Techno-economics of biofertilizers for agriculture ad tree growing with Indian perspective

1. BIOFERTILIZERS
in India

2. BIOFERTILIZERS ARE MICROBIAL
INOCULANTS SUPPORTED ON
CARRIERS.
Biofertilizers are cost
effective, eco-friendly
and can be generated
at the farm itself. They
increase crop yield
upto 10-40% and fix
nitrogen upto 40-50
Kg.

3. BF: SOME IMPORTANT POINTS:-
*Contain live or latent cells of microbes.
*Ready to use formulations.
*Efficient strains of microbes.
*Applied to seed /seed material / seedling /soil /waste
material /crop residue in order to increase their
population.
*Accelerate some biochemical processes.
*Make more nutrient available to the crops. 3

4. What are biofertilizers ? (1)
• Microbial inoculants (bacteria fungi and
algae) that are carrier-based
preparations containing beneficial
microorganisms in a viable state.
• Intended for seed or soil application.
• Designed to improve soil fertility in N
and P
• Provide growth promoter substances.
4

5. What are biofertilizers? (2)
• Artificially multiplied cultures of certain soil
organisms that can improve soil fertility
and crop productivity.
• They fix atmospheric nitrogen, make
insoluble phosphates soluble and
decompose farm wastes releasing plant
nutrients.
• They are cost effective, eco-friendly and
can be generated at the farm itself.
5

6. Biofertilizers contain 3.5% - 4% nitrogen, 2% -
2.5% phosphorus and 1.5% potassium. In
terms of N : P: K, it was found to be superior to
farmyard manure and other type of manure.
They improve soil texture, pH, and other
properties of soil. They produces plant growth
promoting substances IAA amino acids,
vitamins etc.
6

7. Microbial inoculants
• Rhizobia were discovered in 1895,
followed by the Azotobacter and then
the blue green algae and a host of
other nitrogen fixing micro-organisms.
• Azospirillum and Vesicular- Arbuscular
Micorrhizae (VAM) are fairly recent
discoveries.
• The bacteria with phosphate
solubilizing ability containing cells of
Bacillus megatherium var.
phosphaticum, were prepared firstly by
USSR scientists.
7

8. 8

9. 9

10. 10

11. Active Microbes Crops/ trees/ plants Nature of interaction
Associated with; mode (and other remarks)
of application
1 Rhizobium Legume; Soil & Symbiosis
Seed
2 Azotobacter Non- legume, crops Non-symbiotic
arid zone plants; Soil
treatment
3 Azospirillum Cereals Symbiosis
4 Cyanobacteria Rice; Soil With Azolla, anabaena
5 Phosphate Soil application for
solubilizing all crops
bacteria
6 VAM fungi 11

12. BIOFERTILIZERS: USE IN INDIA
# First commercial production of legume
Rhizobium symbiosis was done in 1956
# Ninth Plan initiated National Project
on Development and Use of
Biofertilizers (NPDB).
# To supplement chemical fertilizers that
become expensive and deteriorate soil.
12

13. Factors affecting Performance of
biofertilizers:
• Host plant
• Soil fertility
• Cropping practices
• Biological & environmental factors
Survival and efficiency of BF are
affected by the above factors
13

14. Rhizobium
• Bacteria that grows in root nodules of
legumes [soya bean, etc]
• Rhizobium INOCULANTS:
Use of Rhizobium culture in legumes is
most promising. On average, its use
can supply 15-20 kg N/ha to legumes:
increase yield up to 20 per cent.
14

15. Rhizobium
• Rhizobium bacteria in roots of legume
plants fix atmospheric N2 in nodules
formed on the roots of plants.
A pure and efficient strain of
Rhizobium multiplied in the lab on a
suitable medium by using shake flask
technology or fermentation technology
and inoculated into seed or root.
15

16. Inoculum Application
16

17. 17

18. 18

19. Non-legume INOCULANTS
Azotobacter
# These bacteria enhance the plant
growth and finally yield. A highly efficient
strain _
Azotobacter chrooccocum is grown in
the lab either as shake culture or using
fermenter.
19

