Biofertilizer

What is biofertilizer?

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.

What is the method of application of bio fertilizer in Sugarcane?

(A) Types of bio fertilizer for sugarcane .
      Acetobactor , Azotobactor, Azoospirillum & Phosphate Solublizing Bacteria (PSB)
(B) Rate of application : 12-15 kg / ha
(C) Mode of application  :

1. Set Treatment: Suspended & mixed thoroughly 5 kg bio fertilizer for one acre in 100 lit of water .Treat cane sett by dipping in this suspension before planting.

2. Soil Treatment: Suspended 5 kg of bio fertilizer per acre in 10 liters of water & mixed with thoroughly with 80-100 kg of FYM. The mixed bio fertilizer in FYM is sprinkled over cane setts in the rows at the of planting .Immediately rows should be covered.

Why should we use biofertilizers?

With the introduction of green revolution technologies the modern agriculture is getting more and more dependent upon the steady supply of synthetic inputs (mainly fertilizers), which are products of fossil fuel (coal+ petroleum). Adverse effects are being noticed due to the excessive and imbalanced use of these synthetic inputs. This situation has lead to identifying harmless inputs like biofertilizers. Use of such natural products like biofertilizers in crop cultivation will help in safeguarding the soil health and also the quality of crop products.

What are the benefits from using biofertilizers?

• Increase crop yield by 20-30%.
• Replace chemical nitrogen and phosphorus by 25%.
• Stimulate plant growth.
• Activate the soil biologically.
• Restore natural soil fertility.
• Provide protection against drought and some soil borne diseases.

What are the advantages of bio-fertilizers?

• Cost effective.
• Suppliment to fertilizers.
• Eco-friendly (Friendly with nature).
• Reduces the costs towards fertilizers use, especially regarding nitrogen and phosphorus.

What types of biofertilizers are available?

• For Nitrogen
• Rhizobium for legume crops.
• Azotobacter/Azospirillum for non legume crops.
• Acetobacter for sugarcane only.
• Blue –Green Algae (BGA) and Azolla for low land paddy.
• For Phosphorous
• Phosphatika for all crops to be applied with Rhizobium, Azotobacter, Azospirillum and Acetobacter
• For enriched compost
• Cellulolytic fungal culture
• Phosphotika and Azotobacter culture

What biofertilizers are recommended for crops?

• Rhizobium + Phosphotika 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 + Phosphotika 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 + Phosphotika at 5 kg each per ha.

How biofertilizers are applied to crops?

• Seed treatment: 200 g of nitrogenous biofertilizer and 200 g of Phosphotika 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.
  

How could one get good response to biofertilizer application?

• Biofertilizer product must contain good effective strain in appropriate population and should be free from contaminating microorganisms.
• Select right combination of biofertilizers and use before expiry date.
• Use suggested method of application and apply at appropriate time as per the information provided on the label.
• For seed treatment adequate adhesive should be used for better results.
• For problematic soils use corrective methods like lime or gypsum pelleting of seeds or correction of soil pH by use of lime.
• Ensure the supply of phosphorus and other nutrients.

What precautions one should take for using biofertilizers?

• Biofertilizer packets need to be stored in cool and dry place away from direct sunlight and heat.
• Right combinations of biofertilizers have to be used.
• As Rhizobium is crop specific, one should use for the specified crop only.
• Other chemicals should not be mixed with the biofertilizers.
• While purchasing one should ensure that each packet is provided with necessary information like name of the product, name of the crop for which intended, name and address of the manufacturer, date of manufacture, date of expiry, batch number and instructions for use.
• The packet has to be used before its expiry, only for the specified crop and by the recommended method of application.
• Biofertilizers are live product and require care in the storage
• Both nitrogenous and phosphatic biofertilizers are to be used to get the best results.
• It is important to use biofertilizers along with chemical fertilizers and organic manures.
• Biofertilizers are not replacement of fertilizers but can supplement plant nutrient requirements.

Can one mix Psuedomonas and Tricoderma viride with Azozpirillum and Phosphobacteria for applying in paddy fields?

Generally all the beneficial microbial organisms are compatible to each other. They can be applied safely in combination or separately as the situation demands.

Where can I get more information on setting up of biofertilizer manufacturing plant?

You may contact
Professor and Head
Department of Agricultural Microbilogy
Tamil Nadu Agricultural University
Coimbatore – 641 003

What is vermiculture and where can I get details of this technology?

