11 benefits of using Bio Fertilizer
While the capitalist world around us focuses on attaining huge levels of production, without giving a thought to the inescapable consequences, it becomes increasingly vital to bring in solutions that not only nullify the undesired effects that mass production methods invite, but also improves the situation from where things are currently.
One such very important example is that of agriculture. A sector that very directly impacts the condition of almost all natural resources. Here, the use of pesticides, insecticides, and synthetic fertilizers slowly but surely impact the soil-health, and the produce-quality alike.
That’s where Biofertilizers come in as a blessing for all growers/farmers. Bio-fertilizers are a type of fertilizer that consists of microorganisms that are helpful to the soil and the atmosphere on the whole.
Here’s a list of benefits of this boon like segment of fertilizers:
- Improves Soil-health: Bio-Fertilizers are essentially fertilizing options that have very helpful microorganisms like bacteria, fungi etc. These microorganisms not only do their job as a fertilizer by helping the growth of crops, but also improve the soil health substantially. These microorganisms, while in the soil, replenish a lot of nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus, which in turn rejuvenates the soil and makes it fertile for the next cycle of cultivation as well.
- Increases plant growth substantially: Bio-Fertilizers are easily a more viable option for plant growth when it comes to choosing fertilizers. Synthetic fertilizers might give you a temporary solution in terms of a good crop yield; however, long term use of these eventually leads to a very unhealthy soil that has lost all its natural nutrients and hence a depleting yield. Biofertilizers being made of helpful microorganisms, they help in making the existing nutrients of the soil available to the crop and also give additional nutrients to soil in a way that does not hamper the growth of plants and leads to substantially increased yield.
- Protects from diseases: The microorganisms present in Bio fertilizers, help build the immune system of the plants and also help fight a lot of diseases without any additional cost to the grower. The plant health and improved immunity is a very convenient by-product of a fertilizing solution as compared to a weak and stunted growth given by long term use of synthetic fertilizers.
- Helps curb pollution: The natural fauna in Bio Fertilizers helps keep the soil and the environment pollution free by reducing harmful chemical reactions that happen with synthetic fertilizers, and aids in improving air quality by nullifying polluting substances and their impact on the ecosystem.
- Economical Option: For farmers, the cost of fertilizers is one of the major deciding factors as to which option they would eventually prefer. Bio Fertilizers have become a much more economical option as compared to synthetic fertilizers. They also reduce the need for additional nutrients for the soil and plants since a long term usage of Bio fertilizers increases the soil nutrient levels as compared to the depletion from chemical fertilizers.
- Ease of use: Biofertilizers can be applied in the same way as any chemical fertilizer hence negating the need of any special methods or knowledge for the use of the product. All equipment’s needed are the same and hence farmers would not need to go through any hassle in order to shift from chemical fertilizers to Bio Fertilizers.
- Governmental help: Government has made it their focus to make farmers shift their preferences from chemical fertilizers to Bio fertilizers. In order to achieve the same, government has announced a numbers of schemes and subsidies. Government is also helping farmers understand their needs better by sending qualified personnel to explain the options to farmers in even the farthest corners of the country.
- Improves Physico-chemical properties: Biofertilizers help enormously in maintaining and improving the essential properties like soil texture, water holding capacity, soil structure, nutrient levels and layers of helpful microorganisms.
- Accessibility: Due to innumerable schemes and plans of government as well as private entities, the awareness and accessibility of Bio fertilizers has met, and even surpassed that of synthetic fertilizers. Government efforts in shifting the farmer preference from synthetic or chemical fertilizers to Bio fertilizers has ensured the reach of Bio fertilizers to remote locations where many chemical fertilizers have not been able to reach due to different reasons.
- Cyanobacteria Factor: Interestingly, Bio Fertilizers, have cyanobacteria that secrete growth in plants by promoting substances like amino acids, NAA, Vitamins, minerals, IAA, IBA, and proteins.
- Improvement in helpful plant hormones: As a result of using Bio fertilizers, plants secrete a lot of helpful hormones as well as get the nutrients to maintain the desired levels of the same.