INTRODUCTION

Biofertilizer can be defined as biological products containing living microorganisms

that, when applied to seed, plant surfaces, or soil, promote growth by several
mechanisms such as increasing the supply of nutrients, increasing root biomass or
root area and increasing nutrient uptake capacity of the plant.

Biofertilizers are the substances containing variety of microbes having the capacity
to enhance plant nutrient uptake by colonizing the rhizosphere and make the
nutrients easily accessible to plant root hairs. Biofertilizers are well known for their
cost effectiveness, environment-friendly nature, and composition. These are
effective alternatives to the hazardous synthetic fertilizers. This project covers
various types of microbial biofertilizers pronouncing symbiotic and free-living
nitrogen-fixers, phosphorus-solubilizer and mobilizers, their formulations,
applications of few commercially available biofertilizers toward sustainable
agriculture, and recent approaches to develop next-generation biofertilizers.

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 TYPES OF BIO FERTILIZERS

Following are the important types of bio fertilizers:

 Symbiotic Nitrogen-Fixing Bacteria

Rhizobium is one of the vital symbiotic nitrogen-fixing bacteria. Here bacteria

seek shelter and obtain food from plants. In return, they help by providing
fixed nitrogen to the plants.

 Symbiotic Nitrogen-Fixing Cyanobacteria

Blue-Green algae or Cyanobacteria from the symbiotic association with

several plants. Liverworts, cycad roots, fern, and lichens are some of the
Nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria. Anabaena is found at the leaf cavities of the
fern. It is responsible for nitrogen fixation. The fern plants decay and release
the same for utilization of the rice plants. Azolla pinnate is a fern that resides
in rice fields but they do not regulate the growth of the plant.

 Free-Living Nitrogen-Fixing Bacteria

They are free-living soil bacteria that perform nitrogen fixation. They are
saprotrophic anaerobes such as Clostridium beijerinckii, Azotobacter, etc.

Among all the types of bio fertilizers, Rhizobium and Azospirillum are most
widely used.

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 COMPONENTS OF BIO FERTILIZERS

The components of bio fertilizers include:

Bio Compost

It is one of the eco-friendly product composed of waste material released from sugar
industries which are decomposed. It is magnified with human-friendly bacteria,
fungi, and various plants.

Tricho-Card

It is an eco-friendly and nonpathogenic product used in a variety of crops as well as

in horticultural and ornamental plants, such as paddy apple, sugar cane, corn, cotton,
vegetables, citrus, etc. It acts as a productive destroyer and antagonistic hyper
parasitic against eggs of several bores, shoot, fruit, leaves, flower eaters and other
pathogens in the field.

Azotobacter

It protects the roots from pathogens present in the soil and plays a crucial role in
fixing atmospheric nitrogen. Nitrogen is a very important nutrient for the plant and
about 78% of the total atmosphere comprises nitrogen.

Phosphorus

Phosphorus is one of the essential nutrients for plants growth and development.
Phosphate solubilizing microorganisms, hydrolyze insoluble phosphorus
compounds to the soluble form for uptake by plants. Many fungi and bacteria are
used for the purpose such as Penicillium, Aspergillus, Bacillus, Pseudomonas, etc.

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Vermicompost

It is an Eco-friendly organic fertilizer that comprises vitamins, hormones, organic

carbon, sulfur, antibiotics that help to increase the quantity and quality of yield.
Vermicompost is one of the quick fixes to improve the fertility of the soil.

Bio
Compost
Tricho
Card Azotobacter

Bio
Fertilizer

Phosphorus Vermicom
-post

Etc…

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 IMPORTANCE OF BIO FERTILIZERS

Bio fertilizers are important for the following reasons:

 Bio fertilizers improve the soil texture and yield of plants.

 They do not allow pathogens to flourish.
 They are eco-friendly and cost-effective.
 Bio fertilizers protect the environment from pollutants since they are natural
fertilizers.
 They destroy many harmful substances present in the soil that can cause plant
diseases.
 Bio fertilizers are proved to be effective even under semi-arid conditions.

Role of bio fertilizer today!

Bio fertilizers provide "eco-friendly" organic agro-input. Bio fertilizers such

as Rhizobium, Azotobacter, Azospirilium and blue green algae (BGA) have been in
use a long time. Rhizobium inoculant is used for leguminous crops. Azotobacter can
be used with crops like wheat, maize, mustard, cotton, potato and other vegetable
crops. Azospirillum inoculations are recommended mainly for sorghum, millets,
maize, sugarcane and wheat. Blue green algae belonging to the general
cyanobacteria genera, Nostoc, Anabaena, Tolypothrix and Aulosira, fix atmospheric
nitrogen and are used as inoculations for paddy crop grown both under upland and
low-land conditions. Anabaena in association with water fern Azolla contributes
nitrogen up to 60 kg/ha/season and also enriches soils with organic matter. Seaweeds
are rich in various types of mineral elements (potassium, phosphorus, trace elements
etc) hence they are extensively used as manure by people of coastal districts.

