An assignment on

Biofertilizers
Submitted to:
Mizanur Rahman Bhuiyan
Professor
Soil Science Discipline
Khulna University, Khulna
Course no: SS-5203

Submitted By:

Course title: Soil Biotechnology

Rabeya Khatun
lD: MS-161307
Soil Science Discipline
Khulna University, Khulna

Submission date: 20-11-2016

Biofertlizers

Contents
Overview ................................................................................................................. 2
Biofertilizers .......................................................................................................... 2
Galaxy of Biofertilizers ........................................................................................ 3
Types of Bio-fertilizers ......................................................................................... 4
Benefits from biofertilizers.................................................................................. 5
Disadvantages ....................................................................................................... 6
Conclusion ............................................................................................................... 6
References ............................................................................................................... 7

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Overview
The increasing impacts on the environment due to agricultural practices in the world have gradually
affected the quality of the soil in terms of structure and biological equilibrium, which has required
the development of alternative practices to minimize and mitigate those impacts, parallel to the
improvement on the yield per cultivated area and economical benefits for producers and farmers.
In addition, the amount of food that society of today require for processing and supply of the
industry has encouraged the creation of new options for agricultural practices, tending to be: i) less
invasive to the environment, ii) cheaper than conventional techniques, iii) able to increase
efficiency at low costs, iv) able to obtain better characteristics on harvests and, v) ease of use and
implementation with no excessive technical requirements. As a result, technologies such as
biofertilization have emerged in order to minimize environmental impacts and take advantage of
the resources available in the field
A biofertilizers is not just any organic fertilizer or manure. It consists of a carrier medium rich in
live microorganisms. When applied to seed, soil or living plants, it increases soil nutrients or makes
them biologically more sustainable. It also plays an important role in carbon sequestration to either
mitigate or defer global warming and avoid dangerous climate change.

Biofertilizers
The name itself is self-explanatory. The fertilizers are used to improve the fertility of the land using
biological wastes, hence the term biofertilizers, and biological wastes do not contain any chemicals
which are detrimental to the living soil. They are extremely beneficial in enriching the soil with
those micro-organisms, which produce organic nutrients for the soil and help combat diseases. The
farm produce does not contain traces of hazardous and poisonous materials. Thus those products
are accepted across the world as Organic ones. Hence for organic farming the use of biofertilizers
is mandatory.

Figure: Biofertilizers

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Most biofertilizers consist of microbes that are involved in the decomposition of organic matter
and the breakdown of minerals into a soluble form that is useful to plants. Most of these microbes
and the compounds they create are abundant in any compost pile, and most gardeners can attest to
the advantages of incorporating compost in the soil. Biofertilizers contain specific strains of these
naturally occurring organisms that have been cultivated in a lab environment to use for a particular
purpose -- some help to increase levels of major nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus, while
others help to fight off disease or provide beneficial trace elements in the soil.

Galaxy of Biofertilizers
Phospho: It releases insoluble phosphorus in soil and fix this phosphorus in clay minerals which is
of great significance in agriculture.
Rhizo: Rhizo Bacterial plays a very important role in agriculture by inducing nitrogen fixings
nodules on the root of legumes such as peas,beans clove and alfalfa.
Azotobactor: Atmosphere contains 78% nitrogen which is a very important nutrient for plant
growth. Azotobactor fixes the atmospheric nitrogen in the soil and make it available to the plants.
It protects the roots from other pathogens present in the soil.
Trichoderma: It is a non- pathogenic and eco-friendly product. The product is antagonistic hyper
parasitic against different pathogens in the field and economically well established biocontrol
agent.
Composter: (Decomposing Culture): Composter breaks down any organic matter such as dead
plants farm yard waste, cattle waste etc. thereby increasing the soil productivity.
Tricho-Card: Trichogramma is an efficient destroyer of eggs of many leaf and flower eaters,
stems, fruit, shoot borers etc. It can be used in a variety of crops as well as in horticultural and
ornamental plants,such as sugarcane, cotton, brinjal, tomato, corn, jawar, vegetables, citrus, paddy
apple etc.
Vermi Compost: It is 100% pure eco-friendly organic fertilizer. This organic fertilizer has nitrogen
phosphorus, potassium, organic carbon, sulphur, hormones, vitamins, enzymes and antibiotics
which helps to improve the quality and quantity of yield. It is observed that due to continuous
misuse of chemical fertiliser soil losses its fertility and gets salty day by day. To overcome such
problems natural farming is the only remedy and Vermi compost is the best solution.

