In conventional agricultural systems we tend to think of the soil as a lifeless medium with the sole purpose of holding our plants upright. If microorganisms in the soil are considered, they are typically considered a threat to be eradicated. It is up to the plant, and the plant alone, to extract all the elements it needs to grow and stay healthy. So, when the soil is lacking in a particular nutrient, we simply apply that nutrient in the recommended dosages and wait for plant health to improve. When the health of our plants doesn’t improve, or only improves very marginally, we assume we need to add more, and more often, to obtain our desired result. All the while, our minerals, and all our hard work, and plenty of money, are all being washed down the not so proverbial drain as water-soluble nutrients get carried away with each watering.
Plant nutrition with Bio Fertiliser and Organic Fertiliser :
The plants need food just like us . what do we feed them ?
N-P-K Factor
The majority of plant’s biomass does not come from the soil, it actually comes from air and water! Plants photosynthesise - they use carbon dioxide from the air, in combination with water and sunlight to manufacture sugars and carbohydrates.
The nutrients that a plant requires in larger quantities are called macronutrients. The macronutrients that plants get from the air and water are Carbon (C), Hydrogen (H) and Oxygen (O). Even though plants only take up a very small amount of nutrients from the soil, these soil nutrients are very important to its growth and health of the plant.
The three main macro nutrients that plants get from the soil are Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P) and Potassium (K). The secondary macro nutrients, which are required in lower quantities, but are still very important, are Magnesium (Mg), Calcium (Ca) and Sulphur (S)
Plant requires in trace amounts some nutrients called Micronutrients - such as Iron (Fe), Boron (B), Manganese (Mn), Zinc (Zn), Copper (Cu), Molybdenum (Mo), Nickel(Ni) and Chlorine (Cl).
Nitrogen for leafy green vegetative growth
Phosphorus for root formation, stem growth, and fruiting
Potassium for flowering and fruit ripening, plant immunity/disease resistance
Magnesium for photosynthesis, it’s the key element in chlorophyll, a pigment which makes plants green and allows plants to absorb energy from light
Calcium for structural purposes in the cell walls and membranes, basically to keep cell walls together, and also other for metabolic functions
Sulphur (Sulfur) for the formation of amino acids, proteins, oils and chlorophyll
Feed the soil not plant :
It is not actually possible to feed plants directly in any real sense .
When we add synthetic chemical fertilisers to soil, the water soluble nutrients are carried with water, so plants are unnaturally ‘force fed’ when they take up water. The result is forced fast growth which is long, weak and sappy, which aphids and other sap-sucking insects absolutely love. Synthetic chemical fertilizers are mainly simple mineral salts, and their addition to the soil kills the soil organisms that make your soil a living ecosystem which supports plants.
when we add natural fertilisers (as opposed to synthetic chemical fertilisers) to the soil, you add raw materials to the soil-food web, which is the complex ecosystem below the ground which serves the function of returning everything once living back into the soil. This complex ecosystem is comprised of endless multitudes or soil organisms which process materials to break them down, and release nutrients in a form that plants can use.
Aerobes and Anaerobes :
Aerobic soils are aerated soils with a lot of organic life and rich mineral content. To create aerated soils we need to promote the growth of aerobic bacteria. These are generally the bacteria that inhabit our compost and compost teas .
Anaerobes, on the other hand, thrive in environments that lack oxygen. These, often smelly, little microbes are keen to seal up those porous soils aerobes have worked so hard on. Breeding anaerobes is asking for trouble!
Difference between Bio Fertiliser and Organic Fertiliser :
Organic fertiliser is the manure prepared from the animal\plant wastes after properly decomposing the raw material it may contain all necessary plant nutrients in small quantities. these are required in large quantities. these may the medium for bio-fertilisers.
Bio-fertiliser- it self explains, fertiliser that contains living organisms that synthesis the atmospheric plant nutrient in the soil or in the plant body, the bio' fertilisers may be in solid or liquid medium and micro organisms are in huge numbers i.e. 10000000 \gm
An effective, non-polluting and non toxic organic natural bio fertiliser can be prepared at home with locally available ingredients with minimal cost
Example no 1 : Panchagavya –the Sanskrit term of Panchagavya means “ five products from the cow “ popularized by Padmashree Shri Subhas Palekar through his ZBSF
These are cow dung , urine , milk , curd and ghee . By mixing all these ingredients in equal proportions and allowing the mixture to ferment to produce Panchagavya .
Improved Panchagavya consists of nine natural ingredients . Add on ingredients are Jaggery , Tender coconut ,Banana and Water
Example no 2 :Jagarnath Prasad and Ajit Kumar, two marginal farmers of Machhahi village, Muzaffarpur , Bihar innovated fermented curd mixture as a bio fertiliser and bio pesticide .
