Integrated nutrient management

SUBMITTED TO:
Dr. P. Kavitha,
Assistant professor and head,
Department of Soil science and Agricultural Chemistry,
Agricultural college,
Mahanandi.
SUBMITTED BY:
M. Ashok Naik,
MAM/2016-01,
Department of Agronomy,
Agricultural college,
Mahanandi.

Introduction
Integrated Nutrient Management is a practice where all sources of
nutrients namely organic ,inorganic (chemical fertilizer),
biofertilizer can be combined and applied to soils so that crop
growth is enhanced and we can get good yield with quality
product .
Integrated Nutrient Management (INM) has to be considered an
integral part of any sustainable agricultural system.

Integrated nutrient management is the
maintenance or adjustment of soil fertility
and plant nutrient supply at an optimum
level to sustain the desired crop
productivity.
This is done through optimization of the
benefits from all possible sources of plant
nutrients in an integrated manner.
In other words, integrated nutrient
management is the use of different
sources of plant nutrients integrated to
check nutrient depletion and maintain
soil health and crop productivity.

Concept of INM
India is predominantly an agriculture-based country and more than
two-third of the population depends on agriculture for their livelihood.
India with geographical area of 329 M ha presently supports 17% of
the world’s population on merely 2.5% world’s land area and 4%
world’s fresh water resources.
India made a spectacular achievement in attaining the self sufficiency
in food production by the introduction of high yielding dwarf and
fertilizer responsive varieties of cereals, particularly wheat and rice in
the mid- 1960s .

With the use of improved varieties coupled with
increased fertilizer and agro-chemicals use, price
support and other policy initiatives, the food grain
production increased from 50.8 mt in 1951 to
213.18 mt during 2003 – 04. Chemical fertilizer enhancing yield
In the early 1990s, however, fertilizer became the target of criticism,
mainly because of heavy use in the developed countries, where it was
suspected of having an adverse effect on the environment through nitrate
leaching, eutrophication, greenhouse gas emissions and heavy metal
uptakes by plants.

Consequently, fertilizer use per se was mistakenly identified as harmful to
the environment. But, if for any reason fertilizer use were discontinued
today, world food output would drop by an estimated amount of 40 per
cent.
While fertilizer misuse can contribute to environmental
contamination, it is often an indispensable source of the nutrients
required for plant growth and food production.
Unless all the soil nutrients removed with the
harvested crops are replaced in proper amounts from
both organic and sustained; soil fertility will decline.

If in the past, the emphasis was on increased use of
fertilizer; the current approach should aim on educating
farmers to optimize use of organic, inorganic and
biological fertilizer in an integrated way.
Plant nutrition to day requires judicious and
integrated management of all sources of nutrients
for sustainable agriculture.
Regular supply for optimum crop growth and higher productivity.
Improvement and maintenance of soil fertility.
Zero adverse impact on agro- ecosystem quality by balanced
fertilization.

Why is INM needed?
The increasing use of chemical fertilizers to increase the production of food and fibre is
causing concern for the following reasons :
• Soils which receive plant nutrients only through chemical fertilizers are showing
declining productivity despite being supplied with sufficient nutrients.
• The decline in productivity can be attributed to the appearance of deficiency in
Secondary and micronutrients.
• The physical condition of the soil is deteriorated as a result of long-term use of
chemical fertilizers, especially the nitrogenous ones. It also aggravates the problem of
poor fertilizer nitrogen use efficiency (NUE).
• Excess nitrogen use leads to groundwater and environmental pollution apart from
destroying the ozone layer through N2O production

ADVANTAGES OF INM
1. Enhance the availability of applied as well as native soil nutrient.
2. Synchronizes the nutrient demand with the native supply from native and
applied sources.
3. Provide balanced nutrition to the crops.
4. Improves and sustain the Physical, Chemical and biological functioning of
soil.
5. Minimizes the deterioation of soil, water & ecosystem by promoting
carbon
sequestration.
6. Reducing nutrient losses to ground surface water bodies and atmosphere.
7. Minimize the antagonistic effects resulting from hidden deficiency and
nutrient imbalance.

COMPONENTS OF INM
1.FERTILIZERS
2.MANURES
3.COMPOST
4.GREEN MANURES
5.CROP RESIDUE
6.BIOFERTILIZERS

CLASSIFICATION OF FERTILIZERS
Fertilizer
FERTILIZERS
Fertilizer is any material of natural or synthetic origin added to the soil to supply one or
more plant nutrients.

