Title: Use of microbial biofertilizers technology in agro-environmental sustainability
Abstract: Increased global market demand for food and agricultural products has maximized the need for chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides to protect plants from disease causing microbes and promote their growth. Chemical fertilizer provides nutrients to the soil and accelerates plant growth. However, rapid utilization of chemical fertilizers has deleterious effects on crop productivity and soil fertility with increased risk of ground water contamination, soil erosion, eutrophication, and methemoglobinemia. Microbial biofertilizer utilizes potential microbial communities that can habitat the interior region, known as the rhizosphere, enhancing the host plant growth and boosting nutrient assimilation. Microbial biofertilizer implements atmospheric nitrogen fixation; potassium (K), zinc (Zn), and phosphorus (P) solubilization; production of plant growth regulators; and defense against pathogenic bacteria. Rhizospheric microorganism stabilizes nutritional elements from unstable to stable form in respect to biological transformation. Mycorrhizal fungus is one of the most studied microorganisms and they possess a symbiotic relation with plants. Mycorrhizal fungi supplement plants with nutrients and increase maximum water absorption, and the plant supplies photosynthetic products to the fungi. Plant growth promoting bacteria produce cytokines that helps plants in terms of root nodulation, modulating cell division, and increasing volatile substances into plants that enhance plant growth. Azotobacter sp. is a potential microbe that has the capability to solubilize essential nutrient elements in soil and can be used as a biocontrol agent. Biofertilizer use on fields is affected by several environmental factors, which include plant–microbe interaction, function, and microbial adaptive ability among the already existing soil microbial community. Biofertilizer is a useful alternative for enhanced crop yield and overall soil fertility through beneficial microbial communities and agro-ecosystems.
Publication Year: 2019
Publication Date: 2019-01-01
Language: en
Type: book-chapter
Indexed In: ['crossref']
Access and Citation
Cited By Count: 5
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