Biofertilizers and PGPR for Evergreen Agriculture

• Published in: Microorganisms in Sustainable Agriculture, Food, and the Environment Vol. 1; pp. 261 - 289
• Main Authors: Shelat, Harsha N., Vyas, R. V., Jhala, Y. K.
• Format: Book Chapter
• Language: English
• Published: Canada CRC Press 2017; Apple Academic Press, Incorporated
• Edition: 1
• Subjects: Azospirillum Lipoferum; Chemolithoautotrophic Growth; VAM; MoFe Protein; Plant Growth Promoting; Nostoc Muscorum; Tamil Nadu; green revolution; rhizosphere; Acetobacter Diazotrophicus; Plant Growth Promoting Bacteria; Poly Saccharides; PGPR; Azospirillum Brasilense; PSB; Nitrogen Fixation; Arbuscular Mycorrhizae; biofertilizers; Microbial Inoculants; cultivation; Gluconic Acid Production; Azospi Rillum Brasilense; Bacillus Mucilaginosus; rhizobacteria; BNF
• ISBN: 1771884797; 9781771884792
• DOI: 10.1201/9781315365824-9

262To answer to the food demand, all farmers try to maximize the crops they can cultivate on their land. For decades, farmers have used fertilizers to increase their crop yields. With the green revolution, more environment friendly but still effective biofertilizers have been introduced, and they are widely used all over the world, especially in areas where the usage of synthetic fertilizers has ruined the natural nutrient levels of the soil. Biofertilizers are a way to increase crop production by naturally optimizing the nutrient levels of the soil. A biofertilizer is a substance which contains living microorganisms which, when applied to seed, plant surfaces, or soil, colonizes the rhizo- sphere or the interior of the plant, and promotes growth by increasing the supply or availability of primary nutrients to the host plant. The microor- ganisms in biofertilizers restore the soil’s natural nutrient cycle and build soil organic matter. Through the use of biofertilizers, healthy plants can be grown, while enhancing the sustainability and the health of the soil. As they play several roles, a preferred scientific term for such beneficial bacteria is “plant-growth promoting rhizobacteria.” Therefore, they are extremely advantageous in enriching soil fertility and fulfilling plant nutrient require- ments by supplying the organic nutrients through microorganism and their by-products. Microorganisms are omnipresent and are extremely important. A tip of a needle can hold more than 1 lakh bacteria. India is a country with ancient history of organic farming. There are reports in Ramayana, Mahabharata, Kautilya Arthsashtra, Bruhad Samhita, Rig- Veda, Atharvaveda, Vrukshayurveda, Quran, and many more of organic cultivation in India, describing importance of natural resources, cow excreta, recycling of residues, and microbial degradation of materials for crop produc- tion. Main challenge for agriculture development is to increase agriculture production and productivity of land. Biofertilizers are best described as microorganisms, which add, conserve, and mobilize the crop nutrients in the soil. Nitrogen is essential element for all forms of life and a basic requisite for synthesizing nucleic acids, proteins, and other organic nitrogenous compounds. The biological nitrogen fixation system in bacteria represents an inexpensive and eco-friendly alternative to reduce usage of nitrogenous fertilizer and increases the potential nitrogen supply by fixing nitrogen directly with little or no loss.