1. Straight fertilizers
Straight fertilizers
are those which supply only
one primary plant nutrient,
namely nitrogen or
phosphorus or potassium.
E.g. Urea, ammonium
sulphate, potassium chloride
and potassium sulphate.
2. Complex fertilizers
Complex fertilizers
contain two or three primary
plant nutrients of which two
primary nutrients are in chemical
combination.
These fertilizers are
usually produced in granular
form e.g. Diammonium
phosphate, nitrophosphates and
ammonium phosphate.
3. Mixed fertilizers:
Physical mixtures are
straight fertilizers. They
contain two or three primary
plant nutrients.
Mixed fertilizers are made
by thoroughly mixing the
ingredients either
mechanically or manually.

Fertilizers can also be classified based on physical form
Solid fertilizers
Liquid fertilizers

Urea prills Granulated ureaAmmonium sulphate
Solid fertilizers are in several forms:
• Powder (single superphosphate)
• Crystals (ammonium sulphate)
• Prills (urea, diammonium phosphate,
superphosphate),
• Granules (Holland granules)
• Supergranules (urea supergranules)
• Briquettes (urea briquettes).

General Classification of manures
DEFINITION :
Organic manure is defined as the
product resulting from the controlled
biological decomposition of organic
matter.

MAJOR SOURCES OF MANURES
• Cattle shed wastes
• Human habitation wastes
• Poultry litter
• Slaughterhouse wastes
• Byproducts of agroindustries
• Crop wastes
• Weeds
• Green manure crops

Composition of Manures
Bulky organic manures Nitrogen (%) Phosphorous (%) Potassium (%)
1. Farm Yard Manure 0.5 0.3 0.5
2. Compost 0.5 0.15 0.5
3. Sheep and Goat manure 3.0 1.0 2.0
4. Poultry manure 1.5 1.2 0.5
5. Sewage and sludge 2.5 0.6 0.5
6. Bagasse 0.25 0.12 0
7. Press mud 0.35 2.0 ---

Introduction
Organic manures
The use of chemical fertilizer is
increasing day-by day for the sake
of increasing production.
By excess use of it, the fertility of
soil and health also deteriorate.
Therefore the use of organic
manure is one of the alternative
ways for enhancing production and
improving the soil health.
It is not only cheaper; easily
available ensures sustainable
agriculture too.

Major differences between organic manures and inorganic fertilizers
INORGANIC FERTILIZERS ORGANIC MANURES
1. More or less chemical substances. 1. Complex mixture from animal, human and plant
residues.
2. High analytical. 2. Low analytical.
3. Release nutrients more rapidly. 3. Release nutrients slowly.
4. When applied at high rates at planting or too close to seeds
or seedlings, salt damage is likely.
4. Salt damage is less likely.
5. Highly water soluble; so more likely to be lost
through leaching.
5. Less water soluble; less likely to be lost through
leaching.
6. Supply mostly one or two nutrients chosen for the
purpose.
6. Supply more nutrients in addition to some
micronutrients in small amounts.
7. Generally, no effect on physical condition of the soil 7.Improve soil physical condition due to addition of
large quantities of organic matter.
8. Some of the inorganic fertilizers can be applied to crop as
foliar spray.
8. No scope for foliar spray.
9. Scope for fixation of nutrients in the soil complex. 9. No scope for such fixation.
10. N and P fertilizers can be applied in split doses. 10. No such split applications.

Concentrated organic manures Nitrogen (%) Phosphorous (%) Potassium (%)
1. Groundnut cake 7.3 1.5 1.3
2. Cotton seed cake
Undecorticated
Decorticated
3.9
6.4
1.8
2.9
1.6
2.2
3. Castor cake 4.3 1.8 1.3
4. Linseed cake 4.9 1.4 1.3
5. Mahua cake 2.5 0.8 1.3
6. Neem cake 3.0 1.9 1.8
7. Niger cake 4.7 1.8 1.3
8. Sesame cake 6.2 2.0 1.2
9. Rapeseed and mustard cake 5.2 1.8 1.2
10. Karanja cake 4.0 1.0 1.3
11. Blood meal 11.0 1.5 ----
12. Fish meal 10.5 2.5 ----
13. Bone meal 1.5 27.0 ----
14. Hoof and horn meal 12.0 1.0 2.5
15. Coconut cake 3.0 1.9 1.8

BULKY ORGANIC MANURES
• FARM YARD MANURE
1. Traditional manure
2. Decomposed mixture of dung and urine
of farm animals .
3. The waste material of cattle shed is
collected daily and placed in trenches
4. The top of the heap is to be made dome
shaped and plastered over with cow
dung earth slurry.
5. It becomes ready after 3-4 months.

