Biofertilizer is a ready to use live formulation of such beneficial microorganisms that on application to seed root or soil mobilize the availability of nutrients by their biological activity. It commonly used to maintain and improve soil fertility.
Although the advent of the phenomena is as old as a century, the need of its commercial exploitation was not felt in traditional agriculture.
Biofertilizers differ from chemical and organic fertilizers in the sense that they do not directly supply any nutrients to crops and are cultures of special bacteria and fungi.
They are organisms which bring about enrichment of the nutrient of the soil. They do this specially by increasing the nitrogen and phosphorus levels in the soil. These microorganism increase the fertility of the soil by many processes.
Some examples are:
*Free living nitrogen fixing bacteria, like Azotobacter, Clostridium. These organisms survive on their own and are not living in association with any other organism.
*Symbiotic nitrogen fixing bacteria like Rhizobium in association with root nodules of legumes, blue green algae like Anabaena in association with leaves of fern, Azolla pinnata.
Biofertilizer for agriculture
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