Navratna Journal JAN-FEB 2008
Blue Green Algae Biofertilizer Technology
for rice based cropping system of Western Orissa
o o o Dr.Jayanta Kumar Sahu
Orissa state(81 27’ E, 17 49’ N to 87 39’
o
E,29 34’ N)is one among the few principal rice
growing states of India. Based on soil type, climatic
water balance, intensity and duration of rain fall and
topography Orissa is divided into 9 agro climatic
zones. Out of these 9th agro climatic zone, Western
and mid central table land comprises major rice grow-
ing areas of Orissa. Bargarh and adjoining regions
harvest rice crop twice a year and serve as a rice
bowl for Orissa and its neighboring state. As, rice is
a staple food for all most all people of this region,
study on the modern rice cultivation practice and
specifically soil nutrient study have made tremen-
dous interest for agricultural scientists, officials, work-
ers and farmers of this region.
Nitrogen is one of the most essential fertiliz-
ers for crop plants. Though it constitutes over 70%
of our atmosphere, the crop plants are unable to
exploit it directly from the nature. To support crop
production the fertilizer consumption has increased
to many folds. Several thousands tones of chemical
fertilizers consumed per year(two cropping seasons)
alone in Bargarh and adjoining regions of Western
Orissa .Increasing cost of chemical fertilizers, reduc-
tion/abolition of subsidy, widening gap between sup-
ply and demand together with low level of purchas-
ing power of majority farmers of this region have
indeed created an embarrassing problem. Also the
chemical based system of rising crop has degraded
the soil environment (altered C/N ratio) which has
cumulated in reduced agrochemical utilizing effi-
ciency of crop plants. Chemical characteristics of soil
samples of many places of Western Orissa also
Some blue-green algae produce toxins
that could pose a health risk to people and
animals when they are exposed to them in large
Navratna Info
enough quantities. Health effects could occur
when surface scums or water containing high
levels of blue-green algal toxins are swallowed,
through contact with the skin or when airborne
droplets con-taining toxins are inhaled while
swimming, bathing or showering.
Page : 62
shows this trend(Sahu,Naik and Adhikary,1996).It is
therefore time to think for some of the alternative natu-
ral resources to meet part of our demand and to re-
lieve the pressure on the chemical fertilizer nitrogen
required.
Under water logged conditions of rice fields,
Blue Green algae plays a vital role in maintaining soil
fertility and crop yield even in the absence of any
added agrochemicals. In recent years, algalisation has
been recognized as an important input in rice cultiva-
tion as its form a per-
petually renewable
source of nutrients
and improve soil
health (Venkatraman,
1981; Goyal,1993)
Cyanobacterial
biofertilizer for rice
cultivation is an eco friendly, easily manageable in-
put forming a self generating system contributing to
about 25 Kg N/ha per season and also they add or-
ganic matter and growth promoting substances to
the soil (Roger and Kulasooriya,1980).
A survey on the distributional pattern of Blue
Green algae on all nine agro climatic zones of Orissa
was studied. Rich diversity of Blue Green algae com-
prising specie of Nostoc, Anabaena
,Aulosira,Calothrix,Tolypothrix and Cylindro spermum
was observed in the several rice fields of Western
Orissa (Naik, Sahu and Adhikary, 1996) .Out
of the eight different strains of Nitrogen fixing Blue
Blue-green algae (BGA) are primitive
microscopic plants that live in fresh water. Their
scientific name is cyanobacteria but they are more com-
monly known as pond scum. Normally blue-green
algae are barely visible, but, during warm weather,
populations can rapidly increase to form a large mass
called a bloom. Blooms most commonly occur during
the late summer and early fall.Blue-green algae thrive
in areas where the water is shallow, slow moving, and
warm, but they may also be present below the surface
in deeper, cooler water. One key factor affecting growth
rates is the level of available nutrients such as phos-
phorus and nitrogen
 Navratna Journal
Green algae suggested for biofertilizer production in
Orissa, one efficient Nitrogen fixer Nostoc carneum
UU 29130 belong to Western part of Orissa,
Padampur. Also this strain has been deposited in BGA
germplasm conservation centre at Indian Agricultural
Research Institute, New Delhi .This strain is a region
specific stress compatible strain, therefore, this spe-
cies can be recommended for biofertilizer production
by farmers in this region.A tested (rural oriented)
method is described below which is recommended
for setting up large scale algal production farm in this
region.