Advantages of Farm Yard Manure
• Increasing Fertility
1. It contains about the same ratio
of nitrogen, phosphorus and
potassium as a balanced
commercial fertilizer but in much
smaller quantities.
2. It also contains calcium,
magnesium, zinc, sulfur, copper,
manganese and sodium.
Nutrient FYM
1. N (%) 0.5
2. P (%) 0.2
3. K (%) 0.5
4. Ca (ppm) 0.9
5. Mg (ppm) 0.2
6. Fe (ppm) 146.5
7. Mn (ppm) 69
8. Zn (ppm) 14.5
9. Cu (ppm) 2.8
10. C: N ratio 31.3

 Organic Matter
1. One of the most important benefits of using
manure is the addition of organic matter.
2. Organic matter breaks down into small particles
called humus.
3. In sandy soil these particles hold both nutrients
and water in the soil.
4. In clay soils they help to break apart the lumps
of clay.

 Microorganisms
1. Cow manure contain up to 30 per cent
bacteria and other microorganisms.
2. They help to break down organic matter
into humus, change nutrients from
unavailable forms to available forms.
3. They can also break down pollutants in
the soil and play a vital role in the
nitrogen cycle.

WHERE IT HAS STARTED
• It was first started in the Lock hart district of North South Wales, Australia in 1996.
• Goodens were among the first farmers to adopt this practice.
Why it was started
• They employed this practice against the herbicide resistant rye grass population in winter crops of
Australia.
• They planted a cover crop with the intention of spraying it out prior to weed seed set.
• This practice has assisted in rotating the chemical groups, maintaining ground cover, preventing weed
seed set and adding valuable nitrogen from pulse nitrogen fixation, as well as providing agronomic
benefits of improved soil health and water holding capacity to the farm’s cropping system

BROWN MANURING –WHY WE NEED IT
We need an ecologically safe and economically viable agriculture technique in
the context of changing scenarios of climate, labour availability, resource
scarcity etc.

CONCEPT OF BROWN MANURING
BROWN
MANURING
No till
Herbicide
usage
Mulch

 It is the no till version of green manuring, where herbicides are used
to kill the manure crop instead of using cultivation.(Department of
Agriculture and food, Western Australia,2009 )
 After killing the colour of the manure crop residue become brown so
it called brown manuring.

 Post emergence herbicides are used for the knock down of manure crops. often a second
knockdown herbicide application is necessary to kill surviving weeds, particularly those
sheltered from the first spray by manure crops-Double knockdown.
 Double knockdown is the application of two herbicides with different modes of actions
sequentially, which is held to be a highly effective intervention to prevent the
development of herbicide resistance.(Walsh and powles,2007)

Crops which permit brown manuring
37
Rice
Sugar caneMAIZE
Wheat

BROWN MANURING IN RICE
38
It involves seeding rice and
sesbania crops together and then
killing sesbania with 2, 4-D ester
about 25-30 DAS. Sesbania grows
rapidly and suppresses weed.

BROWN MANURING
10 DAS of rice and sesbania
30 DAS of rice and
sesbania
Sprayin g with selective herbicide
After spraying
SOWING OF RICE AND
SESBANIA

GREEN VERSUS BROWN MANURING
40
Green manuring
 It refers to the incorporation of a manure
crop by tillage prior to seed set usually
around flowering.
 Risk of Surface erosion
 Moisture is neccessary for incorporation
and decomposition.
 Microbial population is necessary for
decomposition
Brown manuring
 It is a no till version of green
manuring, where herbicides are used
to kill the manure crop and weeds .
 The plants are left standing, providing
protection to lighter soil at risk from
erosion.
 Moisture is conserved.
 Chemical desication.

ADVANTAGES OF BROWN MANURING OVER GREEN
MANURING
 Organic matter tends to be preserved.
 Saving of fuel and labour costs .
 There is potentially better weed control.
 The risk due to erosion is reduced.
 More soil water is conserved.

