Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Contents
[hide]
Cost effective relative to chemical fertilizer and reduces the costs towards fertilizers use,
especially regarding nitrogen and phosphorus. It is environmentally friendly fertilizer that
not only prevents damaging the natural source but helps to some extend clean the nature
from precipitated chemical fertilizer.
Go back
Biofertilizers
One of the major concerns in today's world is the pollution and contamination of soil. The use of
chemical fertilizers and pesticides has caused tremendous harm to the environment. An answer
to this is the biofertilizer, an environmentally friendly fertilizer now used in most countries.
Biofertilizers are organisms that enrich the nutrient quality of soil. The main sources of
biofertilizers are bacteria, fungi, and cynobacteria (blue-green algae). The most striking
relationship that these have with plants is symbiosis, in which
the partners derive benefits from each other.
Biofertilizers will help solve such problems as increased salinity of the soil and chemical run-offs
from the agricultural fields. Thus, biofertilizers are important if we are to ensure a healthy future
for the generations to come.
Mycorrhiza
Mycorrhizae are a group of fungi that include a number of types based on the different structures
formed inside or outside the root. These are specific fungi that match with a number of favourable
parameters of the the host plant on which it grows. This includes soil type, the presence of
particular chemicals in the soil types, and other conditions.
These fungi grow on the roots of these plants. In fact, seedlings that have mycorrhizal fungi
growing on their roots survive better after transplantation and grow faster. The fungal symbiont
gets shelter and food from the plant which, in turn, acquires an array of benefits such as better
uptake of phosphorus, salinity and drought tolerance, maintenance of water balance, and overall
increase in plant growth and development.
While selecting fungi, the right fungi have to be matched with the plant. There are specific fungi
for vegetables, fodder crops, flowers, trees, etc.
Mycorrhizal fungi can increase the yield of a plot of land by 30%-40%. It can absorb phosphorus
from the soil and pass it on to the plant. Mycorrhizal plants show higher tolerance to high soil
temperatures, various soil- and root-borne pathogens, and heavy metal toxicity.
Legume-rhizobium relationship
Leguminous plants require high quantities of nitrogen compared to other plants. Nitrogen is
an inert gas and its uptake is possible only in fixed form, which is facilitated by the rhizobium
bacteria present in the nodules of the root system. The bacterium lives in the soil to form root
nodules (i.e. outgrowth on roots) in plants such as beans, gram, groundnut, and soybean.
Blue-green algae
Blue-green algae are considered the simplest, living autotrophic plants, i.e. organisms capable of
building up food materials from inorganic matter. They are microscopic. Blue-green algae are
widely distributed in the aquatic environment. Some of them are responsible for water blooms in
stagnant water. They adapt to extreme weather conditions and are found in snow and in hot
springs, where the water is 85 °C.
Certain blue-green algae live intimately with other organisms in a symbiotic relationship. Some
are associated with the fungi in form of lichens. The ability of blue-green algae tophotosynthesize
food and fix atmospheric nitrogen accounts for their symbiotic associations and also for their
presence in paddy fields.
Blue-green algae are of immense economic value as they add organic matter to the soil and
increase soil fertility. Barren alkaline lands in India have been reclaimed and made productive by
inducing the proper growth of certain blue-green algae.
The term biopesticide is used for microbial biological pest control agents that are applied
in a similar manner to chemical pesticides. Commonly these are bacterial, but there are
also examples of fungal control agents, including Trichoderma spp. and Ampelomyces
quisqualis (a control agent for grape powdery mildew). Bacillus subtilis are used to
control plant pathogens. Weeds and rodents have also been controlled with microbial
agents.
Biopesticides for use against crop diseases have already established themselves on a
variety of crops. For example, biopesticides already play an important role in controlling
downy mildew diseases. Their benefits include: a 0-Day PreHarvest Interval, the ability
to use under moderate to severe disease pressure, and the ability to use as a tank mix or in
a rotational program with other registered fungicides. Because some market studies
estimate that as much as 20% of global fungicide sales are directed at downy mildew
diseases, the integration of biofungicides into grape production has substantial benefits in
terms of extending the useful life of other fungicides, especially those in the reduced-risk
category.