Mass production in cemented tanks
Out of the different method recommended for the pro-
duction of BGA, open air cement tank method is con-
sidered to be easy and cost effective. The cement
tanks are permanent structures and can be cleaned
easily. On the other hand galvanized iron trays are
very expensive, prone to rusting and difficult to clean.
Similarly polythene lined pits don’t last for more than
3-4 harvests and thus become costly.
Production of BGA inoculum can be done in
the following steps
• Construct cement tanks of size5m length,1.5m
width and 0.3m depth in an open space. The inner
walls and floor of the tank should be glazed smooth.
Provide a water tap at about 25 cm height at one of
the broad sides and a drainage pipe fitted on the op-
posite wall at the bottom. An overflow outlet is pro-
vided at about 20 cm height above the drainage out-
let. The length of the tanks can be manipulated but
width should not be increased. Provide a space of
about 1.0 m between the tanks for operational con-
venience.
• The four corners of the tank should be round.
• Spread 10 kg of soil and add 200 g of single super
phosphate per tank. The soil should be loam and
sandy loam and heavy type like clay. Light soil facili-
tates formation of algal flakes which easily separate
Avoiding exposure to
blue-green algae
Never drink untreated surface water, whether
or not algae blooms are present. Untreated
Navratna Info
surface water may contain other bacteria, para-
sites or viruses, as well as algal toxins, that all
could cause illness if consumed. People not on
public water supplies should not drink surface
water, even if it is treated, during an algal bloom
because in-home treatments such as boiling
and disinfecting water with chlorine or UV and
water filtration units do not protect people from
JAN-FEB 2008 Page : 63
out from the soil. The soil should be preferably taken
from a fallow land since it is low in Nitrogen and mi-
crobial flora.
• Fill the tanks with water up to a height of about 15
cm and add insecticide(10-15ml malathion, 50% EC
or endosulphan 30% EC) to prevent breeding of
mosquitoes and other insects. Mix the contents thor-
oughly and allow to stand till the supernatant be-
comes clear.
•Sprinkle 200 g of BGA culture on the water
surface(mother starter region specific BGA cultures
are available at Utkal university BGA germplasm
conservation centre, Bhubaneswar)
• Under favorable conditions (temperature 300 C
and above), the growth of blue-green algae will be
rapid and a thick algal mat is formed on the surface of
the water in about 10-15 days. At this stage, forma-
tion of another BGA layer can be seen on the surface
of the soil. During this period, add water periodically
to maintain the water level around 10 cm.
• Closely monitor the BGA coming up in the tanks
by periodically examining the algal growth using a
microscope. One can alternatively use the iodine test
to differentiate between green and blue-green algae.
The green algae turn dark violet or black in colour
with iodine.
• Alkaline conditions with pH around 8, appreciable
prevent contamination with green algae.
• Stop adding water to the tanks only after a thick
BGA mat is formed and allow the contents to dry
without draining the water.
• When completely dry, the algal mat will form
flakes which will separate out from rest of the soil.
These flakes are collected, sun dried and packed in
polythene bags.
• Fill the tanks again with water, put fresh soil,
starter culture and super phosphate and repeat the
process. Single harvest from a tank yields about 7-
10 kgs of soil based algal flakes.
blue-green algal toxins. If washing dishes in untreated
surface water is unavoidable, rinsing with bottled wa-
ter may reduce possible residues. While we don’t know
if water containing low levels of blue-green algal tox-
ins could leave residues on dishes, taking this pre-
caution may help reduce possible exposures. People,
pets and livestock should avoid contact with water that
is discolored or has scums on the surface. Colors can
include shades of green, blue-green, yellow, brown or
red. If contact does occur, wash with soap and water
or rinse thoroughly with clean water to remove algae.