Timing of Herbicide application
 If it is for weed control, then timing of the herbicide application is
determined by the growth stage of the weed rather than the crop.
Eg: Grassy weeds- before the milky dough stage
Early flowering weed species such as wild
oats- flowering of the weed
 For maximising nitrogen fixation ,spraying is delayed until plants reach
peak biomass.

What makes an ideal brown manure plant ?
Crop species that are most suited to brown manuring enable growers to maximise weed control and nitrogen
fixation while minimising cost and risk.
The main criteria to consider in selection includes:
 Cost and availability of seed.
 It is easy to cultivate.
 Relative dry matter production at the time of spraying with the first knockdown herbicide.
 Competitiveness with target weeds.
 The degree of ground cover provided by the stubble to reduce wind erosion and conserve moisture.
 It does not compete with a main crop

Common crops for brown manuring

ADVANTAGES
Weed
control
Disease
contol in
crops
Soil fertility
Soil biology
and
function
Erosion
control
Increase in
grain yield

COMPOST
• Bulky organic manures obtained as
a result of decomposition of
farm/town wastes in the absence of
cattle excreta, is called Compost.
• Farm compost.
• Super digested compost.
• Town compost.
• Rural compost
• Urban compost

VERMICOMPOST
• Its is a system of composting in which
organic wastes are ecomposed using
biological agent ,earthworm, in making
vermicompost .
• Earthworms along with soil microbes play
a vital role in degrading organic wastes
and thus maintain a nutrient flux in the
system.
• Earthworm is physically an aerator,
crusher, mixer, chemically a degrader and
pathogen controller.

Advantages of compost
• Compost binds soil particles
1. Compost helps sandy soils to retain water and nutrients.
2. Compost loosens slightly bound particles in clay or silt soil
.
3. Compost alters soil structure, making it less likely to erode.
4. Compost can hold nutrients tight enough to prevent them
from washing out, but loosely enough so plants can take
them up as needed.

Compost brings and feeds diverse life in
the soil.
1. Compost bacteria breaks down
organics into plant available
nutrients.
2. Some bacteria convert nitrogen
from the air into a plant available
nutrient.
3. Compost enriches the soil with lots
of beneficial insects.
4. Compost may suppress diseases and
harmful pests that could overrun
poor ,lifeless soil.

• Compost increases soils ability to retain water and decreases runoff
1. Compost encourages healthy root system ,which decreases runoff.
2. Compost can reduce or eliminate use of synthetic fertilizers.
3. Compost can reduce chemical pesticides since it contains beneficial
micro-organisms that may protect plants from diseases and pests.
4. Only a 5 per cent increase in organic material quadruples soil water
holding capacity.

GREEN MANURE
Green undecomposed material used as manure is called as
green manure. Crops grown for green manure are known as
green manure crops.
TYPES
1. Green manuring in-situ
2. Green leaf manuring

Incorporation of sunhemp into the soil

Vigna unguiculata
Crotolaria junceaSesbania aculeata

Advantages of green manuring
• Soil structure and tilth improvement :
1. Green manuring builds up soil structure, improves tilth.
2. Promotes formation of crumbs in heavy soils leading to aeration
and drainage.
3. Increases water holding capacity of light soils.
4. Forms a canopy cover over the soils ,reduces the soil temperature
and prevents from erosive action of the rain and water.

• Fertility improvement of the soils
1. Absorbs nutrients from the lower layers and leave
them in surface when ploughed.
2. Prevent leaching of nutrients to lower layers.
3. Harbor N fixing bacteria, rhizobia in root nodules
and fix atmospheric N @ 60-100 kg N/ha.
4. Increase the solubility of lime phosphate ,trace
elements etc., through the activity of the soil
microorganisms and by producing organic acids
during decomposition.