A major growth area for biopesticides is in the area of seed treatments and soil
amendments. Fungicidal and biofungicidal seed treatments are used to control soil borne
fungal pathogens that cause seed rots, damping-off, root rot and seedling blights. They
can also be used to control internal seed–borne fungal pathogens as well as fungal
pathogens that are on the surface of the seed. Many biofungicidal products also show
capacities to stimulate plant host defenses and other physiological processes that can
make treated crops more resistant to a variety of biotic and abiotic stresses.
The Manual of Biocontrol Agents[1] gives a review of the available biological insecticide
(and other biology-based control) products. In order to implement these environmentally-
friendly pest control agents, it is often especially important to pay attention to their
formulation[2] and application.[3]
Biopesticides
Biopesticides are certain types of pesticides derived from such natural materials as
animals, plants, bacteria, and certain minerals. For example, canola oil and baking soda
have pesticidal applications and are considered biopesticides. At the end of 2001, there
were approximately 195 registered biopesticide active ingredients and 780 products.
Biopesticides fall into three major classes:
(3) Biochemical pesticides are naturally occurring substances that control pests by non-
toxic mechanisms. Conventional pesticides, by contrast, are generally synthetic materials
that directly kill or inactivate the pest. Biochemical pesticides include substances, such as
insect sex pheromones, that interfere with mating, as well as various scented plant
extracts that attract insect pests to traps. Because it is sometimes difficult to determine
whether a substance meets the criteria for classification as a biochemical pesticide, EPA
has established a special committee to make such decisions.
Types of Biopesticides
By Ida Tolen, eHow Contributor
updated: December 1, 2009
Types of Biopesticides
Biopesticides, or biological pesticides, are pest control agents obtained from natural
substances, such as plants, minerals and bacteria. One advantage of using biopesticides
over conventional pesticides is that they can be less toxic. The Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) requires the registration of all biopesticides and reviews these for any
potential adverse effects on the environment or people.
The Facts
1. Whether derived from plants that are living organisms or substances like minerals,
biopesticides can play an important role in protecting agriculture from certain
unwanted pests. The active ingredients in these biological pesticides can also
include the use of microbial organisms, genetic material or pheromones.
According to the EPA, there were roughly 195 of these active ingredients
registered by the end of 2001. Biopesticides function in a variety of ways to
suppress pests. The three main types of biopesticides are plant-incorporated-
protectants, biochemical and microbial pesticides.
Microbial Pesticides
2. Microbial pesticides contain active ingredients of specific types of
microorganisms, such as a fungus, bacterium or protozoan. Each active ingredient
can be utilized to target a specific type of pest. For example, some fungi can
suppress certain weeds, while certain types of bacteria can control different
species of insect larvae, such as mosquitoes, moths or flies. The most commonly
utilized microbial pesticides come from strains of the bacteria called Bacillus
thuringiensis (Bt). The bacteria strains manufacture different protein mixes that
can target specific insect larvae and will not affect other organisms.
Biochemical Pesticides
3. Biochemical pesticides use natural substances like insect sex pheromones, which
can disrupt mating, thus controlling the insect population. Other types of
biochemical pesticides can include the use of hormones, enzymes and scented
plant extracts to attract and trap certain pests. These are good alternatives to
conventional pesticides because often the latter contain synthetic toxic material to
destroy insects.
Plant-Incorporated-Protectants
4. By introducing genetic material into plants, scientists can make plants produce
pesticidal substances which can target and kill specific pests. In some cases, the
addition of a gene with a particular Bt protein can produce these plant
incorporated protectants, or plant pesticides. In theses cases, EPA regulations
apply only to the protein, genetic substance and not the plant.
Siemens answers:Siemens.com/Answers_for_India
Efficient energy supply The world's largest gas turbine.
Agriculture Pesticideswww.Lanxess.in
Order premium quality products from the specialty chemicals company