Benefits of Biofertilizers

There are many benefits of biofertilizers. Biofertilizers contain living microorganisms. In this post we’ll talk about three benefits; helping make plant nutrients more available to the plants, the production of plant hormones, and biofertilizers are cost effective when compared to traditional fertilizers.

Biofertilizers Make Nutrients Available to Plants

Biofertilizers contain living microbes generally bacteria and fungi. These microorganisms add nutrients to the soil by nitrogen fixation and by solubilizing both phosphorus and sulphur. Nitrogen fixation can be achieved by a variety of microorganism including, Azotobacter and Rhizobium. Paenibacillus polymyxa is a bacteria that fixes nitrogen. Nitrogen fixation is a key component of the nitrogen cycle.

Additionally, biofertilizers solubilize both phosphorus and sulphur. Phosphorous solubilization is performed by  Bacillus subtilis, and Bacillus megaterium. Sulphur is solubilized by bacteria of the genus Thiobacillus.

Biofertilizers Produce Plant Hormones

Plant hormones, also called phtyohormones regulate plant growth. An increase in plant hormones generally has a positive effect on root size and root structure. Bigger, stronger roots make for a healthier plant. Both bacteria and fungi produce phtyhormones. Among the bacteria, Bacillus subtilis manufactures a number of plant hormones as does Bacillus licheniformus and Bacilllus megaterium. Several species of Trichoderma produce phytohormones including, Trichoderma harzianum, Trichoderma viride and Trichoderma polysporum.

Biofertilizers are Cost Effective

Generally speaking, biofertilizers will reduce the amount of traditional fertilizers needed by growers. As the price of fertilizers continues to skyrocket, controlling costs is a major issue for most growers. Since biofertilizers help make traditional fertilizers more effective, growers can reduce the amount of NPK used. One of the major benefits of biofertilizers is the reduced cost and the reduction in the use of other chemicals.

Overall, the use of biofertilizers worldwide continues to grow. As more and more growers realize the benefits of biofertilizers, the market for microorganisms in farming will continue to expand.