scholarly journals Technologies for Beneficial Microorganisms Inocula Used as Biofertilizers

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Malusá ◽  
L. Sas-Paszt ◽  
J. Ciesielska

The increasing need for environmentaly friendly agricultural practices is driving the use of fertilizers based on beneficial microorganisms. The latter belong to a wide array of genera, classes, and phyla, ranging from bacteria to yeasts and fungi, which can support plant nutrition with different mechanisms. Moreover, studies on the interactions between plant, soil, and the different microorganisms are shedding light on their interrelationships thus providing new possible ways to exploit them for agricultural purposes. However, even though the inoculation of plants with these microorganisms is a well-known practice, the formulation of inocula with a reliable and consistent effect under field conditions is still a bottleneck for their wider use. The choice of the technology for inocula production and of the carrier for the formulation is key to their successful application. This paper focuses on how inoculation issues can be approached to improve the performance of beneficial microorganisms used as a tool for enhancing plant growth and yield.

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dalia Molina-Romero ◽  
Saúl Juárez-Sánchez ◽  
Berenice Venegas ◽  
Cindy S. Ortíz-González ◽  
Antonino Baez ◽  
...  

The success of beneficial bacteria in improving the crop growth and yield depends on an adequate plant-bacteria interaction. In this work, the capability of Azospirillium brasilense Sp7, Pseudomonas putida KT2440, Acinetobacter sp. EMM02, and Sphingomonas sp. OF178A to interact with six maize varieties was evaluated by both single-bacterium application and consortium application. The bacterial consortium efficiently colonized the rhizosphere of the autochthonous yellow and H48 hybrid varieties. Bacterial colonization by the consortium was higher than under single-bacterium colonization. The two maize varieties assayed under greenhouse conditions showed increased plant growth compared to the control. The effect of consortium inoculation plus 50% fertilization was compared with the 100% nitrogen fertilization under field conditions using the autochthonous yellow maize. Inoculation with the consortium plus 50% urea produced a similar grain yield compared to 100% urea fertilization. However, a biomass decrease was observed in plants inoculated with the consortium plus 50% urea compared to the other treatments. Furthermore, the safety of these bacteria was evaluated in a rat model after oral administration. Animals did not present any negative effects, after bacterial administration. In conclusion, the bacterial consortium offers a safety alternative that can reduce chemical fertilization by half while producing the same crop yield obtained with 100% fertilization. Decreased chemical fertilization could avoid contamination and reduce the cost in agricultural practices.


Microbiome ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sai Guo ◽  
Wu Xiong ◽  
Xinnan Hang ◽  
Zhilei Gao ◽  
Zixuan Jiao ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Microbiomes play vital roles in plant health and performance, and the development of plant beneficial microbiomes can be steered by organic fertilizer inputs. Especially well-studied are fertilizer-induced changes on bacteria and fungi and how changes in these groups alter plant performance. However, impacts on protist communities, including their trophic interactions within the microbiome and consequences on plant performance remain largely unknown. Here, we tracked the entire microbiome, including bacteria, fungi, and protists, over six growing seasons of cucumber under different fertilization regimes (conventional, organic, and Trichoderma bio-organic fertilization) and linked microbial data to plant yield to identify plant growth-promoting microbes. Results Yields were higher in the (bio-)organic fertilization treatments. Soil abiotic conditions were altered by the fertilization regime, with the prominent effects coming from the (bio-)organic fertilization treatments. Those treatments also led to the pronounced shifts in protistan communities, especially microbivorous cercozoan protists. We found positive correlations of these protists with plant yield and the density of potentially plant-beneficial microorganisms. We further explored the mechanistic ramifications of these relationships via greenhouse experiments, showing that cercozoan protists can positively impact plant growth, potentially via interactions with plant-beneficial microorganisms including Trichoderma, the biological agent delivered by the bio-fertilizer. Conclusions We show that protists may play central roles in stimulating plant performance through microbiome interactions. Future agricultural practices might aim to specifically enhance plant beneficial protists or apply those protists as novel, sustainable biofertilizers.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafia Younas ◽  
Shiza Gul ◽  
Rehan Ahmad ◽  
Ali Raza Khan ◽  
Mumtaz Khan ◽  
...  

