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Role of Microbes in Organic Farming
Role of Microbes in Organic Farming
Abstract
Sustainability is the key for continued existence of any civilization. Agriculture
may be considered sustainable when the system is resource conserving, socially
supportive, commercially competitive, and environmentally sound. In farming
systems, microbes play a pivotal role as the main dynamic forces. The health of the
planet relies on the development of efficient and sustainable agricultural sys-tems.
Soil is the base of many of the biological processes, viz., biological nitro-gen
fixation, residue decomposition, mineralization/immobilization turnover, nutrient
cycling, and denitrification, which are regulated by the microbes. In today’s
scenario, wherein the addition of chemicals is done to an extreme level, the soil has
lost rich flora of beneficial microbes. It is high time to reintroduce environmentally
friendly microflora into the field, so as to accomplish the goal of sustainable
agriculture. In this chapter we will attempt to explain the application of soil
beneficial microbes through traditional and advanced approaches using organic
manures in organic farming system so that human race and nature may be benefited
by maintaining sustainable agroecosystem.
Keywords
Organic farming ∙ Sustainability ∙ Biofertilizers ∙ Microbes
12.1\ Introduction
India witnessed an era of green revolution during which enormous enhancement in the
food grain production took place, but it did lead to the insufficient concern for
agricultural sustainability. The chemical fertilizers are based on fossil fuel; hence their
availability and affordability at farm level in developing countries are ensured through
imports and subsidies which are largely dependent on GDP of the country.
Indiscriminate use of synthetic fertilizers has polluted the biotic and abiotic systems of
soil and water basins and destroyed microbes and other friendly worms and insects.
Critical conditions arise when phenomenon like eutrophication takes place, which is
capable of demolishing the whole aquatic ecosystem (Pindi 2012).
After these experiences one has to go back to sustainable growth of agriculture.
Sustainable agricultural growth faces threat due to climatic changes, which is
enhanced by the consistent accumulation of greenhouse gas emissions in the atmo-
sphere, produced anthropogenically through tremendous industrial growth and stiff
shift in the lifestyle. The whole world is undergoing environmental changes and
requires support from the entire human race so as to ensure ecological sustainability in
its socioeconomic development. Agriculture is the basis for ensuring food and
livelihood security of any country; hence this sector becoming resilient to increas-ing
climatic variabilities is most important. A lot of changes are going to be taking place;
if there is as little as 1 °C rise in temperature, for instance, irrigation require-ments in
arid and semiarid regions are estimated to increase by 10% for every 1 °C rise in
temperature. The whole world shall be vulnerable in the event of climate change, but
India in particular, being highly dependent on agriculture, shall fall prey to it to a
greater extent. Rise in sea level would also likely to have adverse effects on the
livelihoods of fishermen and coastal communities (NMSA 2010).
An ecosystem with an integrated region of agricultural production is agroecosys-
tem. These are complex units where several biotic and abiotic factors like soil, water,
air, wildlife, insects, pathogens, plants, and humans interact. The agroecosys-tem
concept provides a background to analyze food production systems, including their
complex sets of inputs and outputs and interconnections of their component parts. If a
sustainable agroecosystem is to be created, then the challenges faced are same as that
lies in creating a natural ecosystem-like characteristics while maintain-ing harvest
output. To achieve sustainability it is important to work toward the sys-tem of
ecosystem concept. Less dependency on nonrenewable sources can be utilized for
energy flow and a better balance achieved to maintain the internal pro-cesses of the
system and that which is available for export as harvestable goods. Maintaining
nutrient cycles which are as closed as possible may lead to lower nutri-ent losses from
the system. Population regulation mechanisms can depend more on system-level
resistance to pests, through an assay of mechanisms that range from increasing habitat
diversity to ensuring the presence of natural enemies and antago-nists. The qualities of
resilience, stability, productivity, and balance, if incorporated in an agroecosystem,
will better ensure the maintenance of the dynamic equilibrium necessary to establish
an ecological basis for sustainability. Sustainability refers to
12 Role of Microbes in Organic Farming for Sustainable Agro-Ecosystem 243
Organic farming can be considered as the most effective tool for attaining sustainable
agroecosystem. In the present scenario, organic farming has attained a lot of attention
due to its necessity and demands. Organic farming assists to maintain sustainable
ecosystem, boost in biological cycles within farming system, usage of renewable
resources, harmonious balance between animal husbandry and crop production,
increased fertility of soil, and the genetic diversity of the production system and its
surroundings, including the protection of plant and wildlife habitats; these are the
necessities to maintain sustainable ecosystem. At the same time, there is a demand
from the society for providing chemical-free, nutritious food, so as to help the gen-
erations to come and provide a better and healthy future (Roychowdhury et al. 2013).
\7.\ To establish a relation between the crop production and animal husbandry
\8.\ To minimize all forms of pollution
\9.\ To maximize the use of renewable resources and minimize the usage of
renew-able resources
Since time immemorial our ancestors have been using various organic
technolo-gies to make agriculture sustainable while conserving soil, water, energy,
and bio-logical resources. Among the benefits of organic technologies are higher
soil organic matter and nitrogen, lower fossil energy inputs, yields similar to those
of conven-tional systems, and conservation of soil moisture and water resources
(especially advantageous under drought conditions). Conventional agriculture can
be made more sustainable and ecologically sound by adopting some traditional
organic farm-ing technologies (Roychowdhury et al. 2013).
Disadvantages:
1\.\ Biofertilizers are sensitive to temperature and humidity changes, making them
difficult to be stored.
\2.\ Their results are slower than chemical fertilizer.
3\.\ Difficult to find a selling retailer.
