Bio Fertilizers
Biofertilizers are living microbes that enhance plant nutrition by either by mobilizing or increasing nutrient availability in soils.
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 available. Biofertilizers contain different types of fungi, root bacteria or other microorganisms. They form a mutually beneficial or symbiotic relationship with host plants as they grow in the soil.
MODE OF ACTION:
Biofertilizers add nutrients through the natural processes of nitrogen fixation, solubilizing phosphorus, and stimulating plant growth through the synthesis of growth-promoting substances. The micro-organisms in biofertilizers restore the soil’s natural nutrient cycle and build soil organic matter.
Nitrogen biofertilizers: Here bacteria seek shelter and obtain food from plants. In return, they help by providing fixed nitrogen to the plants.
Phosphorous biofertilizer: Phosphorus biofertilizers help the soil to reach its optimum level of phosphorus and correct the phosphorus levels in the soil.
ADVANTAGES:-
Sustainability: Biofertilizers increase the nitrogen and phosphorus available to plants more naturally than other fertilizers. Biofertilizers do not pollute the soil or the environment, whereas chemical fertilizers often result in too much phosphate and nitrogen in the soil.
Affordability: Biofertilizers are a cheap, easy-to-use alternative to manufactured petrochemical products.
Improved soil and plants: Biofertilizers add valuable nutrients to the soil, especially nitrogen, proteins and vitamins. They take nitrogen from the atmosphere and phosphates from the soil and turn them into forms that plants can use. Some species also produce natural pesticides.
Biofertilizers increase yield by up to 30 percent because of the nitrogen and phosphorus they add to the soil. The improvement in soil texture and quality helps plants grow better during periods of drought