[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$fxLN3MUwXCdr5RPjwZYIDpOj8CHyjOmngWTgoKXPtZbg":3,"$fNsYrBTiGFwJdVr_SsRtdDaS5s5MxSCzpaVLMTuBxFpQ":32,"$f3Ft0rKFJHppdzE-vuveecxx1BUcg9iOlMLtyzf_MJDg":47},[4,8,12,16,20,24,28],{"title":5,"slug":6,"path":7},"About Microbeonline.com","about-microbeonline-com","\u002Fabout-microbeonline-com\u002F",{"title":9,"slug":10,"path":11},"About Me","about-me","\u002Fabout-microbeonline-com\u002Fabout-me\u002F",{"title":13,"slug":14,"path":15},"Advertise with Us","advertise-us","\u002Fadvertise-us\u002F",{"title":17,"slug":18,"path":19},"Privacy Policy","privacy-policy","\u002Fprivacy-policy\u002F",{"title":21,"slug":22,"path":23},"Abbreviations","abbreviations","\u002Fabbreviations\u002F",{"title":25,"slug":26,"path":27},"Microbes","microbes","\u002Fmicrobes\u002F",{"title":29,"slug":30,"path":31},"Books","recommended-books","\u002Frecommended-books\u002F",{"type":33,"data":34},"blog",{"slug":35,"title":36,"description":36,"seoTitle":37,"seoDescription":37,"author":38,"createdDate":39,"lastUpdatedDate":40,"draft":41,"category":42,"image":37,"body":43,"faq":44,"tags":45,"related":46},"bio-fertilizer-types-and-application","Bio-fertilizer: Types, Application, Advantages, and Disadvantages",null,"Alisha Tripathi","2023-04-18","2025-12-18",false,"general-microbiology","The increased demand for food because of the expanded population has forced the agricultural world to mass produce crops. In doing so, the farmers have been using harmful chemicals to increase crop yield without knowing its detrimental effect. These hazardous chemicals lessen the quality of soil, threaten human health, and at the same time, pollute the environment. The world needs a sustainable solution which is likely to happen with bio-fertilizer to reduce such impacts.\n\n**Bio-fertilizer is an organic fertilizer that uses live organisms for better absorption of plant nutrients and to enhance plant growth and development. For instance, an earlier report found that incorporating bio-fertilizer with Acidithiobacillus bacteria boosted the nutrient intake of sugarcane and improved the availability of nutrition, i.e., nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium in the soil.** (1) Bio-fertilizer is integral to sustainable development and strengthening crop yield. It can improve human health and lessen earth, water, and air degradation. Bio-fertilizers are available in solid and liquid form containing beneficial soil microbes (such as *Rhizobium and Azotobacter*) with a shelf life of 6 months to 2 years. In addition, it benefits plant growth and can be used as fish feed. (2)\n\n## Types of bio-fertilizer\n\nThe types of bio-fertilizers are classified based on their work. Nitrogen-fixing bacteria fix the nitrogen in the air and carry symbiotic relations with plants. In contrast, phosphate-solubilizing plants solubilize the fixed phosphorous in the soil, making it available to the plants. Similarly, mycorrhizae (phosphate mobilizing) are another essential bio-fertilizer which (other than storing the nutrient, especially phosphorous and potassium to some extent) protects the symbiotic fungus and nematodes and eliminates the toxic compounds like phenolic that hinder nutrient uptake.\n\n### Nitrogen-fixing bio-fertilizer\n\nThis type of fertilizer is usually associated with symbiotic and non-symbiotic microbes. The symbiotic organism includes Rhizobium, Frankia, and *Anabaena azollae*(symbiotic), *Azotobacter, Clostridium,* Blue-green algae, Azolla, Acetobacter, Nostoc, and *Anabaena* (free-living), *Azospirillum* (associate symbiotic). These fertilizers either directly bond with plants having a mutualistic relationship (for example, help in root nodulation) or live freely in the soil and fix the nitrogen. Plants later absorb the fixed nitrogen. It is evaluated that inoculation of *Rhizobium* fixes nitrogen (around 40-250 kg N\u002Fha\u002F year) by various legume plants. Also, about 2-15 mg\u002Fg of carbon is fixed by Azotobacter *chroococcum* in a culture media. Likewise, *Azosprillium* fixes 20- 40 kg N\u002Fha\u002Fyear of nitrogen in non-leguminous plants such as cereals, and millets. *Azolla* fixes nitrogen about 40-60 kg N\u002Fha\u002Fyear per rice crop.\n\n### Phosphate mobilizing fertilizer\n\nThese **types of fertilizer dissolve the phosphate bond** by releasing the organic matter and lowering the pH in the surrounding—**for example, *Bacillus spp.,Pseudomonas spp.***\n\n**Phosphate mobilizing fertilizer (Mycorrhizae)**: Mycorrhizae are fungal species that colonize the root system and play a mutualistic relationship with 80% of the land plant. They depend on plants for photosynthesis and energy; in exchange, they provide an abundance of merits to the plants, such as improvement in the uptake of nutrients such as potassium, phosphorous, vitamins, and minerals (calcium, Zinc) by secreting enzymes and releasing organic matter. It improves the hydraulic conductivity of roots in the soil and plants’ drought tolerance. It extends the hyphae to the soil to hold the soil particles together and enhance the soil structure protecting against soil erosion. The addition of this fertilizer boosts the activity of phenolic and phytoalexin compounds, which increases the defense mechanism of plants against a variety of soil-related diseases—examples: ***Laccaria spp, Scutellospora sp., and Sclerocytis sp.