4\.\ Biofertilizers complement other fertilizers, but they cannot totally replace them. \
5.\ Shortages of particular strains of microorganisms or of the best growing medium
reduce the availability of some biofertilizers.
12.4.1\ Rhizobium
Rhizobium is the most widely studied and important genus as far as nitrogen fixation is
concerned (Odame 1997). This bacterium is associated with legume plants and, hence,
plays an important role in pulse production. Legumes have been an important compo-
nent of agriculture since ancient times. It is widely believed that legumes improve soil
fertility because of their N2-fixing ability (Laranjo et al. 2014) (Table 12.2).
12 Role of Microbes in Organic Farming for Sustainable Agro-Ecosystem 247
12.4.2\ Azospirillum
12.4.3\ Azotobacter
Along with N2 fixation, Azotobacter also carries out the functions of synthesizing and
secretion of considerable amounts of biologically active substances like B vitamins,
nicotinic acid, pantothenic acid, biotin, heteroxins, gibberellins, etc. which enhance
root growth of plants. These species show sensitivity toward pH, high salts, and tem-
perature above 35 °C (Rao 1986). Among the important species of Azotobacter are A.
chroococcum, A. agilis, A. paspali, and A. vinelandii. Azotobacter shows significant
response in crop growth, viz., all agricultural crops about 10–12% (Jaga and Singh
2010). Growth and grain yield in wheat crop can be enhanced with Azotobacter (Kader
et al. 2002; Abd El-Lattief 2016). Azotobacter when inoculated with yeast shows much
superior results (Ahmed et al. 2011). Along with rice and other cereals, Azotobacter
may apply by seed sipping and seedling root dipping methods (Kannaiyan, et al. 1980;
Kannaiyan 1999; Singh et al. 1999a, b; Rüttimann, et al. 2003).
Phosphorus (P) stands to be the second major plant nutrient limiting factor for
crop productivity.
Phosphorus-solubilizing and phosphorus-mobilizing microbes in the form of
biofertilizers can make available the accumulated phosphates for plant growth
(Goldstein 1986). Soil nutrient status and structure are vitally altered with the use
of PSB as bio-inoculants (Blake 1993). Microbes belonging to the groups of
bacteria, fungi, and actinomycetes fall to be in this specific group of organisms
and enumer-ated from different sources such as soil (Roychowdhury et al. 2013).
Various bacte-ria belonging to this group are Bacillus sp., B. megaterium, B.
circulans, Pseudomonas sp., and P. striata, and fungi are Penicillium sp., P.
digitatum, P. oxysporum, Aspergillus sp., A. niger, A. flavus, and A. awamori.
Mycorrhizae are phosphorus-mobilizing microbes, which enact to make avail-
able the phosphorus to the plants and hence support the development of plants
(Roychowdhury et al. 2013) (Table 12.4).
12 Role of Microbes in Organic Farming for Sustainable Agro-Ecosystem 249
Table 12.4 Recommended liquid biofertilizers and their application method and quantity to be
used for different crops
Recommended Application Quantity
Crop biofertilizer method to be used
Field crops
Pulses
Chickpea, pea, groundnut, soybean, Rhizobium Seed 200 ml/
beans, lentil, lucerne, berseem, green treatment acre
gram, black gram, cowpea, and
pigeon pea
Cereals
Wheat, oat, barley Azotobacter/Azospirillum Seed 200 ml/
treatment acre
Rice Azospirillum Seed 200 ml/
treatment acre
Oil seeds
Mustard, sesame, linseeds, sunflower, Azotobacter Seed 200 ml/
castor treatment acre
Millets
Pearl millets, finger millets, Kodo Azotobacter Seed 200 ml/
millet treatment acre
Maize and sorghum Azospirillum Seed 200 ml/
treatment acre
Forage crops and grassesBermuda Azotobacter Seed 200 ml/
grass, Sudan grass, Napier grass, Para treatment acre
grass, star grass etc.
Other misc. plantation cropstobacco Azotobacter Seedling 500 ml/
treatment acre
Tea, coffee Azotobacter Soil 400 ml/
treatment acre
Rubber, coconuts Azotobacter Soil 2–3 ml/
treatment plant
Agro-forestry/fruit plantsall fruit/ Azotobacter Soil 2–3 ml/
agro-forestry (herb, shrubs, annuals, treatment plant at
and perennial) plants for fuel wood, nursery
fodder, fruit, gum, spice, leaf, flower,
nut, and seed purposes
Leguminous plants/trees Rhizobium Soil 1–2 ml/
treatment plant
The microbes which live inside the host microenvironment and receive protection
from environmental stresses, hence, face quite low competition from microbes. At the
same time, they have superior access to nutrients (Dutta 2014; Yadav and Yadav
2017). Endophytes are also found to associate in supplying biologically fixed nitro-gen
in nonlegumes, and these associations can increase the nitrogen economy of a crop,
reducing the requirement for N fertilizers. Also prevention from various
250 S. K. Yadav et al.
Plant waste contains high content of cellulose, which takes abundant time to
decom-pose by naturally occurring microorganisms. Due to this, the agricultural
wastes are burned which leads to environmental pollution and various respiratory
diseases. Hence a method has to be incorporated to fasten the activity of
composting. This can be done by the usage of microbes belonging to bacteria,
actinomycetes, fungi, algae, and protozoa. Due to high organic matter and
biological activity of compost, it is effective in various activities like soil erosion,
biofiltration, bioremediation, impro-visation of soil structure, and moisture
retention. Major pollution problems, viz., air and water, can be minimized by
utilizing the composting technology (Anyanwu et al. 2015).
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