Microbial inoculant showed different plant growth mechanisms for example, the supply of nutrients, the production of plant hormones, the control of various crop pests, and fixing the atmospheric nitrogen (Toyota and watanabe, 2013). Bio fertilizers are the microbial inoculants which can be usually defined as a preparation containing live or dormant cells of efficient strains of nitrogen fixing, phosphate solubilizing and cellulytic microorganisms, etc. In contrast to chemical fertilizers, biofertilizers are viable microorganisms providing help to plants in assessing the nutrient availability in rhizospheric region.
Several microorganisms are commonly used as bio-fertilizers including nitrogen fixing soil bacteria (Azotobacter Rhizobium), nitrogen fixing cyano bacteria (Anabaena), phosphate - Solubilizing bacteria (pseudomonas sp.)
Similarly, phytohormone (auxin) producing bacteria and cellulolytic microorganisms are also used as bio fertilizer formulation. These microbial formulations are used to enhance certain microbial process to increase the availability of nutrients in a form which can be assimilated by plant.
Benefits
- Biofertilizer are low cost
- They are renewable sources of plant nutrients
- Maintenance of substrate / soil health
- Reduction of environmental pollution
- Increase crop yield
- Control of soil borne diseases