20. 20

21. Azotobacter:
• Free living micro-organisms, that grow
in the rhizosphere and fix atmospheric
nitrogen non-symbiotically
• Makes it available to particularly
cereals. Promotes seed germination,
initial vigor of plants- by producing
growth producing substances
21

22. 22

23. 23

24. Azospirillum
• Azospirillum, [ Azospirillum lipoferum,
biological nitrogen fixing in grasses;
enhance biomass-root system]
• Associative endo - symbiotic on roots of
grasses and similar types of plants.
Also fixes atmospheric nitrogen and
benefits host plants by supplying growth
hormones and vitamins.
24

25. Azospirillum
• Used for preparation of commercial
inoculants on a large scale, for cereals and
grasses as it produces growth promoters in
addition to fixing N2.
• It secretes vitamin-B complex, gibberellins,
naphthalene, acetic acid and other
substances that inhibit certain root pathogens
and improves root growth and uptake of plant
nutrients. Has good adaptability to temp, soil
pH and wide host range.
25

26. In addition to N2 fixation, inoculation with Azospirillum results in the
following benefits
1. Promotion of root hair development and branching;
2. Increased uptake of N, P, K and microelements;
3. Improved water status of plants and,
4. Increased dry matter accumulation and grain yield.
Azospirillum species are described as Gram negative, rod-shaped,
1mm in diameter, very motile. Cells are about 1.0 um x 3.5 mm in size
single flagellum when grown in MPSS broth while lateral flagella when
grown on MPSS agar at 30 ºC. They also form wrinkled, dark pink
colonies when grown on MPSS agar.
26

27. Cyanobacteria INOCULANTS::
• Biological nitrogen fixing ;
photosynthetic also; Some free living
cyanobacteria like Nostoc, Tolypothirix
etc and other symbiotic like -
Anabaena-Azolle_ useful for rice
27

28. Cyanobacteria
An important group of micro-organisms,
fix atmospheric nitrogen non-symbiotically
mostly in rice fields in heterocysts cells_
specially known as sites of nitrogen
fixation.
28

29. Azolla – Anabaena symbiosis
• Azolla is a free floating, aquatic fern found on
water surface having a cyanobacterial
symbiont Anabaena azollae in their leaves.
• It fixes atmospheric nitrogen in paddy field
and excretes organic nitrogen in water during
its growth.
• Azolla contributes nitrogen, phosphorus (15-
20 Kg/ha/month), potassium (20-25
kg/ha/month)
29

30. Cyanobacteria: Preparation
Efficient strains_ used for
multiplication on a large scale in
field. Production of inoculum in
artificially controlled conditions is
defined but more expensive.
Open air soil culture_ most
simple, less expensive_ easily
adaptable by the farmers.
30

31. Cyanobacteria: Preparation
– # Based on use of starter culture that is
multi-strain inoculum of_ Aulosira,
Tolypothrix, Scytonema, Nostoc and
Anabaena.
– # In rural areas, unskilled labour can
undertake the multiplication of blue green
algae as a paying industry.
31

32. Phosphate solubilizing microorganisms (PSM) are a
group of microbes capable of solubilizing
inorganic phosphorus from insoluble sources. In
alkaline and acidic soils, the availability to phosphorus
is low. These microbes reverse this process. PSM when
used with rock phosphate save 50% of the crop
requirement of phosphatic fertilizer. Inoculation of
seeds with PSM gives crop yield responses equivalent
to 30 kg P2O5/ha of phosphatic fertilizers.
32

33. Phosphate SOLUBILIZING
INOCULANTS
• Phosphate solubilizing microorganisms are
bacteria: (Bacillus var. phosphaticum),
Pseudomonas fluorescens, Acrobacter acrogens,
nitrobacter spp., Escherichia freundii, Serratia
spp., Pseudomonas striata, Bacillus polymyxa
that have phosphate solubilising ability. / or fungi
(Aspergillus awamorii) - Secrete organic acids -
dissolve bound phosphate in soil.
33