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Seaweed - manure also helps in breaking down clays. Fucus is used by Irish people
as manure on a large scale. In tropical countries bottom mud of dried up ponds which
contain abundant blue green algae is regularly used as manure in fields. The mixture
of seaweeds and blue green algae may serve as ideal fertilizer.

Areas in need of improvement

Biofertilizers have been shown to have varying effects in different
environments, and even within the same environment. This is something that many
scientists have been working on, however there is no perfect solution at this time.
They however, have been shown to have the most profound effects in drier climates.
In the future, it is hoped that biofertilizers effects will be better controlled and
regulated in all environments.

SOIL ENRICHMENT USING BIOFERTILIZER /

ORGANIC MANURE
Biofertilizers applied microbes interact with plants and improve growth and
yield with their different growth-promoting mechanisms. Generally, the organic
inputs such as well-decomposed organic manure / vermicompost and green manure
are used for soil application in appropriate quantity. These organic inputs require the
soil nourishment and improve soil fertility as well as soil physical condition. Crop
nutrient requirement can be met only with healthy soil, which is rich in microflora
and microfauna. Organic manure and biofertilizers help in improving root
development and nutrient uptake, in increasing water holding capacity, and in
reducing the incidence of diseases and nematodes along with possible reduction in
GHG emissions and global warming potential of agriculture.

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 FEW MORE SIMPLE TYPES OF BIO FERTILIZER

Bacterial bio fertilizers

 The live cells of bacteria used as a bio fertilizers

 These microbes contains unique gene called as Nif-Gene which make them
capable of fixing nitrogen.
 The nitrogen fixing bacteria work under two conditions,
 Symbiotically
 Free living bacteria (non-symbiotic).
 The symbiotic bacteria make an association with crop plants through forming
nodules in their roots.
 The free living bacteria do not form any association but live freely and fix
atmospheric nitrogen.

Symbiotic nitrogen fixers

Most important symbiotic Nitrogen fixing bacteria is Rhizobium and Azospirillum.

Rhizobium:

 Rhizobium lives in the root hairs of the legumes by forming nodules

 Plant root supply essential minerals and newly synthesized substance to the
bacteria
 The name Rhizobium was established by Frank in 1889.
 This genus has seven distinct species based on "Cross Inoculation Group
Concept".
 More than twenty cross-inoculations groups have been established.
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  A new classification has been established for Rhizobium.
 That is 'slow growing rhizobia' known as Bradyrhizobium and the other group
is 'fast growing rhizobia' called Rhizobium.
 Rhizobium can fix 50-300 kg/ha.

Azospirillum:

 It mainly present in cereal plants.

 inhabits both root cells as well as surrounding of roots
 forming symbiotic relation and increasing nitrogen fixing potential of the
cereal plant.
 Azospirillum is recognized as a dominant soil microbe ✔nitrogen in the range
of 20- 40 kg/ha in the rhizosphere in non-leguminous plants such as cereals,
millets, Oilseeds, cotton etc.
 Considerable quantity of nitrogen fertilizer up to 25-30% can be saved by the
use of Azospirillum inoculant.
 These species have been commercially exploited for the use as nitrogen
supplying Bio-Fertilizers.

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Free living bacteria

 Large number of free living or non-symbiotic bacteria (does not form nodules
but makes association by living in the rhizosphere) present in soil.
 Commonly used free living bacteria are
 Azotobacter
 Klebsiella

it will not associated with plant.

Azotobacter is a bio fertilizer which provides the required amount of nitrogen to the
plant from the soil.

Azotobactor:

 Azotobactor is a heterotrophic free living nitrogen fixing bacteria present in

alkaline and neutral soils.
 Azotobactor is the most commonly occurring species in arable soils of India.

 Apart from its ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen in soils, it can also synthesize
growth promoting substances such as auxins and gibberellins and also to some
extent the vitamins.
 Many strains of Azotobactor also exhibit fungicidal properties against certain
species of fungus.
 Response of Azotobactor has been seen in rice, maize, cotton, sugarcane, pearl
millet, vegetable and some plantation crops.
 It improves seed germination and plant growth.
 Azotobacter is heaviest breathing organism and requires a large amount of
organic carbon for its growth.

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Mass production

 isolated bacterial cultures were subculture in to nutrient broth

 The cultures were grown under shaking condition at 30+2°C
 The culture incubated until it reaches maximum cell population of 10 10 to 1011
 Under optimum condition this population level could be attained within 4-5
days for Rhizobium 5-7 days for Azospirillum and 6-7 days for Azotobacter.
 The culture obtained in the flask is called Starter culture.
 For large scale production, inoculum from starter culture is transferred in to
large flasks / fermentor and grown until required level of cell count is reached.

