Types of Biofertilizers

Biofertilizers

Biofertilizers are substances that contain living microorganisms which, when applied to seeds, plant surfaces, or soil, colonize the rhizosphere or the interior of the plant and promote growth by increasing the supply or availability of primary nutrients to the host plant.

Types of Biofertilizers

Rhizobium

Rhizobium is a soil bacterium that colonize the roots of leguminous plants to form root nodules. The bacteria fix atmospheric nitrogen and convert them to ammonia.

Azospirillum

Azospirillum has the ability to use atmospheric nitrogen and transport this nutrient to the crop plants. It is inoculated on maize, barley, oats and sorghum crops. It increases productivity of cereals by 5 - 20%, of millets by 30% and fodder by over 50%.

Azotobacter

Application of Azotobacter has been found to increase yield of wheat, rice, maize and sorghum. Apart from nitrogen fixation, these organisms are capable of producing antifungal and antibacterial compounds.

Mycorrhizae

These fungi have symbiotic association with the roots of vascular plants. They increase the uptake of phosphorus. e.g. Citrus, Papaya.

Azolla

Azolla is a free floating, aquatic fern found on water surfaces having a cyanobacterial symbiotic association with Anabaena. It is a live floating nitrogen factory using energy from photosynthesis to fix atmospheric nitrogen.