34. Phosphate Solubilizing bacteria / fungi:
Phosphorus_ required for plant growth and
water yield. It is also essential for
nodulation by Rhizobium.
– Phospho-micro organism are mostly
bacteria and fungi. Mycorrhizae have high
potential of phosphorus
– accumulation in plants.
34

35. Vesicular- Arbuscular Mycorrhizae (VAM) fungi
are found to be associated with a majority of
agricultural crops. VAM have been associated with
increased plant growth and enhanced accumulation of
plant nutrients, mainly phosphorus, zinc, copper and
sulphur through greater soil exploitation by
mycorrhizal hyphae. Maximum root colonization and
sporulation occurs in soils with low phosphorus.
35

36. VAM fungi
[Vesicular Arbuscular Mycorrhiza]
Intracellular, obligate, fungal endo-
symbiont - glomus etc.- transfers
phosphorus, zinc & sulfur from soil to
root.
36

37. Mycorrhiza
• Colonise 85% of land plants_ offers
50 % saving in chemical P fertilizer_
higher resistance to soil-and-root
borne pathogens_ helps in
wasteland reclamation by providing
extended arm to plant root system.
# A broad-spectrum mycorrhizal
biofertilizer is available.
37

38. Mycorrhiza Produced by:
# M/s Cadila Pharamaceutical
Ltd., Ahemdabad, and KCP
Sugar and Industries (Pvt.) Ltd.,
Chennai [DBT-TERI, New Delhi’s
technology].
38

39. Award for Producer of Mycorrhiza
• KCP Sugar Industries received
the All India Biotechnology
Association Award for
production and marketing of
the mycorrhizal bio-fertilizer.
39

40. Estimated potential Demand for
Biofertilisers by 2000-2001
• Type of Biofertilizer • Demand (Tonnes)
• Rhizobium • 34,999
• Azotobacter • 145,953
• Azospirillum • 74,342
• 251,738
• Blue green Algae
• Phosphate solublising • 255,340
microorganism
762,372
• Total:
40

41. Biofertilizer Production Support: GOI- 1999-2000
• National Biofertilizer Development
Centre was established at Ghaziabad.
• Six other regional BF development
centres are located at Jabalpur, Hissar,
Nagpur, Bangalore, Bhubaneswar and
Imphal.
• Under this scheme 74 BF-production
units were established with central
assistance having annual production
capacity of 8475 tonnes.
41

42. Promoting Bio-fertilizers: Current Situation
• A limited extent of success till date
(2000).
• There has been no accelerated growth
in distribution with time.
• Inadequate spatial diffusion.
• Despite entry of small private units into
the industry there is no clear indication
of the success of privatization.
42

43. Progress of the bio-fertilizer Industry
• Based on the data for 1995, 1997
and 1999, the industry witnessed a
steady increase in the number of
units producing the BF ;
• the bulk of the growth took place by
1992-95 of the sample period and
stagnated thereafter.
43

44. Changes in the share by type of BF
• moderate success in AZT and by
far the best performance by PSB
• decline in RHZ indicated success in
groundnut and pulses was below
expectation.
44

45. 45

46. 46

47. Main constraints in spread of
BF as an Industry:
1. Inadequate production and supply
of efficient cultures of micro-
organisms to farmers well before
sowing.
2. Quality control aspect
3. Lack of publicity, communication.
47

48. Marketing: Host, soil & climate specific
BF: Receive user feedback
• To cover the vast areas of legumes,
pulses and oil seeds cereals and
horticultural crops- to train users to
apply and to receive feedback info.
from them.
• More manufacturer-distributors
needed_ to prepare the bio-fertilizers in
particular locality and supply to farmers
as per farmer’s need, while earning
profit.
48

49. Marketing of BF: Logistics
• # Prepared bio-fertilizers should reach
farmers prior to sowing.
# If given free of cost, that lowers down
the importance of product and farmers
don’t use them carefully.
# If bio-fertilizers are supplied after
expiry date_expected results are not
obtained.
49