Nutrient content of green manure crops
CROP SCIENTIFIC
NAME
N (%) P (%) K (%)
1. Sunhemp Crotolaria juncea 2.30 0.50 1.80
2. Dhaincha Sesbania aculeata 3.50 0.60 1.20
3. Sesbania Sesbania speciosa 2.71 0.53 2.21
4. Wild indigo Tephrosia purpurea 3.10 0.50 2.50
5. Pillipesara Phaseolus tribulos 2.80 0.55 2.00
6. Blackgram Vigna mungo 2.23 0.50 2.40
7. Greengram Phaseolus aureus 2.11 0.50 2.25

Nutrient content of selected green leaf manures
Green leaf manure N (%) P (%) K (%)
1.Neem 2.83 0.28 0.35
2. Delonix elata 3.51 0.31 0.13
3. Delonix regia 2.76 0.46 0.50
4. Peltophorum
ferrugenus
2.63 0.37 0.50
5. Cassia nigricans 2.73 0.18 0.50
6. Pongamia glabra 3.15 --- ---
7. Glyricidia maculata 2.50 --- ---
8. Albizzia lebbeck 3.25 --- ---

Removal of soil problems
1. Sesbania aculeata (dhaincha) applied to sodic soils
continuously for four or five seasons improves the permeability
and helps to reclaim sodic soils.
2. Tamarindus indica has a buffering capacity when applied to
sodic soils.
Dhaincha Tamarind

CONCENTRATED ORGANIC MANURES
 These manures have higher nutrient content
than bulky organic manures. Important
concentrated organic manures are oilcakes,
blood meal, fish manure, etc.
 These are also called as organic nitrogen
fertilizers.
 Before their organic nitrogen is used by the
crops, it has to be converted through bacterial
action into readily usable ammonical
nitrogen and nitrate nitrogen.
 These organic fertilizers are, therefore,
relatively slow acting, but they supply
available nitrogen for a longer period.

OILCAKES
After oil is extracted from oilseeds, the remaining solid
portion is dried as cake for use as manure or cattle feed.
Oilcakes are of two types:
1. Edible oilcakes which can be fed to livestock :
groundnut cake, coconut cake, sesame cake, etc.
2. Non edible oil cakes which are not fit for feeding
livestock : castor cake, neem cake, mahua cake.

Edible oil -cakes
Groundnut cake Sesamum cake Coconut cake

OTHER CONCENTRATED ORGANIC MANURES
Blood meal when dried and powdered can be used as
manure. The meat of the dead animals is dried and
converted into meat meal which is a good source of
nitrogen.

The crop residue is the material left after the harvesting of crop
and byproduct of agriculture based industry.
Introduction

Present status of crop residue management
As the crop residues may interfere
with tillage and seeding operations for
the next crop, many farmers prefer to
burn the residues left in the field that
lead to air pollution and wastage of
nutrients.
Farmers have been burning large
quantities of crop residues,
particularly in areas with high
yield potential.

Crop residue
Field residue
e.g. stalks, leaves,
and stems etc
Processed residue e.g.
seed, bagasse, and roots
etc

Field residue
Good management of field residue
can increase efficiency of irrigation
and control of erosion.
Field residue are materials left in an
agricultural field or orchard after the
crop has been harvested
These residue includes stalks and
stubble (stems), leaves and seed
pods.

Process residues
They can be used as animal fodder
and manufacture of organic
manure viz. vermicompost.
Process residue are those
materials left after the processing
of the crop into a usable resource
These residue include husks,
seeds, bagasse and roots

Potential uses of crop residues
Biomass energy production
Livestock feed Bedding material for animals
Compost Biogas generation
Mushroom Culture Raw material for industry

BIOFERTILIZERS
Biofertilizers are defined as preparations
containing living cells or latent cells of efficient
strains of microorganisms that help crop plants
uptake of nutrients by their interactions in the
rhizosphere when applied through seed or soil.
Applications of biofertilzers :
1. Seed inoculation method
2. Root inoculation method
3. Soil application

Importance of Biofertilizers
• Biofertilizers are known to make a number of positive contributions in agriculture.
• Supplement fertilizer supplies for meeting the nutrient needs of crops.
• Add 20 – 200 kg N/ha (by fixation) under optimum conditions and solubilise/mobilise 30-50 kg
P2O5/ha.
• They liberate growth promoting substances and vitamins and help to maintain soil fertility.
• They suppress the incidence of pathogens and control diseases.
• Increase the crop yield by 10-50%. N2 fixers reduce depletion of soil nutrients and provide
sustainability to the farming system.
• Cheaper, pollution free and based on renewable energy sources.
• They improve soil physical properties, tilth and soil health.

