ABOUT BIOFERTILIZERS

INDIAN PERSPECTIVE

BIOFERTILIZERS ARE MICROBIAL

INOCULANTS SUPPORTED ON CARRIERS AND MAKE

AGRICULTURE:

# environmentally sustainable,

# economically rewarding,

# intellectually stimulating.

WHAT ARE BIOFERTILIZERS [BF]? • Microbial inoculants that are carrier-based

preparations containing beneficial

microorganisms in a viable state.

• Intended for seed or soil application.

• Designed to improve soil fertility in N and P

• Provide growth promoter substances.

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Microbial inoculants

• Artificially multiplied cultures of certain soil organisms that can improve soil fertility and crop productivity.

• Rhizobia were discovered in 1895, followed by the Azotobacter and then the blue green algae and a host of other micro-organisms.

• Azospirillum and Vesicular- Arbuscular Micorrhizae (VAM) are fairly recent discoveries.

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BIOFERTILIZERS: USE IN INDIA

# First commercial production of legume

Rhizobium symbiosis was done in 1956

# Ninth Plan initiated National Project on

Development and Use of Biofertilizers

(NPDB).

# To supplement chemical fertilizers that

become expensive and deteriorate soil.

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Factors affecting Performance of

biofertilizers:

• Host plant

• Soil fertility

• Cropping practices

• Biological & environmental factors

Survival and efficiency of BF are

affected by the above factors

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Rhizobium • Bacteria that grows in root nodules of

legumes [soya bean, etc.]

• Rhizobium INOCULANTS: Use of Rhizobium culture in legumes is most promising. On average, its use can supply 15-20 kg N/ha to legumes: increase yield up to 20 per cent.

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Rhizobium

• Rhizobium bacteria in roots of legume

plants fix atmospheric N2 in nodules

formed on the roots of plants.

A pure and efficient strain of

Rhizobium multiplied in the lab on a

suitable medium by using shake flask

technology or fermentation technology

and inoculated into seed or root.

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Inoculum Application

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Inoculum Application

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Non-legume INOCULANTS

Azotobacter

# These bacteria enhance the plant growth and finally yield. A highly efficient strain _

Azotobacter chrooccocum is grown in the lab either as shake culture or using

fermenter.

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Azotobacter:

• Free living micro-organisms, that grow

in the rhizosphere and fix atmospheric

nitrogen non-symbiotically

• Makes it available to particularly

cereals. Promotes seed germination,

initial vigor of plants- by producing

growth producing substances

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Azospirillum

• Azospirillum, [ Azospirillum lipoferum,

biological nitrogen fixing grasses;

enhance biomass-root system]

• Associative endo-symbiont on roots of

grasses and similar types of plants.

Also fixes atmospheric nitrogen and

benefits host plants by supplying growth

hormones and vitamins.

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Azospirillum

• Commonly used for preparation of commercial inoculants on a large scale, for cereals and grasses as it produces growth promoters in addition to fixing N2.

• Has good adaptability to temp, soil pH and wide host range.

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Cyanobacteria INOCULANTS::

• Biological nitrogen fixing ;

photosynthetic also; Some free living

cyanobacteria like Nostoc, Tolypothirix

etc and other symbiotic like -

Anabaena-Azolle_ useful for rice

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Cyanobacteria

An important group of micro-organisms,

fix atmospheric nitrogen non-

symbiotically mostly in rice fields in

heterocysts cells, specially known as

sites of nitrogen fixation.

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Cyanobacteria: Preparation

Efficient strains_ used for multiplication on a large scale in field. Production of inoculum in artificially controlled conditions is defined but more expensive. Open air soil culture_ most simple, less expensive_ easily adaptable by the farmers.

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Cyanobacteria: Preparation

– # Based on use of starter culture that is

multi-strain inoculum of_ Aulosira,

Tolypothrix, Scytonema, Nostoc and

Anabaena.

– # In rural areas, unskilled labour can

undertake the multiplication of blue green

algae as a paying industry.