Vermiculture is a technology of rearing earthworms to produce high quality vermin compost. For more details on vermiculture you may kindly contact Dr. Sultan Ahmed Ismail, Director, ECOSCIENCE Research Foundation, Baaz Nagar, Palavakkam, Chennai.

Who can use biofertilizers?

Anybody who is involved in farming can use these biofertilizers in crops such as legumes, cash crops, cereal crops, fodder crops, oil seed crops, horticultural crops, vegetables, fruit trees, forest trees, medicinal, herbal and decorative plants.

Why biofertilizers have not caught on if these are so good and something very new?

Inspite of definite merits viz low cost agri-input, high efficiency and less bulk, the biofertilizers by and large could not win confidence of farmers / farming community probable reasons could be the following:

a) Quality of products

Manufacturing and quality control of biofertilizers involves sophisticated technology. Hence qualified and trained manpower is required to be deployed for biofertilizers manufacturing unit.
As biofertilizers carry live cells microorganisms, a great deal of care is required to be taken while handling transportation and storage especially during summer season due to exposure of the bio-products to higher temperatures.

b) Awareness and Education

Most often this is the most single contributing factor for the popularity of bio-fertilizers. Due to lack of adequate awareness and education among the farming community, there are many misconceptions regarding the use, application and types of bio-fertilizers. Very often bio-fertilizers are mistaken for organic manure and other nutrient based products. Hence, it becomes extremely important for the farming community to be educated and aware about these bio-fertilizers.

Can we use biofertilizers with chemical fertilizers?

There is a huge difference in the application amount and the actual availability of chemical fertilizers to the plants. Biofertilizers have been reported to enhance the availability of these inorganic inputs to the plants. Thus Biofertilizers can be used along with chemical fertilizers but the care should be taken to avoid direct contact of chemical based inputs with Biofertilizers which is likely to reduce the microbial population of Biofertilizers.

What are mycorrhizae? 

Mycorrhizae are mutualistic relationships between soil fungus and plant roots. Scientist tells us that the relationship has been around for 400 million years although discovered in 1845 by a scientist in Germany.

Where can the introduction of mycorrhizal fungi with roots have the greatest effect? 

In disturbed soils, the kinds found in landscape projects, restoration, new grove/orchards, and mine reclamation sites.

Are mycorrhizae in the plants that I buy at the nursery?

Probably not. Even if there was a mycorrhizal fungi present in nursery stock the species that would thrive in a nursery setting would probably offer little benefit in a real world landscape, restoration, or forestry planting.

What about field grown plant materials - would they have beneficial mycorrhizal fungi associated with the roots?

Again, practices generally are geared to high production to turn inventories. Under highly managed operations any mycorrhizal fungi present would be poorly adapted to real world conditions found at out planting sites.

Are multi-species mycorrhizal inoculants really necessary?

Multiple species are very important because they increase the odds significantly that one of the selected species will prosper with the roots and multiply quickly.

Since mycorrhizal fungi may be present in the soil anyway why should I inoculate my transplants?

Although mycorrhizal fungi may be present the types (species) may not be the most effective for the plant species that is being planted. The introduction of diverse species at the time of planting greatly enhances the probability of successful colonization of the roots to take advantage of all of the benefits of mycorrhizal roots.

If I am planting like type plants in an established setting. Is the use of a mycorrhizae inoculant still necessary?

Use of an inoculant here is still appropriate as research shows that the species of mycorrhizal fungi most effective with young plants may be different than the species most effective with mature plants of the same plant species.

What plants form specialized roots with mycorrhizal fungi?

over 90% of the world's plant species form mycorrhizae and require the association for maximum performance in non-artificial conditions.

How do mycorrhizal fungi increase nutrient uptake?

These fungi increase the surface absorbing area of roots 10 to 100x thereby greatly improving the ability of the plants to utilize the soil resource. Estimates of amounts of mycorrhizal filaments present in soil associated with plants are astonishing. Several miles of fungal filaments can be present in less than a thimbleful of soil! But mycorrhizal fungi increase nutrient uptake not only by increase the surface absorbing area of roots, they also release powerful chemicals into the soil that dissolve hard to capture nutrients such as phosphorous , iron and other "tightly bound" soil nutrients.

