Name: Sakshi Mahendra Patil

Roll No. : 410

Paper III
Topic: Biofertilizer

What is Biofertilizer?
Biofertilizer can be defined as biological products containing living microorganisms that, when
applied to seed, plant surfaces, or soil, promote growth by several mechanisms such as
increasing the supply of nutrients, increasing root biomass or root area and increasing nutrient
uptake capacity of the plant.
Biofertilizers are substance that contains microbes, which helps in promoting the growth of
plants and trees by increasing the supply of essential nutrients to the plants.
Biofertilizers are the substances of biological origin (microorganisms), which when added to the
soil enhances its fertility and promotes plant growth.
Broadly, biofertilizer constitutes of living organisms which include mycorrhizal fungi, blue-
green algae, and bacteria. Biofertilizers simply consists of specific strains of microorganisms like
bacteria, fungi, algae or their combinations.
Mycorrhizal fungi uptakes minerals from organic matter for the plant whereas cyanobacteria are
characterized by the property of nitrogen fixation. The process of conversion of the atmospheric
Nitrogen into nitrogenous compounds in soil ready for plant to absorb in series of reaction is
termed as nitrogen fixation.
And the bacteria can be nitrogen fixers or phosphate solubilizers. They convert insoluble forms
of soil phosphorus into soluble forms. As a result, phosphorus will be available for plants
Biofertilizers are economical, effective, and renewable sources of plant nutrients.
The role of biofertilizers in agriculture production shows a special importance, particularly in the
present context of the sky-rocketing cost of agriculture inputs.
The selective strains of microorganisms be used to prepare biofertilizer, for economic purpose
and for significant results.
When these prepared biofertilizers are incorporated with seeds, setts, seedlings or soil, they
improve crop productivity and soil health, by the biological nitrogen fixation process,
solubilization and uptake of other nutrients and synthesis of growth-promoting substances such
as vitamins and plant growth hormones.
They also produce capsular polysaccharides to prevent soil erosion.
They also convert immobilized chemical into soluble forms and make them accessible to the
plants.
Biofertilizers is highly advantageous over chemical fertilizers.
They are microorganism-containing substances that, when added to soil, increase fertility and
promote plant growth.

Types of Biofertilizer:
 Bacterial
 Fungal
 Algal
 Aquatic
 Earthworms

 Bacteria:

 Symbiotic nitrogen fixers

Rhizobium, Azospirillum spp
 Free living nitrogen fixers
Azotobacter, Klebsiella
 Algal:
 BGA in association with Azolla
Anabena, Nostoc, Ocillatoria
 Phosphate solubilizing bacteria
Pseudomonas, Bacillus megaterium
 Fungal
 VAM
 Earthworms

Bacterial Biofertilizer:
Biofertilizers are the living microorganisms that help in the growth and development of plants or
crops by enhancing the availability and supply of primary nutrients to the plant. Rhizobia are the
bacteria that help in the nitrogen fixation and thus help in replenishing soil nutrients and act as
biofertilizers.
 Rhizobium (Symbiotic nitrogen fixers)
Rhizobium is a bacterium found in soil that helps in fixing nitrogen in leguminous plants. It
attaches to the roots of the leguminous plant and produces nodules. These nodules fix
atmospheric nitrogen and convert it into ammonia that can be used by the plant for its growth
and development.

 Azospirillum:
Azospirillum are Gram-negative free-living nitrogen-fixing rhizosphere bacteria. Bacteria of
the genus Azospirillum are known for many years as plant growth promoting rhizobacteria
(PGPR). They were isolated from the rhizosphere of many grasses and cereals all over the
world, in tropical as well as in temperate climates. Both in greenhouse and in field trials,
Azospirillum was shown to exert beneficial effects on plant growth and crop yields. At
present, five species have been described: Azospirillum lipoferum, Azospirillum brasilense,
Azospirillum amazonense, Azospirillum halopraeferens and Azospirillum irakense.
 Azotobacter:
The utilization of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) in agriculture is
continuously increasing as it offers an effective tool to replace the use of chemical fertilizers,
pesticides and other harmful supplements. Azotobacter is a group of Gram negative, free-living,
nitrogen fixing aerobic bacteria inhabiting in the soil. They are oval or spherical in shape and
form thick-walled cysts (dormant cells resistant to deleterious conditions) under unfavorable
environmental conditions. These bacteria are known to exploit atmospheric nitrogen for their
cellular protein synthesis which is mineralized in the soil, imparting the crop plants a
considerable part of nitrogen available from the soil source. Azotobacter spp. is sensitive to
acidic pH, high salt concentration and temperature. They pose advantageous impacts on the crop
growth and yield through the biosynthesis of biologically active substances, instigation of
rhizospheric microbes, production of phytopathogenic inhibitors, alteration of nutrient uptake
and eventually magnifying the biological nitrogen fixation.