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Biocompost: It is eco-friendly organic fertilizer which is prepared from the sugar industry waste
material which is decomposed and enriched of with various plants and human friendly bacteria and
fungi. Biocompost consists of nitrogen, phosphate solubilizing bacteria and various useful fungi
like decomposing fungi, trichoderma viridea which protects the plants from various soil borne
disease and also help to increase soil fertility which results to a good quality product to the farmers.

Types of Bio-fertilizers
The various bio-fertilizers are as follows.
(i) Free Living Nitrogen Fixing Bacteria:
They live freely in the soil and perform nitrogen fixation. Some of them are saprotrophic, living on
organic remains, e.g., Azoto- bacter, Bacillus polymyxa, Clostridium, Beijerinckia. They are
further distinguished into aerobic and anaerobic forms.The property of nitrogen fixation is also
found in photoautotrophic bacteria, e.g., Rhodopseudomonas, Rhodospirillum, Chromatium.
(ii) Free Living Nitrogen Fixing Cyanobacteria:
A number of free living cyanobacteria or blue-green algae have the property of nitrogen fixation,
e.g., Anabaena, Nostoc, Aulosira, Totypothrix, Cylindrospermum, Stigonema. Cyanobacteria are
photosynthetic. Therefore, they add organic matter as well as extra nitrogen to the soil.
(iii) Loose Association of Nitrogen Fixing Bacteria:
Certain nitrogen fixing bacteria like Azospirillum live around the roots of higher plants without
developing any intimate relationship. It is often called rhizosphere association. The bacteria obtain
some plant exudate and use the same as part of their food requirement. The bacteria fix nitrogen
and exude a part of the fixed nitrogen for use by the plant. The phenomenon is termed as associative
mutualism.
(iv) Symbiotic Nitrogen Fixing Bacteria:
They form a mutually beneficial association with the plants. The bacteria obtain food and shelter
from plants. In return, they give a part of their fixed nitrogen to the plants. The most important of
the symbiotic nitrogen fixing bacteria is Rhizobium (pi Rhizobia). It forms nodules on the roots of
legume plants. There are about a dozen species of Rhizobium which form association with different
legume roots, e.g., R. leguminosarum, R. lupini, R. trifolii, R. meliloti, R. phaseoli.

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(v) Symbiotic Nitrogen Fixing Cyanobacteria:

Anabaena azollae resides in the leaf cavities of the fern. It fixes nitrogen. A part of the fixed
nitrogen is excreted in the cavities and becomes available to the fern. The decaying fern plants
release the same for utilization of the rice plants. When field is dried at the time of harvesting, the
fern functions as the green manure, decomposing and enriching the field for the next crop.
(vi) Microphos Biofertilizers:
They release phosphate from bound and insoluble states, e.g., Bacillus polymyxa, Pseudomonas
striata, Aspergillus species.

Benefits from biofertilizers

Biofertilizers are an environmentally friendly substitute for harmful chemical fertilizers. They
transform organic matter into nutrients that can be used to make plants healthy and productive.
They have a low production cost because they make use of leftover vegetables and easily obtained
organic
1. Biofertilizers are easy to produce in abundance and are available at low cost to the marginal
farmers.
2. It increases soil fertility without causing any damage to the soil.
3. Application of biofertilizers increases yield upto 45 per cent and the left over biofertilizers
in the soil increases yield as long as the biofertilizer remains in the soil up to 3 to 4 years.
4. Azolla, which is a biofertilizer amends the soil with organic matter. Cyanobacteria in
particular secrete growth promoting hormones like indole 3-acetic acid, indole butyric acid,
naphthalene acetic acid, aminoacids, protein and vitamins to soil.
5. Cyanobacteria grow well both in acidic as well as in alkaline soils. Since, cyanobacteria
are potent neutralizers, they help in the neutralization of soil. The process of converting
untenable, fallow land to cultivable soil is termed as soil reclamation. Blue green algae
play a vital role in this conversion.
6. Symbiotic nitrogen fixing Rhizobium is a biofertilizer. It adds 50 to 150 Kg of nitrogen to
soil per hectare. Azatobacter and Azospirillum secrete antibiotics which act as
biopesticides.
7. Ectotrophic mycorrhiza, which acts as a biofertilizer, increases the surface area of the roots
of host plants, so that more absorption of nutrients by the roots is made possible.