Global climate change is leading to a series of frequent onset of environmental stresses such as prolonged drought periods, dynamic precipitation patterns, heat stress, and cold stress on plants and commercial crops. The increasing severity of such stresses is not only making agriculture and related economic sector vulnerable but also negatively influences plant diversity patterns. The global temperature of planet Earth has risen to 1.1°C since the last 19th century. An increase in surface temperature leads to an increase in soil temperature which ultimately reduces water content in the soil, thereby, reducing crop growth and yield. Moreover, this situation is becoming more intense for agricultural practices in arid and semi-arid regions. To overcome climatically induced stresses, acclimatization of plant species via bioinoculation with Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR) is becoming an effective approach. The PGPR are capable of colonizing rhizosphere (exophytes) as well as plant organs (endophytes), where they trigger an accumulation of osmolytes for osmoregulation or improving gene expression of heat or cold stress proteins, or by signaling the synthesis of phytohormones, metabolites, proteins, and antioxidants to scavenge reactive oxygen species. Thus, PGPR exhibiting multiple plant growth-promoting traits can be employed via bioinoculants to improve the plant’s tolerance against unfavorable stress conditions.


2021 ◽  
Vol 57 (No. 2) ◽  
pp. 95-111
Author(s):  
Olubukola Babalola ◽  
Oluwaseun Adeyinka Fasusi

Agricultural practices depend mainly on the use of chemical fertilisers, pesticides, and herbicides which have caused serious health hazards and have also contributed to the pollution of the environment at large. The application of plant-beneficial rhizobacteria in agrarian practices has become paramount in increasing soil fertility, promoting plant growth, ensuring food safety, and increasing crop production to ensure sustainable agriculture. Beneficial rhizobacteria are soil microorganisms that are eco-friendly and serve as a modern method of improving the plant yield, protecting the plant and soil fertility that pose no harm to humans and the environment. This eco-friendly approach requires the application of beneficial rhizobacteria with plant growth-promoting traits that can improve the nutrient uptake, enhance the resistance of plants to abiotic and biotic stress, protect plants against pathogenic microorganisms and promote plant growth and yield. This review article has highlighted the multitasking roles that beneficial rhizobacteria employ in promoting plant growth, food production, bioremediation, providing defence to plants, and maintaining soil fertility. The knowledge acquired from this review will help in understanding the bases and importance of plant-beneficial rhizobacteria in ensuring agricultural sustainability and as an alternative to the use of agrochemicals.


1990 ◽  
Vol 70 (4) ◽  
pp. 1163-1167 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. S. TAYLOR ◽  
K. N. HARKER ◽  
J. M. ROBERTSON ◽  
K. R. FOSTER

A cytokinin-containing seaweed extract, Nitrozyme™ (Nitrozyme1), was tested under field conditions over 4 yr for its effects on the growth and yield of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.). In 1986 and 1987, Nitrozyme did not increase yield and had no beneficial effects on growth of Harrington and Bonanza barley. In 1988 and 1989, the effects of Nitrozyme on barley (cv. Leduc) were compared against those of kinetin, a synthetic cytokinin. Neither Nitrozyme nor kinetin had an effect on growth or yield.Key words: Nitrozyme, seaweed extracts, cytokinins, kinetin, plant growth regulator, Hordeum vulgare L.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa Kosty ◽  
Flora Pule-Meulenberg ◽  
Ethan A. Humm ◽  
Pilar Martínez-Hidalgo ◽  
Maskit Maymon ◽  
...  