Some other very popular Bio fertilisers and Organic fertilisers
(a) Fish Amino Acid fertiliser with fish and jaggery
(b) Liquid fertiliser with leaves of Moringa , Gliricidia ,Citronella, Lantana , Cow dung and soil
(c) Starch Water Bio fertiliser with Starch Water and Milk
(d) Eggshell and Bone bio fertiliser with eggshell, bone and vinegar
(e) Bokashi
(f) Fermented dried chicken manure etc .
Plant nutrition with Bio Fertiliser and Organic Fertiliser :
The plants need food just like us . what do we feed them ?
N-P-K Factor
The majority of plant’s biomass does not come from the soil, it actually comes from air and water! Plants photosynthesise - they use carbon dioxide from the air, in combination with water and sunlight to manufacture sugars and carbohydrates.
The nutrients that a plant requires in larger quantities are called macronutrients. The macronutrients that plants get from the air and water are Carbon (C), Hydrogen (H) and Oxygen (O). Even though plants only take up a very small amount of nutrients from the soil, these soil nutrients are very important to its growth and health of the plant.
The three main macro nutrients that plants get from the soil are Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P) and Potassium (K). The secondary macro nutrients, which are required in lower quantities, but are still very important, are Magnesium (Mg), Calcium (Ca) and Sulphur (S)
Plant requires in trace amounts some nutrients called Micronutrients - such as Iron (Fe), Boron (B), Manganese (Mn), Zinc (Zn), Copper (Cu), Molybdenum (Mo), Nickel(Ni) and Chlorine (Cl).
Nitrogen for leafy green vegetative growth
Phosphorus for root formation, stem growth, and fruiting
Potassium for flowering and fruit ripening, plant immunity/disease resistance
Magnesium for photosynthesis, it’s the key element in chlorophyll, a pigment which makes plants green and allows plants to absorb energy from light
Calcium for structural purposes in the cell walls and membranes, basically to keep cell walls together, and also other for metabolic functions
Sulphur (Sulfur) for the formation of amino acids, proteins, oils and chlorophyll
Feed the soil not plant :
It is not actually possible to feed plants directly in any real sense .
When we add synthetic chemical fertilisers to soil, the water soluble nutrients are carried with water, so plants are unnaturally ‘force fed’ when they take up water. The result is forced fast growth which is long, weak and sappy, which aphids and other sap-sucking insects absolutely love. Synthetic chemical fertilizers are mainly simple mineral salts, and their addition to the soil kills the soil organisms that make your soil a living ecosystem which supports plants.
when we add natural fertilisers (as opposed to synthetic chemical fertilisers) to the soil, you add raw materials to the soil-food web, which is the complex ecosystem below the ground which serves the function of returning everything once living back into the soil. This complex ecosystem is comprised of endless multitudes or soil organisms which process materials to break them down, and release nutrients in a form that plants can use.
Aerobes and Anaerobes :
Aerobic soils are aerated soils with a lot of organic life and rich mineral content. To create aerated soils we need to promote the growth of aerobic bacteria. These are generally the bacteria that inhabit our compost and compost teas .
Anaerobes, on the other hand, thrive in environments that lack oxygen. These, often smelly, little microbes are keen to seal up those porous soils aerobes have worked so hard on. Breeding anaerobes is asking for trouble!
Difference between Bio Fertiliser and Organic Fertiliser :
Organic fertiliser is the manure prepared from the animal\plant wastes after properly decomposing the raw material it may contain all necessary plant nutrients in small quantities. these are required in large quantities. these may the medium for bio-fertilisers.
Bio-fertiliser- it self explains, fertiliser that contains living organisms that synthesis the atmospheric plant nutrient in the soil or in the plant body, the bio' fertilisers may be in solid or liquid medium and micro organisms are in huge numbers i.e. 10000000 \gm
An effective, non-polluting and non toxic organic natural bio fertiliser can be prepared at home with locally available ingredients with minimal cost
Example no 1 : Panchagavya –the Sanskrit term of Panchagavya means “ five products from the cow “ popularized by Padmashree Shri Subhas Palekar through his ZBSF
These are cow dung , urine , milk , curd and ghee . By mixing all these ingredients in equal proportions and allowing the mixture to ferment to produce Panchagavya .
Improved Panchagavya consists of nine natural ingredients . Add on ingredients are Jaggery , Tender coconut ,Banana and Water
Example no 2 :Jagarnath Prasad and Ajit Kumar, two marginal farmers of Machhahi village, Muzaffarpur , Bihar innovated fermented curd mixture as a bio fertiliser and bio pesticide .
Some other very popular Bio fertilisers and Organic fertilisers
(a) Fish Amino Acid fertiliser with fish and jaggery
(b) Liquid fertiliser with leaves of Moringa , Gliricidia ,Citronella, Lantana , Cow dung and soil
(c) Starch Water Bio fertiliser with Starch Water and Milk
(d) Eggshell and Bone bio fertiliser with eggshell, bone and vinegar
(e) Bokashi
(f) Fermented dried chicken manure etc .