The Combined Use of Chemical and Organic Fertilizers And/Or Biofertilizer for Crop Growth and Soil Fertility
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THE COMBINED USE OF CHEMICAL AND ORGANIC FERTILIZERS AND/OR BIOFERTILIZER FOR CROP GROWTH AND SOIL FERTILITY Jen-Hshuan Chen Department of Soil and Environmental Sciences, National Chung Hsing University 250 Kuo-Kuang Road, Taichung. Taiwan ROC ABSTRACT Plant nutrients are essential for the production of crops and healthy food for the world’s expanding population. Plant nutrients are therefore a vital component of sustainable agriculture. Increased crop production largely relies on the type of fertilizers used to supplement essential nutrients for plants. The nature and the characteristics of nutrient release of chemical, organic and biofertilizers are different, and each type of fertilizer has its advantages and disadvantages with regard to crop growth and soil fertility. The sound management of fertilization must attempt to ensure both an enhanced and safeguarded environment; therefore, a balanced fertilization strategy that combines the use of chemical, organic or biofertilizers must be developed and evaluated. Key words: plant nutrients, sustainable agriculture, balanced fertilization strategy, supplement essential nutrient, biofertilizer INTRODUCTION release of organic material from the root and the subsequent effect of increased microbial For optimum plant growth, nutrients must be activity on nutrient cycling and plant growth. available in sufficient and balanced quantities. In the rhizosphere the quantities and the types Soils contain natural reserves of plant of substrates are different from those in the nutrients, but these reserves are largely in bulk soil and this leads to colonization by forms unavailable to plants, and only a minor different populations of bacteria, fungi, portion is released each year through biological protozoa and nematodes. Other physicochemical activity or chemical processes. This release is factors which can be different in this region too slow to compensate for the removal of are acidity, moisture and nutrient status, nutrients by agricultural production and to electrical conductivity and redox potential. The meet crop requirements. Therefore, fertilizers are association between organisms and roots can designed to supplement the nutrients already be beneficial (water uptake, soil stabilization, present in the soil. The use of chemical growth promotion, N2 fixation, biocontrol, fertilizer, organic fertilizer or biofertilizer has its antibiosis, symbiosis), harmful (infection, advantages and disadvantages in the context phytoxicity) or neutral (nutrient flux, free of nutrient supply, crop growth and enzyme release, attachment, alleopathy, environmental quality. The advantages need to competition) — these effects often depend on be integrated in order to make optimum use of soil conditions and therefore must be regarded each type of fertilizer and achieve balanced as variable. Interactions that are beneficial to nutrient management for crop growth. agriculture include mycorrhizae, legume nodulation and production of antimicrobial THE RHIZOSPHERE OF THE compounds that inhibit the growth of SOIL–PLANT SYSTEM pathogens. Clearly the goal in manipulating the rhizosphere must be to increase the balance of The rhizosphere is the zone of soil surrounding beneficial effects as the rhizosphere is deeply the root which is affected by it. The affected by fertilization. significance of the rhizosphere arises from the 1 ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF Organic Fertilizers USING CHEMICAL AND ORGANIC FERTILIZERS FOR CROP GROWTH Advantages AND SOIL FERTILITY 1. The nutrient supply is more balanced, which helps to keep plants healthy. Among the materials used in agriculture, 2. They enhance soil biological activity, fertilizer is the most widely used. Based on the which improves nutrient mobilization from production process, it can be roughly organic and chemical sources and categorized into three types: chemical, organic decomposition of toxic substances. and biofertilizer. Each type of fertilizer has its 3. They enhance the colonization of advantages and disadvantages. These mycorrhizae, which improves P supply. advantages need to be integrated in order to 4. They enhance root growth due to better achieve optimum performance by each type of soil structure. fertilizer and to realize balanced nutrient 5. They increase the organic matter content management for crop growth. of the soil, therefore improving the exchange capacity of nutrients, increasing Chemical Fertilizers soil water retention, promoting soil aggregates and buffering the soil against Advantages acidity, alkalinity, salinity, pesticides and 1. Nutrients are soluble and immediately toxic heavy metals. available to the plants; therefore the 6. They release nutrients slowly and effect is usually direct and fast. contribute to the residual pool of organic 2. The price is lower and more competitive N and P in the soil, reducing N leaching than organic fertilizer, which makes it loss and P fixation; they can also supply more acceptable and often applied by micronutrients. users. 