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Phosphate SOLUBILIZING

INOCULANTS

• Phosphate solubilizing

microorganisms are

Bacteria (Bacillus megaterium) and / or

fungi (Aspergillus awamorii) -

• Secrete organic acids - dissolve bound

phosphate in soil

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Phosphate Solubilizing bacteria / fungi:

Phosphorus_ required for plant growth

and water yield. It is also essential for

nodulation by Rhizobium.

– Phospho-micro organism are mostly

bacteria and fungi. Mycorrhizae have

high potential of phosphorus

accummulation in plants.

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VAM fungi

[Vesicular Arbuscular Mycorrhiza]

Intracellular, obligate, fungal endo-

symbiont - glomus etc.- transfers

phosphorus, zinc & sulfur from soil to

root.

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A schematic diagram of Vesicular

arbuscular mycorrhiza

Mycorrhiza

• Colonise 85% of land plants_ offers 50 % saving in chemical P fertilizer_ higher resistance to soil-and-root borne pathogens_ helps in wasteland reclamation by providing extended arm to plant root system. # A broad-spectrum mycorrhizal

biofertilizer is available.

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Mycorrhiza Produced by:

# M/s Cadila Pharamaceutical

Ltd., Ahemdabad, and KCP

Sugar and Industries (Pvt.) Ltd.,

Chennai [DBT-TERI, New Delhi’s

technology].

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Award for Producer of Mycorrhiza

• KCP Sugar Industries received the All India Biotechnology Association Award for production and marketing of the mycorrhizal bio-fertilizer.

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Estimated potential Demand for

Biofertilisers by 2000-2001

• Type of Biofertiliser

• Rhizobium

• Azotobacter

• Azospirillum

• Blue green Algae

• Phosphate solublising microorganism

• Total:

• Demand (Tonnes)

• 34,999

• 145,953

• 74,342

• 251,738

• 255,340

762,372

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Biofertilizer Production Support:

GOI- 1999-2000

• National Biofertilizer Development Centre- established at Ghaziabad with 6 Regional BF Development Centres each at Jabalpur, Hissar, Nagpur, Bangalore, Bhubaneswar and Imphal.

• Under this scheme 74 BF-production units established with central assistance having annual production capacity of 8475 tonnes.

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Promoting Bio-fertilizers: Current Situation

• A limited extent of success till date

(2000).

• There has been no accelerated growth

in distribution with time.

• Inadequate spatial diffusion.

• Despite entry of small private units into

the industry there is no clear indication

of the success of privatization.

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Progress of the bio-fertilizer Industry

• Based on the data for 1995, 1997

and 1999, the industry witnessed a

steady increase in the number of

units producing the BF ;

• the bulk of the growth took place by

1992-95 of the sample period and

stagnated thereafter.

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Changes in the share by type of BF

• moderate success in AZT and by

far the best performance by PSB

• decline in RHZ indicated success in

groundnut and pulses was below

expectation.

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Main constraints in spread of

BF as an Industry:

1. Inadequate production and supply of efficient cultures of micro-organisms to farmers well before sowing.

2. Quality control aspect

3. Lack of publicity, communication.

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Marketing: Host, soil & climate specific

BF: Receive user feedback

• To cover the vast areas of legumes, pulses and oil seeds cereals and horticultural crops- to train users to apply and to receive feedback info. from them.

• More manufacturer-distributors needed_ to prepare the bio-fertilizers in particular locality and supply to farmers as per farmer’s need, while earning profit. 44

Marketing of BF: Logistics

• # Prepared bio-fertilizers should reach

farmers prior to sowing.

# If given free of cost, that lowers down

the importance of product and farmers

don’t use them carefully.

# If bio-fertilizers are supplied after

expiry date_expected results are not

obtained.

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Steps in biofertilizer production

Strain selection, Mass Culture,

Carrier preparation and Inoculation

Quality testing. Packaging

Distribution

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NATURE OF BF INDUSTRY:

• Indigenous technology

• Scientific aspects: Standardized by

Agricultural Universities and Research

Labs.

• Machineries and laboratory

equipments are of BIS standards.

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Manufacturing equipments:

• Laboratory equipments,

• Autoclaves,

• Fermenter assembly,

• Boiler,

• Broth dispensers,

• Plant for sterlisation, deminralising

• Air compressor

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The size of a Biofertiliser unit:

• Capacity of production of various types /

strains of bio-fertilizers per annum.

