Bio-Fertilizers & Microbes

Bio-Fertilizers

• Microbes like bacteria, fungi, and algae enhance soil fertility as biofertilizers
• They boost plant growth by fixing nitrogen, decomposing organic matter, and providing nutrients
• Considered a sustainable alternative to chemical fertilizers, they lessen reliance on synthetic chemicals and improve soil health

Types of Microbes Used as Biofertilizers

• Nitrogen-fixing bacteria convert atmospheric nitrogen (N₂) into plant-absorbable forms like ammonia (NH₃) or nitrates (NO₃)

Common Nitrogen-Fixing Bacteria

• Rhizobium forms symbiotic relationships with leguminous plants, fixing nitrogen in root nodules
• Azospirillum, found in the rhizosphere, enhances nitrogen fixation and stimulates plant growth
• Azotobacter is a free-living bacterium contributing to nitrogen fixation in soil

Phosphate-Solubilizing Bacteria (PSB)

• PSBs increase phosphorus availability to plants by breaking down insoluble phosphate compounds

Key PSB Species

• Bacillus strains can solubilize inorganic phosphates, increasing phosphorus availability
• Pseudomonas is known for solubilizing phosphates and enhancing plant growth

Mycorrhizal Fungi

• These fungi form symbiotic relationships with plant roots, helping with water and nutrient absorption, especially phosphorus, and pathogen protection
• Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF) establish symbiotic relationships with most plants, enhancing nutrient absorption and soil structure

Beneficial Actinomycetes

• These microorganisms break down organic matter and stimulate plant growth
• Streptomyces produces antibiotics, improving soil structure and nutrient availability

Biocontrol Microbes

• Biocontrol microbes control plant pathogens and pests, reducing the need for chemical pesticides

Key Biocontrol Species

• Trichoderma acts as a biocontrol agent, competing with harmful fungi and pathogens
• Bacillus thuringiensis has insecticidal properties, controlling pests and promoting plant health

Decomposing Bacteria and Fungi

• Improve soil health by decomposing organic matter and preventing harmful pathogens
• Lactobacillus improves soil conditions, ferments organic matter, and enhances microbial diversity

Advantages of Biofertilizers

• Offer benefits as an eco-friendly and sustainable alternative to chemical fertilizers

Environmental and Health Advantages

• Biodegradable and don't pollute, reducing soil and water contamination
• Enhance soil microbial activity, improving soil structure and nutrient availability
• Replenish and maintain soil biodiversity for long-term productivity

Nutrient Uptake

• They fix nitrogen and assist in the uptake of nutrients like phosphorus, potassium, and micronutrients
• It also promotes healthier plant growth

Economic and Sustainability Advantages

• Reduce dependency on costly chemical fertilizers, lowering costs
• Decrease negative impact for farmers
• Improve nutrient availability, enhance root development, and disease resistance, leading to higher yields

Ecosystem Support

• Reduce soil degradation, enhance organic matter, and maintain a balanced ecosystem
• Crops are less likely to accumulate harmful chemicals making them safer that synthetic fertilizers

Cost and Resilience

• Reduce the need for expensive chemical fertilizers, making them cost-effective
• Help plants tolerate abiotic stresses like drought and temperature fluctuations

Symbiotic N₂ Fixers

• These microorganisms form mutualistic relationships with plants to fix atmospheric nitrogen

Symbiotic Process

• Nitrogen-fixing bacteria get sugars from plants through photosynthesis
• Plants get usable nitrogen (ammonium or nitrates) for producing amino acids and proteins

Rhizobium: Isolation

• Typically isolated from root nodules of legumes for nitrogen fixation

Isolation Steps

• Collecting healthy root nodules from legumes like peas, beans, clover
• Surface-sterilize nodules to remove contaminating microorganisms using 70% ethanol or sodium hypochlorite
• Crush nodules in a sterile mortar and spread liquid on YEMA medium that is Yeast Extract Mannitol Agar
• Incubate plates at 28–30°C for 3–7 days for Rhizobium colonies to grow