AbstractAs the world population increases, improvements in crop growth and yield will be needed to meet rising food demands, especially in countries that have not developed agricultural practices optimized for their own soils and crops. In many African countries, farmers improve agricultural productivity by applying synthetic fertilizers and pesticides to crops, but their continued use over the years has had serious environmental consequences including air and water pollution as well as loss of soil fertility. To reduce the overuse of synthetic amendments, we are developing inocula for crops that are based on indigenous soil microbes, especially those that enhance plant growth and improve agricultural productivity in a sustainable manner. We first isolated environmental DNA from soil samples collected from an agricultural region to study the composition of the soil microbiomes and then used Vigna unguiculata (cowpea), an important legume crop in Botswana and other legumes as “trap” plants using the collected soil to induce nitrogen-fixing nodule formation. We have identified drought-tolerant bacteria from Botswana soils that stimulate plant growth; many are species of Bacillus and Paenibacillus. In contrast, the cowpea nodule microbiomes from plants grown in these soils house mainly rhizobia particularly Bradyrhizobium, but also Methylobacterium spp. Hence, the nodule microbiome is much more limited in non-rhizobial diversity compared to the soil microbiome, but also contains a number of potential pathogenic bacteria.


Plants ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 149 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela G. Mkindi ◽  
Yolice L. B. Tembo ◽  
Ernest R. Mbega ◽  
Amy K. Smith ◽  
Iain W. Farrell ◽  
...  

Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) is an important food and cash crop in many countries. Bean crop yields in sub-Saharan Africa are on average 50% lower than the global average, which is largely due to severe problems with pests and diseases as well as poor soil fertility exacerbated by low-input smallholder production systems. Recent on-farm research in eastern Africa has shown that commonly available plants with pesticidal properties can successfully manage arthropod pests. However, reducing common bean yield gaps still requires further sustainable solutions to other crop provisioning services such as soil fertility and plant nutrition. Smallholder farmers using pesticidal plants have claimed that the application of pesticidal plant extracts boosts plant growth, potentially through working as a foliar fertiliser. Thus, the aims of the research presented here were to determine whether plant growth and yield could be enhanced and which metabolic processes were induced through the application of plant extracts commonly used for pest control in eastern Africa. Extracts from Tephrosia vogelii and Tithonia diversifolia were prepared at a concentration of 10% w/v and applied to potted bean plants in a pest-free screen house as foliar sprays as well as directly to the soil around bean plants to evaluate their contribution to growth, yield and potential changes in primary or secondary metabolites. Outcomes of this study showed that the plant extracts significantly increased chlorophyll content, the number of pods per plant and overall seed yield. Other increases in metabolites were observed, including of rutin, phenylalanine and tryptophan. The plant extracts had a similar effect to a commercially available foliar fertiliser whilst the application as a foliar spray was better than applying the extract to the soil. These results suggest that pesticidal plant extracts can help overcome multiple limitations in crop provisioning services, enhancing plant nutrition in addition to their established uses for crop pest management.


1970 ◽  
Vol 17 ◽  
pp. 17-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kamal Singh ◽  
A. A. Khan ◽  
Iram Khan ◽  
Rose Rizvi ◽  
M. Saquib

Plant growth, yield, pigment and protein content of cow-pea were increased significantly at lower levels (20 and 40%) of fly ash but reverse was true at higher levels (80 and 100%). Soil amended by 60% fly ash could cause suppression in growth and yield in respect to 40% fly ash treated cow-pea plants but former was found at par with control (fly ash untreated plants). Maximum growth occurred in plants grown in soil amended with 40% fly ash. Nitrogen content of cow-pea was suppressed progressively in increasing levels of fly ash. Moreover,  Rhizobium leguminosarum  influenced the growth and yield positively but Meloidogyne javanica caused opposite effects particularly at 20 and 40% fly ash levels. The positive effects of R. leguminosarum were marked by M. javanica at initial levels. However, at 80 and 100% fly ash levels, the positive and negative effects of R. leguminosarum and/or M. javanica did not appear as insignificant difference persist among such treatments.Key words:  Meloidogyne javanica; Rhizobium leguminosarum; Fly ash; Growth; YieldDOI: 10.3126/eco.v17i0.4098Ecoprint An International Journal of Ecology Vol. 17, 2010 Page: 17-22 Uploaded date: 28 December, 2010  


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