***\n\n### Mineral solubilizing fertilizer\n\nThe plant requires minerals such as Zinc and calcium in a trace amount. As this mineral is not abundant, its external addition to overcoming its deficiencies can be costly. However, the mineral solubilizing fertilizer solves the problem. For instance, this fertilizer’s inoculant solubilizes the insoluble zinc compound such as zinc oxide, zinc carbonate, and zinc sulfide into a soluble form. ***Bacillus subtilis* and *Thiobacillus thioxidans* are examples.**\n\n### Compost bio-fertilizer\n\nIt is a mass of decomposed organic matter of plants, animal dungs, fruits, straw, and sewage sludge along with microorganisms, earthworms, and 2% (w\u002Fw) of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Oxidation caused by the organism’s movement using the organic matter present in fertilizer forms the humus-containing materials, which increase the biodiversity of soil, provide nutrients to the crop, keep the soil moist, and suppress the other pathogenic and parasitic organisms. Some organisms used in this fertilizer are ***Trichoderma viridae* and *Aspergillus niger*.**\n\n## Application of bio-fertilizer\n\nThe application of bio-fertilizer is different in different crops.\n\nSome of them are described below:\n\n### Seed treatment\n\nThis method is effective for all types of microbial inoculants. The seed is mixed and uniformly covered with a slurry containing the inoculation (one packed, i.e., 200g is enough for 10 kg of seeds). Next, the seed is brought for shade drying for about 30 minutes and then seeded in the ground within 24 hrs.\n\n![Paddy seed treatment.\nSource: TNAU Agritech Portal - Paddy seed treatment.Source: TNAU Agritech Portal](\u002Fpaddy-seed-treatment-TNAU-Agritech-Portal.jpeg)### Seedling root dip\n\nThis method is applicable for transplanted plants such as vegetables, cereals, fruits, and sugarcane. The roots of this plant are dipped in the mixer (40 liters of water and two packets of inoculant) for 5 to 10 min and then transplanted back(3). Some example of bio-fertilizer employed is nitrogen fixing Azotobacter and phosphorous solubilizing fertilizers. (4)\n\n!\\[Seedling root dip before planting before planting\n\n- Seedling root dip before planting before planting (6)\\](<\u002FResearchGate-seedling-root-dip-before-planting-.jpg)\n\n### Soil application\n\nThe biofertilizer is mixed directly into the soil or combined (four packets of inoculants blended with 20 kg of dried manure). For instance, ***Rhizobiumis* applied for leguminous plants, *Azotobactor* for tea, coconuts, and *Azolla* for rice. (3)**\n\n## Advantage of bio-fertilizer\n\nThe bio-fertilizer holds numerous advantages over chemical fertilizer, which are explained below:\n\n- The bio-fertilizer solubilizes the insoluble phosphate in soluble form and makes it available for plants to grow and develop.\n- They take up the nitrogen from the atmosphere, convert it into the nitrogenous compound in the soil, and make it accessible to plants. This process is known as nitrogen fixation.\n- The bio-fertilizer is more efficient than chemical fertilizers, which increases soil fertility, improves economic values, and expands the plant’s uptake of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients.\n- Bio-fertilizer acts as a renewable energy source that helps coordinate friendly the environment. It doesn’t pollute the ecosystem. Instead, it is eco-friendly.\n- Bio-fertilizer protects living organisms from soil erosion by producing capsular polysaccharides, which help to hold the soil more tightly and also prevent water retention from the soil.\n- Bio-fertilizer plays a significant role in protecting plants against drought and soil-borne diseases.\n- Bio-fertilizer is imperative in depositing excess carbon dioxide, reducing global warming, and conserving biodiversity. (5)\n\n## Disadvantages of bio-fertilizer\n\nDespite the advantages, bio-fertilizer has few demerits.\n\n- Bio-fertilizer is more efficient than chemical fertilizer, but it doesn’t substitute chemical fertilizer as the crop productivity is less (20%-30%) with the use of bio-fertilizer when compared with the chemical.\n- Bio-fertilizer needs an aseptic environment during their manufacture. Contamination can harm its production.\n- Microbes in bio-fertilizer are light sensitive, so prolonged exposure to sunlight can kill them.\n- The life span of a bio-fertilizer is six to two years, so it must be used within it.