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prepare appropriate media for specific to bacterial inoculant in required quantity

Inoculated with specific bacterial strain for aseptic condition

Incubated at 30±2°C for 5-7 days in rotary shaker

Observe growth of the culture and estimate the population

The above the media is prepared in large quantities in fermentor

Sterilized and cooled well

Media in a fermentor is inoculated with the log phase of culture grown in large
flask (usually 1-2 % of inoculum is sufficient)

cells are grown in fermentor by providing aeration & continuous stirring

Broth is checked for the population of inoculated organisms

Cells are harvested with the population load of 109 cells/ml

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Carrier material

 the use of ideal carrier material is necessary for the production of god quality
of biofertilizer.
 Peat soil, lignite, vermiculture, charcoal, press mud, farmyard manure and soil
mixture are used as a carrier materials
 Neutralized peat soil/lignite are found to be better carrier materials
 Ideal carrier material should be
 Cheaper in cost
 Locally available
 High organic matter content
 No toxic chemical
 Water holding capacity of more than 50%
 Easy to process

Preparation of inoculants packet

 Neutralized and sterilized carrier material is spread in a clean, dry, sterile

metallic or plastic
 Bacterial culture drawn from the fermentor is added to the sterilized carrier
and mixed well by manual or mechanical mixer
 Inoculants are packed in a polythene bags sealed with electric sealer

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Algae as a biofertilizer

 Another group of free living nitrogen fixers are cyanobacteria.

 Commonly called as Blue green algae.
 More than 100 species of BGA can fix nitrogen.
 Nitrogen fixation takes place in specialized cells called 'Heterocyst
 BGA very common in rice field. Unlike Azotobacter BGA are not inhibited
by the presence of chemical fertilizers.
 No chemical fertilizers added, inoculation of the algae can result in 10-14%
increase in crop yields.
 They are easy to produce
 Usually they are mass produced in cement tanks filled with fresh water.
 Not require any processing ➡ Quite and cheap
 Cost of 10kg may be Rs.30-40 only
 Beneficial in certain crops like vegetables, cotton, sugarcane.
 Eg. of some algal biofertilizers are
 Anabena
 Nostoc
 Oscillatoria

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Azolla as a bio fertilizer

 Azolla is a tiny fresh water fern common in ponds, ditches and rice fields.
 It has been used as a biofertilizer for a rice in all major rice growing countries
including India, Thailand, Korea, Philippines, Brazil and West Africa.
 The nitrogen fixing work is accomplished by the symbiotic relationship
between the fern and BGA, Anabena azollae.
 In addition to nitrogen the decomposed Azolla also provides K, P. Zn and Fe
to the crop
 Azolla biomass gets doubled within 5-7 days by vegetative methods.
 fix 40-80 kg nitrogen/ha/year.
 good manure for flooded rice.
 Increase of crop yield up to 15-20% has been observed while fertilizing the
rice with Azolla
 Hybrids are growing faster
 Tolerant to heat and cold
 Fix 4-5% more nitrogen

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Bio- fertilizers application methods
There are three ways of using these N-fixing/P.S.M. bacteria.

 Seed treatment
 Root dipping
 Soil applications

Seed Treatment

 Seed treatment is a most common method adopted for all types of inoculant.
The seed treatment is effective and economic.
 Seed treatment with Rhizobium, Azotobacter, Azospirillum along with P.S.M.
 seed treatment can be done with any of two or more. bacteria.
 no side effect.
 important things has the seeds must be coated first with Rhizobium or
Azotobacter or Azospirillum when each seeds get a layer of above bacteria
then the P.S.M. inoculant has to be treated on outer layer of the seeds.
 This method will provide maximum number of population of each bacteria
required for better results.
 Mixing the any of two bacteria and the treatment of seed will not provide
maximum number of bacteria of individuals.

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Root dipping

 Application of Azospirillum with the paddy/vegetable plants this method is

needed.
 The required quantity of Azospirillum has to be mixed with 5-10 ltr of water
at one corner of the field and all the plants have to kept for minimum ½ an
hour before sowing.

Soil application

 P.S.M. has to be used as a soil application use 2 kgs of P.S.M. per acre. Mix
P.S.M. with 400 to 600 kgs of Cowdung along with bag of rock phosphate if
available. The mixture of P.S.M., Cowdung and rock phosphate have to be
kept under any tree shade or celling for over night and maintain 50% moisture.
 Use the mixture as a soil application in rows or during leveling of soil.

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Precautions

 Store biofertilizer packets in cool and dry place away from direct sunlight
and heat.
 Use right combination of biofertilizers
 Rhizobium is crop specific, so use in specified crop
 Do not mix with chemicals
 Use the packet before expiry, only on the specified crop, by the
recommended method.

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Conclusion

Bio fertilizers have been shown to have varying effects in different environments,
and even within the same environment. This is something that many scientists have
been working on, however there is no perfect solution at this time. They however,
have been shown to have the most profound effects in drier climates. In the future,
it is hoped that bio fertilizers effects will be better controlled and regulated in all
environments.

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