 Fungal Biofertilizer (VAM):

Vesicular Arbuscular Mycorrhiza (VAM) are mycorrhizal species of fungus that live in the
roots of different higher-order plants. They develop a symbiotic relationship with the plants.
VAM is an abbreviation that stands for Vesicular Arbuscular Mycorrhiza. It is considered a
symbiotic association between phycomycetous fungi and the roots of angiosperm. It is
responsible for the damage to the tissues as the fungus causes vesicles and arbuscules inside
the root cortex.
Mycorrhiza is the product of an association between a fungus and plant root. Vesicular-
arbuscular mycorrhiza (VAM) is formed by the symbiotic association between certain
phycomycetous fungi and angiosperm roots. The fungus colonizes the root cortex forming a
mycelial network and characteristic vesicles (bladder-like structures) and arbuscules
(branched finger-like hyphae). The mycelia are aseptate or septate ramifying intercellularly
thus causing little damage to tissues. The arbuscules are the most characteristic structures,
formed intracellularly and probably having an absorptive function. The vesicles are terminal
swellings of hyphae formed inter and intracellularly having a storage function. There are six
genera of fungi belonging to Endogonaceae which have been shown to form mycorrhizal
 associations: Glomus, Gigaspora, Acaulospora, Entrophospora Sclerocystis and
Scutellospora.
These are mainly identified by their characteristic spores and sporocarps which are formed
mostly in the soil surrounding the roots and rarely inside the roots. The identification of
VAM fungi directly from roots has been difficult. One of the striking features of VAM fungi
is their very wide host range which includes angiosperm species belonging to almost all the
families. Even the roots of some aquatic plants are colonized by VAM fungi.

 BGA in association with Azolla:

Azolla and the blue-green alga Anabaena azollae maintain a symbiotic relationship.
the alga provides nitrogen to the fern, and the fern provides a habitat for the alga. This
property of nitrogen fixation has made Azolla extremely important economically in the
cultivation of rice, particularly in Asia.
Azolla is a floating pteridophyte, which contains as endosymbiont the nitrogen-fixing
cyanobacterium Anabaena azollae (Nostocaceae family). Widely cultivated in the Asian regions,
Azolla is either incorporated into the soil before rice transplanting or grown as a dual crop along
with rice. To examine the feasibility of its use in flooded rice fields sited in the Temperate
European Areas, we carried out a series of experiments in PVC tanks during 2000–2002 in Po
Valley (northern Italy) conditions, to study the growth-development dynamics and the
resistance/tolerance to low temperatures and to commonly used herbicides of several different
Azolla strains. Three out of five strains tested survived the winter, with an increase in biomass
from March to May producing approximately 30–40 kg ha of nitrogen. One of these strains,
named “Milan”, emerged as the most resistant to herbicide and the most productive. Of the
herbicides tested, Propanil permitted the survival of growing Azolla.
It is particularly important to increase the efficiency of nitrogen use and concomitantly to reduce
water pollution, by changing strategies of mineral use and by integrating organic fertilizers in the
rice production system. These strategies seem particularly important if we consider the current
increase and interest in organic products in all EU States. It is also important to remember that
agriculture can play a significant role in the reduction of greenhouse gases, particularly for CO2
if the rice farmers can increase the soil stable organic matter and treat agricultural soils as
powerful carbon sinks.

 Earthworm:
Vermicomposting is the processing of organic materials by earthworms into homogeneous
and humus-like material known as vermicompost. It is a complex mixture of fecal matter of
earthworms and microorganisms. In vermicomposting system, earthworms act as voracious
feeder, modifying composition of organic waste, gradually reducing its organic carbon and
C:N ratio and retains more nutrients (nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus, calcium). The nutrient
content is generally higher in vermicompost than in the traditional compost. Earthworm
increases the surface area of any material and makes it more favorable for the activity of
microbiota for further decomposition.
Earthworms have the ability to consume various types of organic wastes such as livestock
excreta, cattle dung, oil palm waste, agricultural residue, sewage sludge and other agro-
industrial refuse. Studies suggested that organic wastes can be managed by the use of
different species of earthworms and the production of vermicompost as a powerful
biofertilizer in sustainable agriculture discouraging the use of chemical fertilizers.
Vermicomposting accelerates the bioconversion process by two to five times as compared to
traditional composting, thereby hastens the conversion of wastes into valuable biofertilizer.
In the present review, earthworms are described as waste managers in utilizing and changing
the physico-chemical properties of the organic wastes and highlight the need for the use of
vermicomposting in organic waste recycling.
 Advantages of biofertilizers:
 The biofertilizers has special contribution to agriculture due to the following
advantages:
 Biofertilizers act as supplements to chemical fertilizers.
 Biofertilizers are cost-friendly and can aid to decrease consumption of such
fertilizers.
 Microbes in biofertilizers provide atmospheric nitrogen directly to plants.
 They aid in solubilization and mineralization of other plant nutrients like phosphates.
 Better synthesis and availability of hormones, vitamins, auxins and other growth-
promoting substances improves plant growth.
 On an average crop yield elevates by 10–20 percent by their use.
 They help in the multiplication and survival of beneficial micro-organisms in the root
region (rhizospheric bacteria).
 They control and inhibit pathogenic soil bacteria.
 They enhance soil texture by increasing amount of humus and maintain soil fertility.
 Eco-friendly in nature and pollution free.

References:
https://www.britannica.com/science/Anabaena-azollae
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12649-017-9899-8#:~:text=The%20production
%20of%20earthworms%20in,organic%20fertilizers%20in%20the%20world.
https://www.onlinebiologynotes.com/biofertilizer-advantages-types-methods-of-application-
and-disadvantages/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7714982/
https://academic.oup.com/femsre/article/24/4/487/510690
…THANK YOU…