nutrients to crop plants through nitrogen fixation and phosphorous solubilization processes. These Biofertilizers could be effectively utilized for rice, pulses, millets, cotton, sugarcane, vegetable and other horticulture crops. Biofertilizers are one of the prime input in organic farming not only enhances the crop growth and yield but also improves the soil health and sustain soil fertility.

At present, Biofertilizers are supplied to the farmers as carrier based inoculants. As an alternative, liquid formulation technology has been developed which has more advantages than the carrier inoculants.

 

Benefits

The advantages of Liquid Bio-fertilizer over conventional carrier based Bio-fertilizers are listed below:

• Longer shelf life -12 to 24 months.
• No contamination.
• No loss of properties due to storage upto 45º c.
• Greater potentials to fight with native population.
• High populations can be maintained more than 10⁷ cells/ml upto 12 months to 24 months.
• Easy identification by typical fermented smell.
• Cost saving on carrier material, pulverization, neutralization, sterilization, packing and transport.
• Better survival on seeds and soil.
• Very much easy to use by the farmer.
• Dosages is 10 time less than carrier based powder Bio-fertilizers.
• High commercial revenues.
• High export potential.
• Very high enzymatic activity since contamination is nil.

 

Liquid Bio-fertlizer application methodology

There are three ways of using Liquid Bio-fertilizers

1. Seed treatment
2. Root dipping
3. Soil application

 

Seed Treatment

Seed Treatment is a most common method adopted for all types of inoculants. The seed treatment is effective and economic. For small quantity of seeds (up to 5 kg quantity) the coating can be done in a plastic bag. For this purpose, a plastic bag having size (21” x 10”) or big size can be used. The bag should be filled with 2 kg or more of seeds. The bag should be closed in such a way to trap the air as much as possible. The bag should be squeezed for 2 minutes or more until all the seed are uniformly wetted. Then bag is opened, inflated again and shaked gently. Stop shaking after each seeds gets a uniform layer of culture coating. The bag is opened and the seed is dried under the shade. For large amount of seeds coating can be done in a bucket and inoculant can be mixed directly with hand. Seed Treatment with Rhizobium, Azotobacter, Azospirillum, along with PSM can be done.

The seed treatment can be done with any of two or more bacteria. There is no side (antagonistic) effect. The important things that has to be kept in mind are that the seeds must be coated first with Rhizobium, Azotobacter or Azospirillum. When each seed gets a layer of above bacteria then PSM inoculant has to be coated as outer layer. This method will provide maximum number of each bacteria required for better results. Treatments of seed with any two bacteria will not provide maximum number of bacteria on individual seed.

 

Root dipping

For application of Azospirillum/PSM on paddy transplanting/vegetable crops this method is used. The required quantity of Azospirillum/PSM has to be mixed with 5-10 liters of water at one corner of the field and the roots of seedlings has to be dipped for a minimum of half-an-hour before transplantation.

 

Soil application

Mix PSM with 400 to 600 kg of Cow dung FYM along with ½ bag of rock phosphate if available. The mixture of PSM, cow dung and rock phosphate have to be kept under any tree or under shade for overnight and maintain 50% moisture. Use the mixture as soil application in rows or during leveling of soil.

 

Do’s and Don’ts for farmers and Dealers –

Do’s	Don’ts
Keep Bio-fertilizers bottles away from direct heat and sunlight. Store it in cool and dry place.	Don’t store Bio-fertilizers bottles under heat and sunlight
Buy only Bio-fertilizers bottles which contain batch number, the name of the crop on which it has to be used, the date of manufacture and expiry period.	Don’t buy Bio-fertilizers bottles after their expiry period is over.
If the expiry period is over, then discard it as it is not effective.	Don’t prick holes into the bottles or puncture them to pour the content
Keep Bio-fertilizers bottles away from fertilizer or pesticide containers and they should not be mixed directly.	Do not mix the Bio-fertilizers with fungicides, insecticides, herbicides, herbicides and chemical fertilizers.