50. Steps in biofertilizer production
Strain selection,
Mass Culture,
Carrier preparation and
Inoculation
Quality testing.
Packaging
Distribution
50

51. NATURE OF BF INDUSTRY:
• Indigenous technology
• Scientific aspects: Standardized by
Agricultural Universities and Research
Labs.
• Machineries and laboratory
equipments are of BIS standards.
51

52. Manufacturing equipments:
• Laboratory equipments,
• Autoclaves,
• Fermenter assembly,
• Boiler,
• Broth dispensers,
• Plant for sterlisation, deminralising
• Air compressor
52

53. The size of a Biofertiliser unit:
• Capacity of production of various types /
strains of bio-fertilizers per annum.
• The projects so far set up in our county
vary from 75 TPA to 300 TPA.
• Expandable by adding a few additional
equipment like a fermenter and / or
adding another shift.
53

54. Requirements of BF Projects
1 Land
2 Layout and buildings
3 Plant and Machinery
4 Manufacturing process and Source of technology
5 Infrastructural Facilities for raw material, carrier material
and utilities (Power, Water, Compressed air, Vehicles)
6 Manpower Unit Size
7 Business Prospects And Marketing and Selling
54
Arrangements

55. 55

56. Examples of biofertilizers available in Indian market
Excel Industries Ltd.,
Kolkata
Product Price Crops
1. Celrich Rs 200 per 50 kg Orchards, field crops, Bicco Agro Products Pvt
plantation crops Ltd., Kolkata
2. Biofert Rs 5,000 per tonne All crops Bicco Agro Products Pvt
Ltd., Kolkata
3. Biccosulph Rs 190 per litre All crops Bicco Agro Products Pvt
Ltd., Kolkata
4. Tea tonic Rs 750 per kg Mainly for tea Bicco Agro Products Pvt
Ltd., Kolkata
5.-Chelated Rs 240 per kg All crops (Zn Biotech Intern Ltd., New
zinc deficiency) Delhi
6. Bioboost Rs 225 per 8 kg All crops
56

57. Dr Bhabani Dikshit
57

58. 58

59. 59

60. 60

61. • To promote the production and use of bio-
fertilizer, Government has initiated a project
“National Project on Development and Use of Bio
fertilizers”. Main objectives of this project are as
following:
• Production and distribution of Bio fertilizers (BFs)
• Developing Standards for different BFs and
Quality control
• Releasing of grants for setting up BF units
61
• Training and Publicity

62. 62

63. 63

64. New Units sanctioned during 9th Plan
64

65. 65

66. Location of National /Regional Biofertilizer Production
and Development Centres (After DGTD, 1989)
66

67. 67

68. 68

69. Extension work needed for popularizing BF
• Visits to areas of Puri district comprising of Pipli,
Khurda and Nayagarh belt, showed that a large
number of farmer of Chandanpur area applied
biofertilizer in their betel vine crops by using
Azatobacter and PSB (Phosphates soluble
bacteria) and yielded good results. A senior
Government agronomist of the Fertilizer
Promotion and Agricultural Research Division (FP
& ARD) based in Puri, Simanchala Panigrahi, said
that as biofertilizer was a new concept to the
farmers of Orissa, it needed further extension
work for popularizing its use.
69

70. The Integrated Plant Nutrition System is a key
component of agricultural production in order to meet
growing demand of food and fiber by the size of farm that
is decreasing.
System property is chalked out and tailored to the needs
of the farmers; it will empower small-scale farmers to
increase their technical know-how and have decision-
making capacities to make adequate changes in plant
nutrition systems.
This will support agricultural intensification. The use of
organic fertilizer and bio-fertilizer has increased crop
productivity. Therefore the farm practices are to be
changed in this direction.
70