BIOFERTILIZERS: USE IN INDIA
India is one of the important countries in
biofertilizer production and consumption. In order to
encourage the organic agriculture by biofertilizers,
five biofertilizers namely Rhizobium, Azotobacter,
Azospirillum, Phosphate solubilizing bacteria and
mycorrhiza
 It estimated that the present level of bio fertilizer
use is quite low and there is a substantial potential
to increase it to 50,000-60,000 tons by 2020.
In 2013-2014 production is 51,867 tons.
0
10000
20000
30000
40000
50000
60000
2009-102010-112011-122012-132013-14
Production (T)

STATE PRODUCTION (T) IN 2013-14
Andhra Pradesh 2137.14
Arunachal Pradesh 59
Assam 149
Bihar 52.4
Chhattisgarh 664.79
Delhi 396
Goa 66.26
Gujarat 2173.71
Haryana 1029.79
Himachal Pradesh 6.44
Jharkhand 14.2
Karnataka 9146.34 II
Kerala 1139.74
Madhya Pradesh 3124.54
Maharashtra 5719.74 III
Nagaland 7.45
Odisha 1083.12
Puducherry 52.36
Punjab 1916.43
Rajasthan 1315
Sikkim 10.1
Tamil Nadu 12964.78 I
Tripura 225
Uttar Pradesh 2578.94
Uttarakhand 4195.71

Important Biofertilizer Producing States
6930
3257
8691
6318
2455
2925
1000
1217
Uttar Pradesh
Karnataka (2)
Kerala (4)
Tamil Nadu (1)
Andhra Pradesh
(5) Maharashtra
(6) Madhya
Pradesh
(3) Gujarat

This belongs to bacterial group
The classical example is symbiotic nitrogen fixation.
The bacteria infect the legume root and form root nodules within which they reduce
molecular nitrogen to ammonia which is reality utilized by the plant to produce
valuable proteins, vitamins and other nitrogen containing compounds.
The site of symbiosis is within the root nodules.
It has been estimated that 40-250 kg N / ha / year is fixed by different legume crops
by the microbial activities of Rhizobium
Rhizobium
Nitogen Fixing Biofertilizer for Legumes

Contribution
o Direct contribution of N symbiotically with legumes.
o Residual nitrogen benefit for the succeeding crop.
o Yield increase is by 10-35%.
o Improve soil structure.
o Produces plant growth hormone.
o Recommended for legumes (Pulses, oilseeds, fodders)
o Promising strains: NGR 6, NC 92, CC 1, CRR 6, CRU 14, COBE
13.

Quantity of biological N fixed by Rhizobium in different crops
Host Group Rhizobium Species Crops N fix kg/ha
Pea group
Rhizobium leguminosarum
Green pea,
Lentil
62- 132
Soybean group
R. japonicum Soybean 57- 105
Lupini Group
R. lupine Lupinus 70- 90
Alfafa Group
R. melliloti Melilotus 100- 150
Beans group
R. phaseoli Phaseoli 80- 110
Clover group
R. trifoli Trifolium 130
Cowpea group
R. species
Moong,
Redgram,
Cowpea,
Groundnut
57- 105
Cicer group
R. species Bengal gram 75- 117

Method and rate of application
Crops Method of
application
Quantity
required /ha
Time of
application
Chick pea,Peas,Beans,
Groundnut,
Soybean
Seed treatment 1.0-2.0 kg Sowing time
Lentil,Lucene,Berseem,
Greengram,Blackgram,
Cowpea,
Pigeanpea,Guar
Seed treatment 0.4-0.6 kg Sowing time
Sun hemp Seed treatment 0.8-1.0 kg Sowing time

METHODS OF APPLICATION OF RHIZOBIUM INOCULANTS :
• The seed treatment has been found to be the suitable method of
Rhizobium inoculation.
• Some adhesive is used to make proper contact between seeds and
inoculants (bacteria).
• About 900 g soil base culture is sufficient to inoculate the seeds for one
hectare area in case of legumes.
• A 10 % jaggery solution is used as sticker for Rhizobium cells to seed.
• First the solution is spread over the seeds and mixed to build up a thin
coat over the seeds.
• After ascertaining the proper coating of slurry over the seeds, the
inoculants is sprinkled over the seeds and the content is again mixed
thoroughly.
• Then content is dried in the shade by spreading thinly on a polythene
sheet at least for overnight.

