Role of Additives in Improving Efficiency of Bioformulation for Plant Growth and Development
G. P. Brahmaprakash, Pramod Kumar Sahu, G. Lavanya, Amrita Gupta, Sneha S. Nair, Vijaykumar Gangaraddi
Abstract
Additives in bioformulation ensure longer shelf life, proper spreading upon application and better adherence to seed surfaces thereby leading to enhanced plant growth and tolerance to abiotic stresses. The ill-effects of excessive agrochemicals on soil, plant and human health are visible. Biofertilizers are composed of live or latent microbes that upon application to crops have beneficial impacts like enhancing plant growth, suppressing pests, ameliorating abiotic stress etc. A combination of additives viz., polymers, surfactants and adjuvants in optimum concentration has also been found to enhance the shelf life of liquid biofertilizers. The field performance and shelf life of liquid biofertilizer indicates its ability to be substitute for other fertilizer and biofertilizer. Effect of alginate-based composite biofertilizers of Bradyrhizobium japonicum and Bacillus megaterium for soybean was developed with ten different additives. Dry beads of bacteria produced with additives such as glycerol and chitin have also showed promising results.