 Navratna Journal JAN-FEB 2008
• Instead of using the soil based starter culture,
one can use laboratory grown liquid culture of rice
fields BGA to inoculate the tanks. Even the dominat-
ing native BGA, directly collected from rice field can
also be used. Recommendation for Field Applica-
tion
• Broadcast the dried algal flakes on standing water
at the rate of 10 to 20 kg per hectare ,one week after
transplantation. The field should be kept water logged
for about ten days after inoculation to allow good
growth of BGA.
• If nitrogen fertilizers are not being used, apply BGA
microscopic structure
of
Blue Green Algae
in order to gain a benefit of 15-25 kg N/ha. Where
the nitrogenous fertilizers are used, keep the basal
dose unchanged and reduce the subsequent two ap-
plications by half. This will save on the chemical fer-
tilizers without affecting the yield.
• Apply BGA at least for 3-4 consecutive seasons to
have the advantage of cumulative effect.
• The sun dried BGA inoculums packed in polythene
bags can be stored at room temperature for at least
3 years without loss in the viability.
• Recommended pest control measures and other
crop management practices generally do not inter-
fere with the establishment and activity of the BGA in
the field.
Cyanobacterial toxins are the naturally
produced poisons stored in the cells of
certain species of cyanobacteria. These toxins
fall into various categories. Some are known to
attack the liver (hepatotoxins) or the nervous
Navratna Info
system (neurotoxins); others simply irritate the
skin. These toxins are usually released into water
when the cells rupture or die. scientists are more
concerned about hepatotoxins than neurotoxins,
because neurotoxins are not considered to be
as widespread as hepatotoxins in water supplies.
Very few cyanobacterial toxins have actually been
isolated and characterized to date. Better
methods of detection are being developed to
help us learn more about them,
Page : 64
• Application of small quantity of phosphatic fertilizer
after BGA inoculation accelerates the algal establish-
ment.
The above algal biofertilizer technology is rural
oriented technology for farmers resulting in low cost
production of rice. This is of particular significant to
the farmers of this region who are economically weak
to invest on chemical Nitrogen fertilizer. Fields experi-
ment using algal inoculations at various location
showed promising results with respect to nitrogen
saving and increased yield. Large scale production
of the soil based BGA biofertilizer has an income gen-
erating potential and can be taken as a profession for
the unemployed youths of this region.
REFERENCES
Free floting BGA in rice
Mass cultivatuins of Blue
field of Western Orissa
Green Algae
Goyal,S.K.1993.Algal Biofertilizer for vital soil and free
Nitrogen.Proc.Indian Natl.Sci.Acad.B.59:295-302.
Naik,H.K.;Sahu,J.K.and Adhikary,S.P.1996.Blue Green algae of
rice fields of Orissa state 11.Growth and Nitrogen fixing
potential.Phykos, 35(1&2):111-118.
Roger,P.A.and Kulasooriya.S.A.1980.Blue Green algae and
rice,I.R.R.I..,Los Banos,Manila,Phillipines.pp.1-112.
Sahu,J.K.;Naik,H.K.and Adhikary,S.P. Blue Green algae of rice
fields of Orissa state 1.Distributional pattern in different
agroclimatic zones. Phykos ,35(1&2):93-110.
Venkataraman,G.S.1981.Blue Green algae for rice production,a
manual for its promotion:FAO field documentation no.2(RAS/75/
004),FAO, Rome.pp.102.
T.F.College , Bargarh
Despite their name, blue-green algae
are not algae at all. They are a type of photo-
synthetic bacteria, called ‘cyanobacteria’, that rely on
sunlight for energy.Blue-green algae are present in
almost all aquatic ecosystems, including creeks, riv-
ers, lakes and wetlands. Individual cells are quite small,
so bluegreen algae can be present in a water body
without being visible. However, as environmental con-
ditions become just right, algae numbers can start to
increase rapidlyand blooms, or scums, become easily
visible across the water surface. The blooms range in
colour from dark green to yellowish–brown and de-
velop a paintlike consistency as they dry out around
the water’s edge. A blue pigment may also be seen as
they dry.