RHIZOBIUM INOCULATION IN VETCH, A GREEN
MANURE CROP

Nitrogen Fixing Biofertilizers for Cereals
1. Blue Green Algae
2. Azolla
3. Azotobacter
4. Azospirillum

1.Blue Green Algae
• It is a suitable nitrogen fixer for paddy soils ,fixing 25 kg N/ha/year.
• It releases the amino acid in the soil.
• It brings the insoluble phosphate to the available form of plant.
• It makes the plant hormone like Auxin, Indole Acetic Acid (ACC),
Gibberellic Acid.

2.Azolla
• It fixes 30-40 kg
nitrogen/ha/year.
• It increase the organic matter
content on the field and
thereby improves soil
texture, structure and water
holding capacity.
• There is leaching loss. It
release plant nutrient slowly
like slow releasing fertilizer.
• Weed infestation is less when
azolla is grown as dual crop.

Method of inoculation of Azolla to rice crop
The Azolla biofertilizer may be applied in two ways for the wetland
paddy.
In the first method, fresh Azolla biomass is inoculated in the paddy
field before transplanting and incorporated as green manure. This
method requires huge quantity of fresh Azolla.
In the other method, Azolla may be inoculated after transplanting rice
and grown as dual culture with rice and incorporated subsequently.

3.Azotobactor
o Azotobactor is a heterotrophic
free living nitrogen fixing
bacteria present in alkaline and
neutral soils.
o Azotobactor chrococcum is
the most commonly occurring
species in arable soils of India.

Benefits
 Ability to fix atmospheric N2 – 20-40 kg N/ha.
 Production of growth promoting substances like vitamin B, Indole
acetic acid, GA.
 Biological control of plant diseases by suppressing Aspergillus,
Fusarium.
 Ability to produce thiamine, riboflavin, pyridoxin,
cyanogobalanine, nicotinic acid, pantothenic acid, etc.
 Recommended for Rice, wheat, millets, cereals, cotton,
vegetables, sunflower, mustard and flowers.

Method and rate of application
Crops Method of
application
Quantity
required /ha
Time of
application
Wheat,Oat,Barly Seed treatment 1.0-2.0 kg Sowing time
Mustard,Sesamum,Lineseed Seed treatment 0.2 kg Sowing time
Sunflower, Castor Seed treatment 0.5-0.8 kg Sowing time
Cotton, Jute Seed treatment 0.8-1.0 kg Sowing time
Onion,Brinjal,Tomato,Chillies Seedling
treatment
1.5-2.0 kg Transplanting

Effect of seed inoculation with biofertilizers on yield attributes, seed
yield and economics of Safflower under rainfed cunditions
Treatment Plant height(cm) Seed yield(kg/ha) B:C ratio
Control 64 540 1.33
50% N 69 635 1.35
100% N 73 766 1.56
Azotobacter seed inoculation 68 575 1.34
Azospirillum seed inoculation 67 637 1.48
Azoto+ Azospi seed inoculation 66 642 1.50
50% N + Azotobacter seed inoculation 69 640 1.29
50% N + Azospirillum seed inoculation 74 790 1.60
50% N + Azoto + Azospi seed inoculation 79 829 1.68
CD(P=0.05) 3.14 29 -
Sudhakar etal

4.AZOSPIRILLUM
 This is a free living or non -symbiotic bacteria (does not form
nodules but makes association by living in the rhizosphere).
 Azospirillum species establish an association with many plants
particularly with C4 plants such as maize, sorghum,sugarcane, etc.
 It is the most common organism and can form associative
symbiosis on a large variety of plants.
 Azospirillum is recognized as a dominant soil microbe.

Benefits
• Promotes plant growth.
• Increased mineral and water uptake, root development, vegetative growth and crop yield.
• Inoculation reduced the use of chemical fertilizers (20-50%, 20-40 kg N/ha)
• Increases cost benefit ratio.
• Reduces pathogen damage.
• Inhibit germination of parasitic weeds.
• Restoration of arid zone, margine mangrove ecosystem.
• Reduces humic acid toxicity in compost.
• Recommended for rice, millets, maize, wheat, sorghum, sugarcane and co-inoculant for
legumes.

