Relevance: mains: G.S Paper: Agriculture & Environment
What are Biofertilizers?
- Biofertilizers are products of beneficial microorganisms which increase agricultural production by way of nutrient supply especially nitrogen and phosphorus.
- Biofertilizers can fix atmospheric nitrogen for plant use and can mobilize unavailable phosphorous pool which can be used by plants.
These biofertilizers are inexpensive, simple to use and have no problem of environmental pollution.
- Use of biofertilizers not only help in sustaining productivity and soil health but also in reducing subsidy burden on the government by reducing the consumption of chemical fertilizers.
What are the benefits of applications of different biofertilizers?
- Biofertilizers provide various nutrients to plants like N, P, K, etc. either by fixing the elemental form (N) or by solubilizing the unavailable nutrients like B K and Zinc.
VAM (AM) fungi benefit plants by mobilizing the nutrients from a larger root area.
- Azolla not only fixes N but also add organic matter to the soil.
- Biofertilizers not only provide nutrients to plants but also protect plants from plant diseases as they secrete many antibiotic compounds which suppress the growth of disease-causing Pathogens.
- Besides providing nutrients and suppressing diseases, biofertilizers also secrete some plant growth promoting hormones like auxins and gibberellic acid which makes plant healthy.
- Many biofertilizers like VAM and PGPR also help plants in avoiding water stress by secreting some polysaccharide which helps in soil aggregation and conserving moisture for longer times.
- Once the biofertilizers are established in the field after 2-3 years of continuous application, the dose of biofertilizers may be reduced.
What are the constraints in this regard?
- The foremost constraint in the popularization of biofertilizers in the country is the timely supply of cultures in remote corners of the country where organic agriculture is practiced.
- Lack of knowledge of the farmers about these biofertilizers and proper measures taken by the extension departments in demonstrating the benefits of inoculants to farmers.
- Though mechanisms exist under Fertilizer Control Order (FCO L985) to looks after the quality control of biofertilizers, the persons involved in the quality control are not versed with the proper tools and techniques of handling biofertilizers samples.
What is Green Manuring?
- Green manuring – a Practice of ancient origin- can be defined as a practice of ploughing or turning into the soil undecomposed green plant tissues grown in-situ or cut and brought in for incorporation for the purpose of improving physical structure as well as the fertility of the soil.
- In another way, green manuring is the practice of growing lush plants on the site into which you want to incorporate organic matter, then turning into the soil while it is still fresh.
- The plant material used in this way is called green manure.
- Green manuring is usually done in the lean period available between the two main crops.
- However it can be practiced in between crop rows also eg. in-situ green manuring of Sunnhemp / Sesbaniain between maize rows.