71. 71

72. In 2009-10, Tamil Nadu produced 3733 tonnes of
bio-fertilizers followed by Karnataka at 3696 tonnes.
The other major producers of bio-fertilizers are
Kerala (1937 tonnes), Maharashtra (1861 tonnes)
and Madhya Pradesh (1588 tonnes).
Studies on benefits and usefulness of bio-fertilizers
on agriculture production reveal that on an average
10-20% increase in production can be realized by
use of bio-fertilizers. In terms of nutrients, bio-
fertilizers can provide 10-20 kg Nitrogen and can
solubilize 10-12 kg of P2 O5 per hectare per
cropping season. Use of bio-fertilizers also improves
soil health by helping other beneficial micro-
organisms to grow. 72

73. Use of bio-fertilizers is being promoted through
Integrated Nutrient Management, enhancing
awareness and field demonstration.
Financial Support for establishment of bio-fertilizer
production units is also provided under the National
Project on Organic Farming as back-ended subsidy
of 25%, restricted to Rs. 40 lakh, through NABARD.
Bio-fertilizers are products containing living micro-
organisms which are agriculturally useful. Most
commonly produced and marketed bio-fertilizers are
Rhizobium, Azotobacter and Azospirillum and one
such bio-fertilizer is phosphate solubilizer, called
Phosphate Solubilising Bacteria (PSB).
73

74. BOOKS ABOUT
BIOFERTILIZERS
CONTINUED

75. Indian Books on Biofertilizers-1
• Biofertilizer - Technology, Marketing
and usage, a source book-cum-
Glossary by Dr. M R Motsara et al
(1995) - Fertilizer Development and
Consultation Organization publishers,
New Delhi 110048 (India)
75

76. Indian Books on Biofertilizers-2
• Biofertilizers in Agriculture and Forestry
by N S Subba Rao, Third Ed. 1993
Oxford & IBH Publishing Co Pvt Ltd
66, Janpath, New Delhi-110 001.
• Biotechnology of Biofertilizers Edited by
S. Kannaiyan, 2002 Narosa Publishing
House, N. Delhi.
76

77. Indian Books on Biofertilizers -3
• Recent Advances in Biofertilizer
Technology/ Edited by A.K. Yadav, S.
Ray Chaudhuri and M.R. Motsara, 2001,
Society for Promotion and Utilisation of
Resources and Technology,
New Delhi. [Vedam Books]
• Phosphatic Biofertilizers / Laxmi Lal.
Udaipur, Agrotech Pub., 2002. 77

78. Handbook of Biofertilizers
• Handbook of microbial biofertilizers, M. K. Rai,
Routledge, 2006 - 579 pages,
• Sharply focused, up-to-date information on microbial
biofertilizers--including emerging options such as
"Piriformospora indica" and "Matsutake" The Handbook
of Microbial Biofertilizers provides in-depth coverage of
all major microbial biofertilizers (rhizobia, arbuscular
mycorrhizal fungi, and cyanobacterias well as new and
emerging growth promoters (endophytes). 78

79. It examines the role of microbes in growth promotion,
bioprotectors, and bioremidiators, and presents protocols
and practical strategies for using microbes in sustainable
agriculture.
An abundance of helpful charts, tables, and figures
make complex information easy to access and
understand.
In this first-of-its-kind volume, contributors from 11
countries and several continents address important
issues surrounding microbial biofertilizers,
79

80. … including: the rhizobium-host-arbuscular mycorrhizal"
tripartite relationship, mycorrhiza as a disease suppresser
and stress reducer mycorrhiza helping bacteria the
impact of functional groups of soil microorganisms on
nutrient turnover PBPRs as biofertilizers and
biopesticides the potential of wild-legume rhizobia for use
as a biofertilizers, the expanding role of blue-green algae
in sustainable agriculture, the role of microbial fertilizers
in sustainable plant production new and emerging
endophytes the commercial potential of biofertilizers
80

81. In this young century, the use of biofertilizers is already
growing rapidly. It has been recognized that these
environment-friendly bioprotectors, growth boosters, and
remediators are essential for soil / plant health. The
Handbook of Microbial Biofertilizers is designed to fit the
expanding information needs of current and future
biotechnologists, microbiologists, botanists, agronomists,
environmentalists, and others whose work involves
sustained agriculture.
Handbook of Biofertilizers
81