A biofertilizer is a substance which contains living microorganisms which, when applied to seeds, plant surfaces, or soil, colonize the rhizosphere or the interior of the plant and promotes growth by increasing the supply or availability of primary nutrients to the host plant Biofertilizers add nutrients through the natural processes of nitrogen fixation, solubilizing phosphates, and stimulating plant growth through the synthesis of growth-promoting substances. Biofertilizers can be expected to reduce the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. The microorganisms in biofertilizers restore the soil’s natural nutrient cycle and build soil organic matter. Through the use of biofertilizers, healthy plants can be grown, while enhancing the sustainability and the health of the soil. Since they play several roles, a preferred scientific term for such beneficial bacteria is “plant growth promoting rhizbacteria. Therefore, they are extremely advantageous in enriching soil fertility and fulfilling plant nutrient requirements by supplying the organic nutrients through microorganism and their byproducts. Hence, biofertilizers do not contain any chemicals which are harmful to the living soil.
Biofertilizers such as Rhizobium, Azotobactor Azospirilum and blue green algae have been in use a long time. Rhizobium inoculant is used for leguminous crops. Azotobactor can be used with crops like Wheat, maize, mustard, cotton potato and other vegetable crops. Azospirillum inoculations are recommended mainly for sorghum, millets, maize, sugarcane,and wheat. Blue green algae belonging to a general cyanobacteria geuns.
Other types of bacteria, called Phosphate solubilising bacteria are able to solubilize the insoluble phosphate from organic and inorganic phosphate sources
Benefits of biofertilizers are:
- These are means of fixing the nutrient availability in the soil.
- Since a bio-fertilizer is technically living, it can symbiotically associate with plant roots. Involved microorganisms could readily and safely convert complex organic material into simple compounds, so that they are easily taken up by the plants.
Organic Fertilizers (City Compost,Vermi compost and Organic manure)
Organic fertilizers are those fertilizers which derived an organic — biologic — origin—living or formerly living materials include such animal wastes, plant wastes from agriculture, compost, and treated sewage (biosolids, related systems of food and plant production that significantly limit or strictly avoid the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides and so environmentally ecofriendly.. The organic fertilizer products typically contain both some organic materials as well as acceptable additives such as nutritive rock powders, ground sea shells (crab, oyster, etc.), other prepared products such as seed meal or kelp, and cultivated microorganisms and derivatives.
In terms of volume, peat is the most widely used packaged organic soil amendment. Since this immature form of coal, which improves the soil by aeration and absorbing water. Organic fertilizers such as composts and manures may be distributed locally without going into industry production, making actual consumption more difficult to quantify.
ITC Labs capabilities
ITC Labs offers fully equipped chemical, microbiological and instrument lab for analysis of organic fertilizers like Total organic carbon, Nitrogen, Phosphorous, density, carbon: Nitrogen ratio, conductivity, pathogenic contaminations and, Heavy metal estimation by ICP-OES /AAS.