Types of biofertilizers and preparation biology discussion
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Types of biofertilizers
Biofertilizers add nutrients through the natural processes of fixing atmospheric nitrogen, solubilizing phosphorus, and stimulating plant growth through the synthesis of growth-promoting substances. They can be categorised in different ways based on their nature and function.
One simple broadly disseminated classification is as follows:
Nitrogen Biofertilizers
This group fixes nitrogen symbiotically. Nitrogen biofertilizers help to correct the nitrogen levels in the soil. Nitrogen is a limiting factor for plant growth because plants need a certain amount of nitrogen in the soil to thrive. Different biofertilizers have an optimum effect for different soils, so the choice of nitrogen biofertilizer to be used depends on the cultivated crop. Rhizobia are used for legume crops, Azotobacter or Azospirillum for non-legume crops, Acetobacter for sugarcane and blue-green algae and Azolla for lowland rice paddies.
Phosphorus Biofertilizers
Just like nitrogen, phosphorus is also a limiting factor for plant growth. Phosphorus biofertilizers help the soil to reach its optimum level of phosphorus and correct the phosphorus levels in the soil. Unlike nitrogen biofertilizers, the usage of phosphorus biofertilizers is not dependent on the crops cultivated on the soil. Phosphatika is used for all crops with Rhizobium, Azotobacter, Azospirillum and Acetobacter.
Compost Biofertilizers
Biofertilizers are also used for enrichment of your compost and for enhancement of the bacterial processes that break down the compost waste. Suitable biofertilizers for compost use are cellulolytic fungal cultures and Phosphotika and Azotobacter cultures. A 100% pure eco-friendly organic fertilizer is Vermi Compost: 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 fertilizers, the soil looses its fertility and becomes saline day by day. To overcome such problems, natural farming is the only remedy and Vermi compost is the best solution.
Another eco-friendly organic fertilizer which is prepared from sugar industry waste material that is decomposed and enriched with various plants and human-friendly bacteria and fungi is Biocompost. Biocompost consists of nitrogen, phosphate-solubilizing bacteria and various beneficial fungi like the decomposing fungus Trichoderma viridae, which protects plants from various soil-borne diseases and also helps to increase the soil fertility, resulting in a good quality product for farmers.
A more detailed classification of biofertilizers is as follows:
Just to remind, biofertilizers are defined as biologically active products or microbial inoculants of bacteria, algae and fungi (separately or in combination), which may facilitate the biological nitrogen fixation for the benefit of plants. Biofertilizers also include organic fertilizers (manure, etc.), which are rendered in an available form due to the interaction of microorganisms or due to their association with plants.
Biofertilizers thus include the following:
symbiotic nitrogen fixers, Rhizobium spp.;
non-symbiotic, free-living nitrogen fixers (Azotobacter, Azospirillum, etc.);
algal biofertilizers (blue-green algae or blue-green algae in association with Azolla);
phosphate-solubilising bacteria;
mycorrhizae;
organic fertilizers.
