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The key difference between biofertilizer and chemical fertilizer is that biofertilizers
contain living microbes, whereas chemical fertilizers contain chemical substances.
Fertilizers are materials of natural or synthetic origin, and when applied to soil or plant
tissues, they can supply plant nutrients. We can identify them distinctly from liming materials
and other non-nutrient soil amendments. There are different sources of fertilizers. In
modern times, the three major macronutrients that are important for plants include
nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, collectively named NPK. Occasionally, we need to add
rock dust as a micronutrient as well. The application of the fertilizers can also differ from
one to another, e.g., pelletized or liquid application, use of large agricultural equipment or
hand-tool methods, etc.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is a Biofertilizer
3. What is a Chemical Fertilizer
4. Biofertilizer vs Chemical Fertilizer in Tabular Form
5. Summary – Biofertilizer vs Chemical Fertilizer
What is a Biofertilizer?
Biofertilizers are living microbes that can enhance plant nutrition by mobilizing or increasing
nutrient availability in the soil. There are many different microbial taxa that are living in the
soil. These are beneficial bacteria and fungi forms that can be used as fertilizers. This is
because these microorganisms can successfully colonize the rhizosphere, rhizoplane, or
root interior.
Generally, biofertilizers are able to improve soil fertility. However, these fertilizers cannot
replace chemical fertilizers conventionally used in agriculture. This is because translating the
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knowledge of microbes and their function to capitalize on plant nutrition in agricultural
practices is still a challenge.
Typically, the soil and plant-related microbes tend to play a significant role in ecosystems as
they carry out various biological cycles and organic matter degradation processes.
Therefore, we can consider biofertilizers as crucial components of sustainable agriculture,
which have a long-lasting effect on soil fertility.
Moreover, a biofertilizer consists of a mixture of living microbial cells, which are either in a
single strain or multiple strains. These microbes can promote the growth of plants by
enhancing nutrient availability and acquisition.
The most common types of biofertilizers that have been used for a long time
include Rhizobium, Azotobacter, Azospirillium, and blue-green algae. The Rhizobium species
is typically suitable for leguminous plants. Similarly, Azotobacter is useful for crops such as
wheat, maize, mustard, cotton, potato, etc., and Azospirillium is useful for sorghum, millets,
maize, sugarcane, and wheat. Finally, blue-green algae are important for making
inoculations for paddy crop growth under upland and lowland conditions.
Benefits of Biofertilizers
• Able to fix the nutrient availability in the soil
• Can symbiotically associate with the plant,
• Useful in producing a large quantity of crops through nitrogen fixation and
phosphorus solubilization
• Advancement of root and shoot growth that implements new seed growth
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There are three major types of chemical fertilizers: nitrogenous fertilizers, phosphatic
fertilizers, and potassium fertilizers. Each of these fertilizer types has different chemical
compositions.
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that biofertilizers contain living microbes, whereas chemical fertilizers contain chemical
substances. Biofertilizers do not directly supply nutrients to the crops, while chemical
fertilizers provide the soil directly with the nutrients.