This extraction process is particularly important in plant nutrition and explains why non-mycorrhizal plants require high levels of fertility to maintain their health. Mycorrhizal fungi form an intricate web that captures and assimilates nut

rients, thus conserving the nutrient capital in soils. In non mycorrhizal conditions much of this fertility is wasted or lost from the system.

What other activities do mycorrhizal fungi do?

Mycorrhzial fungi are involved with a wide variety of other activities that benefit plant establishment and growth. The same extensive network of fungal filaments important to nutrient uptake is also important in water uptake and storage. In non-irrigated conditions, mycorrhizal plants are under far less drought stress compared to non-mycorrhizal plants.

Mycorrhizal fungi also improve soil structure. Mycorrhizal filaments produce humic compounds and organic "glues" (extracellular polysaccharides) that bind soils into aggregates and improves soil porosity. Soil porosity and soil structure positively influence the growth of plants by promoting aeration, water movement into soil, root growth, and distribution. In sandy or compacted soils the ability of mycorrhizal fungi to promote soil structure may be more important than the seeking out of nutrients.

Don't soils already contain mycorrhizal fungi?

Undisturbed soils are full of beneficial soil organisms including mycorrhizal fungi. Research indicates, however, many common practices can degrade the mycorrhiza-forming potential of soil. Tillage, fertilization, removal of topsoil, erosion, site preparation, road and home construction, fumigation, invasion of non-native plants, and leaving soils bare are some of the activities that can reduce or eliminate these beneficial soil fungi. Reintroducing mycorrhizal fungi in areas where they have been depleted can dramatically improve plant establishment and growth.
Many routine nursery practices, such as fumigation and dousing with high levels of water and nutrients, produce non-mycorrhizal plants. When high levels of fertilizer and water are provided for non-mycorrhizal plants, they can thrive in this artificial growing media, but they are ill prepared to survive the eventual outplanted condition.

What types of mycorrhizal products are available?

Certain mycorrhizal spores or "seeds" of the fungus have been selected for their growth enhancing abilities. These spores are combined with root biostimulants, humic acids and water absorbent gel to invigorate roots and promote plant survival and growth. When applied, the spores of mycorrhizal fungi spread through soil colonizing plant roots and work to produce vigorous root systems and plant growth. The yield enhancing attributes of mycorrhizal fungi have co-evolved over millennia and has been the focus of 20 years of intensive research. Now, growers, landscapers and homeowners can apply the miraculous relationship of plant and mycorrhizal fungi and improve plant growth the natural way.

How do you apply these mycorrhizal fungi?

Mycorrhizal application is easy and requires no special equipment. The goal is to create physical contact between the mycorrhizal inoculant and the plant root. Mycorrhizal inoculant can be sprinkled onto roots during transplanting, worked into seed beds, blended into potting soil, "watered in" via existing irrigation systems, applied as a root dip gel or probed into the root zone of existing plants. The type of application depends upon the conditions and needs of the applicator.

Is mycorrhizal inoculation expensive?

Mycorrhizal inoculation is inexpensive. Typically for small plants the cost ranges from less than a penny to a few cents per seedling. For larger plants, more inoculum is needed and costs are higher.

What is Azolla? How Azolla can be beneficial to us?

 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.

For which crop Rhizobium is used?

Rhizobium is used for pulse legum. It fixes 50-100 kg N/hectare with legumes. For different pulse crops specific rhizobium cultures are required.

Why we apply Azospirillum?

Azospirillum is recommended for rice millets, maize, wheat sorghum etc. and it fixes 20-40 kg N/hectare.

How to use Azolla?

Azolla is suitable for flooded condition which fixes upto 40-80 kg N/hectare. When applied in desired quantity.

What is BGA?

It is an algae, fixes 20-30 kg N/hectare. Its application to rice increases yield by 15-20%.

How much Azolla is required for a hectare of land?

Around 10 q of Azolla is required for a hectare of land.

How much BGA is required for a hectare of land and how to apply it?

BGA is applied @ 10-15 kg per hectare of rice after 7 days of transplanting with 2.5 cm of standing water.

What is the cost of BGA packet?

The cost of BGA of 1 kg packet is about Rs.20.00.

Source

http://www.icrisat.org/vasat/learning_resources/OrganicFAQs/organic_farming.htm    
www.mycorrhizae.com
www.hortsorb.com
http://kendujhar.nic.in/
http://www.greenpeace.org