\n- The specific bio-fertilizer is used for particular crops only. To take an instance, only specific *Rhizobium*is used for root nodulation.\n- The effectiveness of bio-fertilizer depends on the soil’s physical and chemical properties, such as moisture, pH, temperature, organic matter, and microbes present in the soil.\n\n**References**\n\n1. Djajadi, Syaputra R, Hidayati SN. Effect of NPK fertilizer, biofertilizer containing N fixer and P solubilizer, and green manure of C. juncea on nutrients uptake and growth of sugarcane. IOP Conf Ser Earth Environ Sci. 2020;418(1).\n2. Ajmal M, Ali HI, Saeed R, Akhtar A, Tahir M, Mehboob MZ, et al. Biofertilizer as an Alternative for Chemical Fertilizers. Res Rev J Agric Allied Sci \\[Internet\\]. 2018;7(1):1–7. Available from: \u003Chttp:\u002F\u002Fwww.rroij.com\u002Fopen-access\u002Fbiofertilizer-as-an-alternative-forchemical-fertilizers.php?aid=86649>.\n3. Rana R, Ramesh, Kapoor P. Bio-Fertilizers and Their Role in Agriculture. Pop Kheti. 2013;1(1):56–61.\n4. Khare E. Biofertilizers : types , production and application Biofertilizers.\n5. Planning B, Unit D, Agricultural N, Project I. Opportunities for biofertilizer industry. 482004.\n6. Repac, Ivan & Parobeková, Zuzana & Sendecky, Matus. (2017). Reforestation in Slovakia: History, current practice and perspectives. Reforesta. 3. 53-88. 10.21750\u002FREFOR.3.07.31.",[],[],[],[48,55,62,67,71,74,79,84,88,92],{"slug":49,"name":50,"description":51,"image":52,"body":53,"postCount":54},"acharya-tankeshwar","Acharya Tankeshwar","Editor-in-chief","https:\u002F\u002Fassets.microbeonline.com\u002Fauthors\u002Ftankeshwar-acharya-author-microbeonline.jpg","***Tankeshwar Acharya, MSc (Medical Microbiology)***\n\n*Tankeshwar Acharya is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Microbiology at Patan Academy of Health Sciences (PAHS), Nepal, where he has been teaching and practicing clinical microbiology for over 14 years. He is the founder of Microbe Online, one of the leading free microbiology education resources on the web, covering bacteriology, mycology, parasitology, immunology, and clinical laboratory diagnostics written from direct experience in both the classroom and the diagnostic laboratory.*",433,{"slug":56,"name":57,"description":58,"image":59,"body":60,"postCount":61},"ashma-shrestha","Ashma Shrestha","SEO Copywriter and Science Communicator\nKathmandu, Nepal","https:\u002F\u002Fassets.microbeonline.com\u002Fauthors\u002Fashma-shrestha.png","Ashma Shrestha holds a Master of Science in Medical Microbiology from the Institute of Science and Technology (IOST), Tribhuvan University, Nepal, where she developed a strong foundation in virology, molecular biology, and diagnostic microbiology.\n\nShe now works as an SEO Copywriter at Resolution Digital, where she combines her scientific training with research-driven content strategy. She is certified in Google Analytics and Google Business Profile (GBP), and brings a data-informed approach to science communication writing content that is not only accurate but structured to reach and serve the students who need it most.\n\nAt microbeonline, Ashma contributes articles primarily in virology and molecular biology, areas she finds most compelling for their mechanistic depth and their growing clinical relevance. Her writing reflects the same standard the site is built on: factual rigor, clear explanation of the *why* behind microbiology concepts, and content that helps students move from memorization to genuine understanding.\n\nShe is passionate about making complex microbiological concepts accessible without sacrificing accuracy; a skill that sits at the intersection of her scientific training and her professional work in content and SEO.",81,{"slug":63,"name":64,"description":65,"image":37,"body":37,"postCount":66},"sushmita-baniya","Sushmita Baniya","Author \u002F Contributor",32,{"slug":68,"name":69,"description":65,"image":37,"body":37,"postCount":70},"samikshya-acharya","Samikshya Acharya",20,{"slug":72,"name":38,"description":65,"image":37,"body":37,"postCount":73},"alisha-tripathi",6,{"slug":75,"name":76,"description":77,"image":37,"body":37,"postCount":78},"aastha-shrestha","Aastha Shrestha"," Author \u002F Contributor",10,{"slug":80,"name":81,"description":82,"image":37,"body":37,"postCount":83},"guest-author","Guest Author","Guest Author \u002F Contributor",2,{"slug":85,"name":86,"description":65,"image":37,"body":37,"postCount":87},"srijana-khanal","Srijana Khanal",18,{"slug":89,"name":90,"description":82,"image":37,"body":37,"postCount":91},"dr-poonam-acharya","Dr. Poonam Acharya",1,{"slug":93,"name":94,"description":65,"image":37,"body":95,"postCount":96},"nisha-rijal","Nisha Rijal","**Nisha Rijal** is a microbiologist and quality assurance specialist. She served for nearly 12 years as a microbiologist at the National Public Health Laboratory (NPHL), Nepal's national reference laboratory, and continues to work as a consultant microbiologist in international public health organization. ",51]