Rhizobium: Characteristics

• Identification is made with morphology, color, and size
• Further testing such as PCR and sequencing confirm the identity

Key Identifiers

• Gram-negative, non-spore-forming rods or cocci
• Motile due to flagella presence
• Fix atmospheric nitrogen (N₂) into ammonia (NH₃) in legume root nodules

More Key Identifiers

• Form symbiotic relationships with legumes, exchanging nitrogen for carbon compounds via photosynthesis
• Have an oxygen-sensitive nitrogenase enzyme, requiring low oxygen, hence nodules form in roots for low-oxygen conditions

Rhizobium: Types

• Classified by the host plant they infect and nitrogen-fixing ability

Species and Host Plants

• Rhizobium leguminosarum infects peas, beans, lentils, and clover
• Rhizobium meliloti is associated with alfalfa, clover, and legumes
• Rhizobium trifolii infects clover plants

Species and Features

• Rhizobium galegae fixes nitrogen in Galega orientalis
• Rhizobium loti associates with Lotus species
• Species differ in host specificity, nodule formation ability, and genetics

Rhizobium: Inoculum Production

• Involves growing Rhizobium in controlled conditions for agricultural use

Steps in Production

• Select a suitable Rhizobium strain for target legume
• Culture the bacteria in liquid or solid medium like YEMB
• Sterilize medium to prevent contamination, usually by autoclaving

Process of Growth

• Grow the Rhizobium in prepared medium at 28-30°C
• Culture it for several days until reaching the desired cell density

Harvesting and Storage

• Harvest bacterial culture via centrifugation to separate cells from medium
• Concentrated bacterial cells are made into a paste or suspension then stored under refrigerated conditions or freeze-dried

Rhizobium: Application

• Seed treatment involves to legumes crops before planting and is ensured by seed contact with Rhizobium during germination
• Soil application occurs through direct application to nutrient lacking soils
• Foliar application to the leaves is effective if the soil bacteria are lacking

Final Note on Rhizobium

• Plays a key part in reducing synthetic nitrogen fertilizers and it promotes nitrogen fixation
• Proper characterization, isolation, and production make the benfits grow for farming systems
• Crop yields are improved as well as the lower environmental impact and more healthy soils

Rhizobium: Field Application

• It happens through a preparation of live bacteria called innoulents

The Process

• Rhizobium can be applied through powder, liquids, or peat based
• Rhizobium innoulents are introduced before planting to have seeds exposed effectively
• If seed treatment is not good enough it can be apllied through a granular or liquid to assist a boosted plant

Other Points

• Rhizobium inoculations are good for soy beans, lentils, clover or peas, beans
• Different legume species call for different Rhizobium strains

Extra Considerations

• Inoculants that can be applied should have favorable conditions
• Rhizobium is prone to extreme temperatures, dessication, and UV radiation
• For max effectiveness inoculation must be done early

Benefits

• Reduce reliance on fertilizers
• Improves nutrient circling and organic matter
• Decreases foot print by cutting out the potential of nitrate and greenhouse gases

Final Note

• Must use correct Rhizobium in that legumes crop
• Strain imcompability may result in nothing, or poor performance

Soils

• Some acidity or low fertility soils can effect the Rhizobium
• Some soil amendments are needed

Farmers

• Rhizobium based inoculants are common in areas where legume, feed, or food exists
• Key if needing fertility and maintaining an eco friendly zone

Legumes, Pulses

• Part of Fabaceae that provide key components for ability to fix nitrogen and nutricional benfits

Distinction

• There is an actual difference with "pulses" in agricultural and nutritional situations

Legumes

• Root nodules give unique nitrogen ability through symbiotic relationships
• Allows nitrogen levels in soil