Effect of Combined Inoculation of Azospirillum and AM Fungi on the
Growth and Yield of Finger Millet Var.Co 12
Treatments No. of finger/Pl Haulms yield(t/ha) Grain yield(t/ha)
control 4.0 5.21 3.16
N control 6.4 5.88 3.76
P control 6.0 5.44 3.63
Azospirillum 7.0 5.88 4.07
AM fungi 6.8 5.69 3.73
Azospirillum+AM
fungi
7.3 6.29 4.31
CD(p=0.05) - 0.33 0.22
Ezhil Bama etal Journal of Expermental Sciences

Phosphorus solubilizing bacteria
• The common Phosphate solubilizing bacteria and fungus are
Pseudomonas straita, Bacillus polymixa, Penicillium
digitatum, Aspergillus awamoori.
• They posses the ability to solubilize the bound phosphates in
the soil and increase its availability to plants by secreting
organic acids such as acetic acid, propionic acid, glycolic,
fumaric and succinic acids.
• These acids lower the pH and bring about dissolution of
insoluble form of phosphate

Effect of seed biopriming using Phosphobacteria on speed of germination of
hybrid maize COH(M) 5.
Karthika etal, Department of Seed Science and Technology, TNAU
Coimbatore (2013)

Multiple functions of Phosphorous solubilizing bacteria

Phosphate Absorber
Mycorrhiza or Vascular Arbicular Mycorrhiza
• Are mutualistic symbiosis or associations
between soil fungi and plant roots.
• VAM helps in phosphorus nutrition by
not only increasing its availability but
also increasing the mobility.
• VAM improves the uptake of Zinc,
Copper and water.
• VAM enhances the resistance to root
disease and improve hardness of
transplant stock.
• VAM helps in wasteland reclamation by
providing extended arm to plant root.

Benefits
 The beneficial effect on plant growth and yields following
inoculation with VAM is attributed to
 improved mineral nutrition, especially P (P, Zn, Cu, K, S,
NH4)
 Mobilization of nutrients through greater soil exploration.
 Protection of host roots against pathogen infection.
 Improved water relation
 Better tolerance to stress like salinity, heavy metal pollution
 Protection against transplantation shock.

Precautions for usage of Biofertilizers
 Store biofertilizer packets in cool and dry place away from direct sunlight and heat.
 Use right combination of biofertilisers
 Rhizobium is crop specific, so use in specified crop.
 Do not mix with chemicals.
 While purchasing ensure that each packet is provided with necessary information
like name of the product, name of the crop for which intended, name and address of
the manufacturer, date of manufacture, date of expiry, batch No and instructions for
use.
 Use the packet before expiry, only on the specified crop, by the recommended

Advantages of biofertilisers
• They supplement chemical fertilizers for meeting the integrated nutrient demand of
the crops.
• They can add 20-200 kg N/ha year under optimum soil conditions and thereby
increases 15-25 percent of total crop yield.
• They can at best minimize the use of chemical fertilizers
• Application of Biofertilizers results in increased mineral and water uptake, root
development, vegetative growth and nitrogen fixation.
• Some Biofertilizers (eg, Rhizobium BGA, Azotobacter sp) stimulate production of
growth promoting substance
• Phosphate mobilizing or phosphorus solubilizing Biofertilizers / microorganisms
(bacteria, fungi, mycorrhiza etc.) converts insoluble soil phosphate into soluble forms
by secreting several organic acids and under optimum conditions they can solubilize /
mobilize about 30-50 kg P2O5/ha due to which crop yield may increase by 10 to 20%.
• Mycorrhiza or VA-mycorrhiza (VAM fungi) when used as Biofertilizers enhance
uptake of P, Zn, S and water, leading to uniform crop growth and increased yield and
also enhance resistance to root diseases and improve hardiness of transplant stock.
• They liberate growth promoting substances and vitamins and help to maintain soil

Limitations of biofertilizers
 These fertilizers require special care for storage.
 These should be used before the expiry date.
 Biofertilizers are not useful in the dry or hot soil.
 These are not useful, if there is un availability of
the micro organisms
 Lower density of nutrients
 Hard to locate in some areas.
 Require skill in production and application

References:
Integrated nutrient management for sustainable crop production, improving crop quality
and soil health, and minimizing environmental pollution
Milkha S. AulakhA
ACollege of Agriculture, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana 141004, Punjab, India, Email
msaulakh2004@yahoo.co.in
Principles of Agronomy- SR REDDY 4th edition, Kalyani publishers Delhi.

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