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One of the main advantages of using biofertilizers is the diminished need to use other forms of
fertilizer, many of which have negative effects in the environment. For example, synthetic nitrogen
fertilizers are known to accumulate salts in the soil after prolonged use, making the soil less fertile
over time. Concentrated applications of nitrogen and phosphates, whether from synthetic or organic
sources, can run-off into waterways during heavy rains and disrupt the balance of aquatic
ecosystems. If biofertilizers are effective in promoting healthy soil and plant life, the overall
environment is healthier, as air and water quality are inextricably linked to soil quality.

Disadvantages
Applying biofertilizers is unlikely to harm plant life or the environment in any way, but there is
little to guarantee that they will help either. This is a distinct disadvantage compared to nutrientbased fertilizers that reliably provide quantifiable results. The reason for this lies in the myriad
factors that have to be aligned for the microbes in biofertilizers to be effective for the purpose they
are prescribed. Their effectiveness is a product of complex chemical and biological interactions
that are themselves affected by moisture, temperature, pH and other environmental variables. If the
conditions aren't right for the microbes to multiply and do their work, their populations are likely
to peter out, and the user will have wasted time and money on a product that was not suitable for
the soil conditions.

Conclusion
Biofertilization is pertinent strategies for an efficient and rational use of agricultural
resources with minimal generation of adverse environmental impacts that may affect water
resources, ecosystems or the quality of human life. In addition, biological fertilizers
provide a wide range of possibilities for the development of conservative agriculture in
different geographic, economic, and cultural backgrounds. Current researches clearly show
that biofertilization techniques require less chemical inputs on the soil and facilitate the
incorporation of residues that would otherwise go to dumping sites and landfills, which
represents relevant reductions on the environmental impacts associated to agriculture
activities globally. Limitations of biological fertilization require future research focused on
identifying the options available to tackle the issues and offer valid frameworks for
development of environmentally friendly practices around the world that allows

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improvements on the efficiency and consequent supply of product for the industry in the
global economies. Although several options for application of biofertilizers are available,
feasibility studies should be carried out by producers and farmers to effectively select the
best option that offers better results and allows minimizing environmental
impacts. Biosolids, animal manures, green manures, composting, microbial inoculants and
seaweeds extracts are techniques widely used in todays agriculture, however, their
implementation still requires research, investment, and technological development to fully
understand their impacts on the soil, flora, fauna and, ultimately, on human health.

References
http://www.stackyard.com/news/2005/04/Crop/biofertilizers.html
http://www.lrrd.org/lrrd24/3/carv24043.htm
http://www.ehow.com/info_12216506_advantages-disadvantagesbiofertilizers.html
http://homeguides.sfgate.com/advantages-disadvantages-biofertilizers85227.html
http://www.readorrefer.in/article/Role-of-biofertilizers-and-Benefits-frombiofertilizers_1083/
https://web.wpi.edu/Pubs/Eproject/Available/Eproject030311115831/unrest
ricted/English_Biofertilizers_Brochure.pdf
Arun K.S., Bio-fertilizers for sustainable agriculture. Mechanism of Psolubilization Sixth edition, Agribios publishers, Jodhpur, India, 196-197 (2007).
Subba Ra o NS; Bi o- fer tilizer s in Agriculture, New Delhi, India: Oxford and
IBH publishers, 1982: 128- 136.
Youssef MMA, Eissa MFM:Biofertilizers and their role in management of plant
parasitic nematodes. A review. E3 J Biotechnol.Pharm Res2014, 5:16.

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