Examples

• Soy beans/Glycine max
• Clover/Trifolium spp
• Peas/ Pisum sativum
• Lentils/Lens culinaris
• Chick peas/ Cicer arietinum
• Alfalfa/Medicago sativa
• Faba beans/Vicia faba
• Planted in crop rotations that increase and better soil fertility
• Plated for green manure or forage to enrich

pulses

• Subset that refers to the seeds from leguminous crops thar are dry when consumed
• Protein is provided with this, fiber, and nutrients
• Staple food in countless cultures of people

Examples

• Peas/Pisum sativum
• Lentils/Lens culinaris
• Dry beans/ Kidney and navy
• Faba beans/Vicia faba
• Chick peas/ Cicer arietinum
• Given to humans and other animals
• Dried or consumed

Agriculture

• Major benefit is fixing atmospheric nitrogen and providing fertility while redcuing need for costly synthetic fertilizers

Benefits

• Protects from erosion, and boosts structure
• Natural fertilizer for the soil that enriches long term
• Rotation crops help with pest prevention and cycle diseases as well as boost soil and up the output

Nutrition, Drought and Foot Print

• They are an important protein, vitamin, fiber and mineral provider
• Important when trying to keep a low glycemic level
• Require far less water than other cereals and are drought resistant
• Reduce print by lowering energy need for synthetic fertilizers

Planting

• Inoculation is aided through Rhizobium bacteria
• Before planting be sure soil has enough of the strain or innoulate seeds

Environments

• Well drained souls are much better than acidic soils
• PH must be 6.0 - 7.5 for safe growing
• Germination needs moisture during the early phase

Techniques

• Plant alongside N crops due to high N volume provided by plant
• Can be used with root maggots, and monitering as prevention to pest disease

Harvesting

• Pods must be dry an dfully mature like beans
• Soy leaves should first begin to turn yellow before harvesting

Food sources

• Soybeans, peas, beans, chickpeas, lentils

Frankia: Isolation

• Forms symbiotic relationships with roots and is a genus, and has an actinobateria

Location

• Resembles Rhizobium
• Only connects with non leguminous plants
• Isolated from root nodules of frankaceae family
• Found from soils near these mentioned plants

Isolation Techniques

• Surface cleaning: Collected must use alcohol and must elimainate containmintents
• Collect nodules
• Plates must contain nitrogen free BG11 as its cultured medium
• Plates go through incubation once cut and put inside the agar plates and stay at 25/30c

Identification

• Growth has to form colony and be visibily identified though morphology
• PCR methods are needed to confirm this

Selective Isolation

• Due to nitrogen fixing ability it can thrive in nitrogen free media
• Due to this it is the major source

Frankia: Characteristics

Morphology

• Gows in long branching chains
• Positive gram
• Does not make spores

Cellular

• High in myolic acids

Metabolism

• Able to fix nitrogen in roots
• Cant survive without planfs
• Need oxygen in order to metabolize
• Temp must be in moderate degree
• Should keep roughly soil above 6-7 PH
• Nutrients must be provided as well.

Symbiotic Relationships

• Must have N gas conversion
• Must get C via photosynthesis from plant

Advantages

• Key ingredient in cycles and environment
• Assists vegetation establisment
• Contributes great to plant and ecosystem diversity

Genetic

• Varieties of frankena need 16s and testing to identify what host and efficiency needs

Usage and Character

• Soil fertilizer
• Used in reclamation in agro zones
• Controls plants that can resist by fixing nitrogen
• Negative gram
• Aerobic to fix N via symbiosis
• Can use host plants to grow for root stabilization

Alders

• Can survive in poor N soils
• Is well in riparian zones

Traits For Soil and Plants

• Elltptic edges and simple
• Young bark is somwhat smoth
• Can grow up to 25 meters
• They are dioecious

Types of Alders

• Coastal: thrives in riparian wetlands
• Sea: is unique
• North American has high species importance

Fixation

• Able to thrive due to its symbiotic actinobateria known as Frankia on the root nodes
• Fixes nitrogen into amonnia to grow