7. They supply food and encourage the 3. They are quite high in nutrient content; growth of beneficial microorganisms and only relatively small amounts are required earthworms. for crop growth. 8. They help to suppress certain plant diseases, soilborne diseases and parasites. Disadvantages 1. Over-application can result in negative Disadvantages effects such as leaching, pollution of 1. They are comparatively low in nutrient water resources, destruction of content, so larger volume is needed to microorganisms and friendly insects, crop provide enough nutrients for crop growth. susceptibility to disease attack, 2. The nutrient release rate is too slow to acidification or alkalization of the soil or meet crop requirements in a short time, reduction in soil fertility — thus causing hence some nutrient deficiency may irreparable damage to the overall system. occur. 2. Oversupply of N leads to softening of 3. The major plant nutrients may not exist plant tissue resulting in plants that are in organic fertilizer in sufficient quantity more sensitive to diseases and pests. to sustain maximum crop growth. 3. They reduce the colonization of plant 4. The nutrient composition of compost is roots with mycorrhizae and inhibit highly variable; the cost is high symbiotic N fixation by rhizobia due to compared to chemical fertilizers. high N fertilization. 5. Long-term or heavy application to 4. They enhance the decomposition of soil agricultural soils may result in salt, OM, which leads to degradation of soil nutrient or heavy metal accumulation and structure. may adversely affect plant growth, soil 5. Nutrients are easily lost from soils organisms, water quality and animal and through fixation, leaching or gas emission human health. and can lead to reduced fertilizer efficiency. THE ROLE OF BIOFERTILIZERS 2 These are free-living bacteria that fix IN CROP PRODUCTION atmospheric nitrogen in cereal crops without any symbiosis and they do not need a specific Soil microorganisms play a significant role in host plant. Azotobacters are abundant in well- regulating the dynamics of organic matter drained, neutral soil. They can fix 15-20 kg/ha decomposition and the availability of plant N per year. Azotobacter sp. can also produce nutrients such as N, P and S. It is well- antifungal compounds to fight against many recognized that microbial inoculants constitute plant pathogens. They also increase an important component of integrated nutrient germination and vigor in young plants leading management that leads to sustainable to improved crop stands. agriculture. In addition, microbial inoculants can be used as an economic input to increase crop Phosphate-solubilizing bacteria (PSB) productivity; fertilizer doses can be lowered Under acidic or calcareous soil conditions, and more nutrients can be harvested from the large amounts of phosphorus are fixed in the soil. Biofertilizer is defined as a substance soil but are unavailable to the plants. which contains living microorganisms and is Phosphobacterins, mainly bacteria and fungi, known to help with expansion of the root can make insoluble phosphorus available to the system and better seed germination. A healthy plant. The solubilization effect of plant usually has a healthy rhizosphere which phosphobacterins is generally due to the should be dominated by beneficial microbes. production of organic acids that lower the soil Conversely, in unhealthy soil, dominated by pH and bring about the dissolution of bound pathogenic microbes, optimum plant growth forms of phosphate. It is reported that PSB would not be possible. culture increased yield up to 200-500 kg/ha and Biofertilizers differ from chemical and organic thus 30 to 50 kg of superphosphate can be fertilizers in the sense that they do not directly saved. supply any nutrients to crops and are cultures of special bacteria and fungi. The production Vesicular arbuscular mycorrhiza (VAM) technology for biofertilizers is relatively simple Mycorrhizae are mutually beneficial (symbiotic) and installation cost is very low compared to relationships between fungi and plant roots. chemical fertilizer plants. VAM fungi infect and spread inside the root. They possess special structures known as Microorganisms Used as Biofertilizers vesicles and arbuscules. The plant roots and their Functions transmit substances (some supplied by exudation) to the fungi, and the fungi aid in Rhizobia transmitting nutrients and water to the plant Rhizobia are symbiotic bacteria that fix roots. The fungal hyphae may extend