After the introduction of chemical fertilizers in the last century, farmers were happy of getting increased yield in agriculture in the beginning. But slowly chemical fertilizers started displaying their ill-effects such as leaching out, and polluting water basins, destroying micro-organisms and friend insects, making the crop more susceptible to the attack of diseases reducing the soil fertility and thus causing irreparable damage on the overall system.

The n number of intellectuals throughout the world started working on the alternatives and found that biofertilizers shall help in increasing the yield without making damages as narrated above.

What is biofertilizer?

The name itself is self explanatory. The fertilizers are used to improve the fertility of the land using biological wastes, hence the term biofertilizers, and biological wastes do not contain any chemicals which are detrimental to the living soil. They are extremely beneficial in enriching the soil with those micro-organisms,which impart organic nutrients to the farm produces and impart strength to combat with diseases too. The farm produces do not contain traces of hazardous and poisonous materials. Thus those products are accepted across the world as Organic ones. Hence for organic farming the use of biofertilizers is mandatory.

GALAXY OF BIOFERTILIZERS

Phospho: It releases insoluble phosphorus in soil and fix this phosphorus in clay minerals which is of great significance in agriculture.

Rhizo: Rhizo Bacterial plays a very important role in agriculture by inducing nitrogen fixings nodules on the root of legumes such as peas,beans clove and alfalfa.

Azotobactor: Atmosphere contains 78% nitrogen which is a very important nutrient for plant growth. Azotobactor fixes the atmospheric nitrogen in the soil and make it available to the plants. It protects the roots from other pathogens present in the soil

Trichoderma: It is a non- pathogenic and eco-friendly product. The product is antagonistic hyper parasitic against different pathogens in the field and economically well established biocontrol agent

Composter: (Decomposing Culture): Composter breaks down any organic matter such as dead plants farm yard waste, cattle waste etc. thereby increasing the soil productivity.

Tricho-Card: Trichogramma is an efficient destroyer of eggs of many leaf and flower eaters, stems, fruit, shoot borers etc. It can be used in a variety of crops as well as in horticultural and ornamental plants,such as sugarcane,cotton,brinjal,tomato,corn,jawar,vegetables,citrus,paddy apple etc.

Vermi Compost: It is 100% pure eco-friendly organic fertilizer. This organic fertilizer has nitrogen phosphorus, potassium,organic carbon,sulphur,hormones,vitamins,enzymes and antibiotics which helps to improve the quality and quantity of yield. It is observed that due to continuous misuse of chemical fertiliser soil losses its fertility and gets salty day by day. To overcome such problems natural farming is the only remedy and Vermi compost is the best solution.

Biocompost: It is eco-friendly organic fertilizer which is prepared from the sugar industry waste material which is decomposed and enriched of with various plants and human friendly bacteria and fungi. Biocompost consists of nitrogen, phosphate solubilizing bacteria and various useful fungi like decomposing fungi, trichoderma viridea which protects the plants from various soil borne disease and also help to increase soil fertility which results to a good quality product to the farmers.

Mr. Mahesh Deshmukh is Vice Chairman of Lokmangal Agro Industries Ltd. He can be reached via email at lokmangal_agro@yahoo.com