• The projects so far set up in our country

vary from 75 TPA to 300 TPA.

• Expandable by adding a few additional

equipment like a fermenter and / or

adding another shift.

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Requirements of BF Projects

1 Land

2 Layout and buildings

3 Plant and Machinery

4 Manufacturing process and Source of technology

5 Infrastructural Facilities for raw material, carrier material

and utilities (Power, Water, Compressed air, Vehicles)

6 Manpower Unit Size

7 Business Prospects And Marketing and Selling

Arrangements

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SOME OF BIO-FERTILIZERS IN THE MARKET

Dr Bhabani Dikshit

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Extension work needed for popularizing BF

• Visits to areas of undivided Puri district

comprising of Pipli , Khurda and Nayagarh

belt, showed that a large number of farmer

of Chandanpur area applied biofertilizer in

their betel vine crops by using Azatobactor

and PSB (Phosphates soluble bacteria) and

yielded good results. A senior Government

agronomist of the Fertilizer Promotion and

Agricultural Research Division (FP & ARD)

based in Puri, Simanchala Panigrahi, said

that as biofertilizer was a new concept to the

farmers of Orissa, it needed further vigorous

extension work for popularizing its use. 63

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BOOKS ABOUT BIOFERTILIZERS

CONTINUED

Indian Books on Biofertilizers-1

• Biofertilizer - Technology, Marketing

and usage, a source book-cum-

Glossary by Dr. M R Motsara et al

(1995) - Fertilizer Development and

Consultation Organization publishers,

New Delhi 110048 (India)

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Indian Books on Biofertilizers-2

• Biofertilizers in Agriculture and Forestry

by N S Subba Rao, Oxford & IBH, New

Delhi.

• Biotechnology of Biofertilizers Edited by

S. Kannaiyan, Narosa Publishing

House, N. Delhi, 2002

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Indian Books on Biofertilizers -3

• Recent Advances in Biofertilizer Technology/

Edited by A.K. Yadav, S. Ray Chaudhuri and

M.R. Motsara, 2001, Society for Promotion

and Utilisation of Resources and Technology,

New Delhi. [Vedam Books]

• Phosphatic Biofertilizers / Laxmi Lal. Udaipur,

Agrotech Pub., 2002.

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Handbook of Biofertilizers • Handbook of microbial biofertilizers, M. K. Rai,

Routledge, 2006 - 579 pages,

• Sharply focused, up-to-date information on microbial

biofertilizers--including emerging options such as

"Piriformospora indica" and "Matsutake" The Handbook

of Microbial Biofertilizers provides in-depth coverage of

all major microbial biofertilizers (rhizobia, arbuscular

mycorrhizal fungi, and cyanobacterias well as new and

emerging growth promoters (endophytes).

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It examines the role of microbes in growth promotion,

bioprotectors, and bioremidiators, and presents protocols

and practical strategies for using microbes in sustainable

agriculture.

An abundance of helpful charts, tables, and figures make

complex information easy to access and understand.

In this first-of-its-kind volume, contributors from 11

countries and several continents address important

issues surrounding microbial biofertilizers,

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… including: the rhizobium-host-arbuscular mycorrhizal"

tripartite relationship, mycorrhiza as a disease suppresser

and stress reducer mycorrhiza helping bacteria the

impact of functional groups of soil microorganisms on

nutrient turnover PBPRs as biofertilizers and

biopesticides the potential of wild-legume rhizobia for use

as a biofertilizers, the expanding role of blue-green algae

in sustainable agriculture, the role of microbial fertilizers

in sustainable plant production new and emerging

endophytes the commercial potential of biofertilizers 74

In this young century, the use of biofertilizers is already

growing rapidly. It has been recognized that these

environment-friendly bioprotectors, growth boosters, and

remediators are essential for soil / plant health. The

Handbook of Microbial Biofertilizers is designed to fit the

expanding information needs of current and future

biotechnologists, microbiologists, botanists, agronomists,

environmentalists, and others whose work involves

sustained agriculture.

Handbook of Biofertilizers

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