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Introduction
The term biofertilizer denotes the ‘nutrient inputs of biological origin for
plant growth.
Here biological origin should be referred to as microbiological process
synthesizing complex compounds and their further release into outer medium,
to the close vicinity of plant roots which are again taken up by plants.
Nitrogen compounds account for 40-50% of the dry matter of protoplasm of
plant cells.
Development and use of biofertilizers is mainly concerned with the
exploitation of a group of nitrogen fixing organisms called diazotrophs for
harvesting atmospheric nitrogen for plant crops.
This microbial process of producing the inorganic forms of nitrogen from
molecular nitrogen is known as nitrogen fixation or diazotrophy.
Micro-organisms have potential
applications as Biofertilizer are:-
Bacteria: Rhizobium sp, Azospirillum, Azotobacter
Fungi: Mycorrhiza
Blu-green algae (cyanobacteria): Anabena, Nostoc
Fern: Azolla (containing a symbiont Anabena azollae)
The diazotrophs exhibit two modes of nitrogen fixation, viz.,
(i) non-symbiotic and
(ii) symbiotic.
Cowpeas Rhizobium sp