Benefits

• Improves overall soil
• Enriches areas and vegetation

Eco Importance

• Due to enhancement of soil some other plants are enabled
• Improves volume

Water

• Stabilizes systems while leaves decompose and provides organic volume

Wild Live

• Habitats are made and supplied to other animals due to leaves and seed cones

Uses of Alders

• Used for carvind and furniture

Disadvantages

• Highly invasive in somezones
• Root rots can get them

Main

• Found in Betulaeceae family for riparianzones
• Enrirchments help and benefits other plants and soil
• Timber is often used

Casuarnia

• Plants can protect wind

Main key

• Modified leaves
• Dioecious
• Can range in size
• Often used for erosion

Main species

• Swamp, river, coastal

Eco role

• Fixes nitrogen and aids fertility
• Stabilizes through roots and prevents erosion

Main Facts

• Fixes the conditions for species through fertility
• High durable for boats
• Has a high burning capacity

Species

• Some like swamp do very well in dunes
• Fast growing for barriers against winds in arid areas

Considerations

• Can get invasive
• Cant be allergic to some
• Needs lots of hydration

Key characteristics

• Imporves for soil fertilization
• A must get in most areas
• Pioneer for growth

Non leg

• Crop has not capacity to form symbiotic relationships

Cereal, crops and vegatables

• Wheat/triticum
• Sweet potatoe/impoea batatas
• Lettuce/lactua sativa
• Cotton/gossypium
• Fruits and Oil

Quinoa

• Canola
• Apple
• Cotton
• Bananas

Value

• Offer diff profiles, cropping, and harvest times
• Are major ingredients for billions
• All economic and trade driven

Prone to pests

• Need nitrogen for support

Water Usage

• Can effect management greatly especially with paddys since usage in rice

Tempertate

• Corn is most common

Conclusions

• Key components to global farming
• Contribute to sustainment

Symbiosis

• Term biologically to indicate interactio between two species

Mutual

• Most are species for life

Types of that life

• Nectors are food while pollinators get pollen as food
• Fungi give structire
• Algae give source

Examples

• Sharks gives fee ride with remoras and is unaffected
• Barnacle benfits by getting nutrients on whales

Para

• An organism benfits with some body else

Examples

• Deer and tivks
• Host worms can get diseases
• A harm interaction can occur more greatly in amenslism

Example

• Pennicillum is bacteria while tree chems can effect other

Neutral

• A relationship will not effect any kind of benefits

Example

• Birds inhabitting a tree

Root Symb

• Nutrients can be increased in fungi

Symbiotic

• Legumes that engage with Rhizobium bacteria and give energy

Coral symb

• Tissues produce nutriets

Mammal

• Oxpeckers feast on parasites leaving mammels pest free

Impotance

• Bio versity needs some kind with functions and relationships
• Provides nutrients

Crop Yield

• Bacteria is key

Conclsuion

• Funfamental concept is ecology for shaping what goes between species

Cyano Bacteria

• Isolaition is an agriculture with specialities especiaally in rice
• Helps soil decline and gives special application

Types of Characterisation

• Water soil can be colled for testing
• Techniques are what enable and do for cultutre
• Cell features should also be identified

Test facts

• Uses pigments to test
• The presence of the cells are very important
• Helps what techniques like RNA are used

Mass Mulitplication

• Cultures that are pure and get tem and light with good preparation
• Provide aeration
• Media must be liquid
• Centrifuge after

Azol

• Aquatic zone of fertilizer that needs little to promote culture

Facts

• Anabaena is the symbiotic relationship that is important with the bacteria and helps the ferns and nitrogen needs be meet
• It multiplies quickly

Steps

• Urea is used to help the water tanks
• Small quantities must not be used during inoulation
• All bio mass must be collected with as much nitrogen capacity as possible in water tank harvest

Key Notes in Rice Yielding

• Cyano forms mutual with zones in the atmos and benfits crops which reduces the potential for synthetic fertilizers
• Relatioship helps with nitrogen to reduce what is needed

Points

• This serves as organic touch
• Reduces erosion
• Must have proper control
• Must contain right soil fertility