Recent Advances in the production and delivery systems of the biofertilizers, bioagents and biopesticides Prelude Adverse effects of chemical pesticides have been reported on both the abio abioti tic c and and biot biotic ic comp compon onen ents ts of the the envi enviro ronm nmen ent. t. The The form former er are are exem exempl plif ifie ied d by resi residu dues es in soil soil,, air, air, wate water, r, food food etc. etc. and and the the latt latter er by phytotoxicity, residues, vegetation changes etc. in plants and physiological deformities, diseases, mortality, population changes, genetic disorders etc. in mammals, avian, insects and other organisms. Entry of pesticides into the food chain coupled with their bioaccumulation and biomagnifications trigger effe effect cts s of unfo unfore rese seen en cons conseq eque uenc nces es.. Chem Chemic ical als s like like meth methyl yl brom bromid ide; e; chlorofluorocarbons etc. are established culprits for depletion of the ozone layer. Indiscriminate use of fertilizers, particularly the nitrogenous, has led to substantial pollution of soil, air and water. Fertilizer contamination of ground waters has led to eutrophication eutrophication of lake and river waters causing depletion of oxygen and even death of aquatic life, nitrate pollution, increased emissions of gaseous N and metal toxicities. The presence of nitrates in potable water has been blamed for health hazards such as birth defects, impaired nervous system, cancer and methaemoglobinemia (the blue baby syndrome). After the Green Revolution agriculture was mainly based upon a package of variou var ious s agr agricu icultu ltura rall inp inputs uts,, na namel mely y the use of hig high-y h-yiel ieldin ding g var variet ieties ies of different crops, water, pesticides and chemical fertilizers. Excessive use of nitr ni trog ogen enou ous s fe fert rtil iliz izer ers s in ma many ny ri rice ce-- an and d wh whea eatt-pr prod oduc ucin ing g st stat ates es in comparison to phosphatic and potassic fertilizers has not only deteriorated the soil health but has also impaired the health of human beings and animals. Similarly Simil arly indi indiscr scrimina iminate te and exce excessiv ssive e use of pesti pesticid cides es prod produced uced healt health h hazards in animals and human beings and soil macro/micro flora and fauna Excessive and inappropriate use of agrochemicals has undeniably resulted in negati negative ve and somet sometime imes s irrepa irrepara rable ble effect effects s on the enviro environme nment nt and on human health. Degraded soils and ground water pollution caused by chemical leaching have resulted in nutritionally unbalanced and unproductive lands . Thus, to reinforce the development of sustainable agriculture, use of bioferti fer tiliz lizers ers and bio biopes pestic ticide ides s has ass assur ured ed gre great at pro promis mise e to mee meett out the nutrient demand. The role of biofertilizers, biofertilizers, bioagents and biopesticides in agricu agr icultu ltural ral pr produ oducti ction on as assum sumes es sp speci ecial al si signi gnific ficanc ance, e, par partic ticula ularly rly in the present context of expensive chemical fertilizers. Moreover, it can provide the farmers with a new strategy which is helpful for achieving the goal of increa inc reasin sing g pr produ oducti ctivit vity. y. Kee Keepin ping g in min mind d the env enviro ironme nment nt sa safet fety, y, foo food d security and availability of resources, it becomes obligatory to harness the full potential of the available bio-fertilizers.
PRESENT STATUS Pest problem is one of the major constraints for achieving higher production in agriculture crops. India loses about 30% of its crops due to pests and diseases each year. The damage due to these is estimated to be Rs.60, 000 crores annually. The uses of pesticides have increased manifolds during the past 3 -4 decades with the introduction of intensive cropping. The average
consumption of pesticides in India is about 570g per ha. The damage caused due to their indiscriminate usage and poor quality maintenance is alarming. In terms of value, much of the pesticide application application is accounted accounted for by a few crops. For example, cotton, paddy and vegetable crops account for80% of the value of pesticides applied in India. Pesticides or chemicals are meant to control harmful pests such as insects, nematodes, diseases, weeds etc. However, excessive use of pesticides not only leave residues in soil, water and air but also have adverse effects on the non target target organism organisms s such as pollinat pollinators ors,, parasito parasitoids, ids, predator predators s and wild animals. This has adversely affected the ecological balance resulting in pest resurgence, development of resistance in the pest species and environmental pollution pollution.. Developme Development nt of pest resurgence resurgence and resistan resistance ce has resulted resulted in high cost of production and low income .In view of the several disadvantages associated with the unscientific use of pesticides in agriculture, there is an urge urgen nt need eed for for mini minimi miz zing the the us use e of chem chemic ical al pes pestici ticid des in the the management of insect pests. Growing public concern over potential health haza hazard rds s of synt synthe heti tic c pest pestic icid ides es and and also also stee steep p incr increa ease se in cost cost of cultivation/low profit making by farmers has led to the exploration of ecofriendly pest management tactics.
Bio-pesticides Bio-pesticides have become an important component and can occupy as a majo major r reco recomm mmen enda dati tion on of XI Five Five year year Plan Plan wher where e majo major r emphasis on Organic Farming and IPM is being highlighted in 15 Agro-ecological Agro-ecological Zones of the country. Microbial Microbial pesticide pesticides s consi consist st of a micro microorg organ anism ism (e.g., (e.g., a bacte bacteriu rium, m, fungus, virus or protozoan) as the active ingredient when employed against any pest, eradicate it. Microbial pesticides can control many different kinds of pests, although each separate active ingredient is relatively specific for its target pest[s]
Importance of biopesticides Alternatives to conventional pesticides. pesticides. Conventional Pesticides lead to several problems such as 25 million cases of acute occupational pesticide poisoning in developing countries each year (WHO, 1990). 14% of all known occupational injuries and 10% of all fatal injuries are caused by pesticides (ILO, 1996). Obsolete pesticides stored in develo developin ping g countr countries ies – 20,000 20,000 tonnes tonnes in Africa Africa alone. alone. Biopes Biopestic ticide ides s are are designed to affect only one specific pest or, in some cases, a few target organisms, in contrast to broad spectrum, conventional pesticides that may affect organisms as different as birds, insects, and mammals. Human and environmental safety With With the the increa increase se in the demand demand for the organi organical cally ly safe safe food food the the demand for the biopesticides is increasing day by day. Also the cautious farmer farmers s are aware aware of the residu residual al toxici toxicity ty of the pestic pesticide ides s used used in crop crop prod produc ucti tion on syst system em and and shif shifti ting ng towa toward rd the the use use of safe safer, r, chea cheape perr and and ecofriend ecofriendly ly pesticid pesticides. es. Buyers Buyers and consumers consumers are becoming becoming increasin increasingly gly select selective ive in their their purc purchas hasing ing habits habits.. Illega Illegall residu residues es can can result result in loss loss of market markets, s, fines, fines, and consum consumer er avoida avoidance nce.. The The biope biopesti sticid cides es is the only only solution for it.
Addres Address s increa increase sed d publi public c awaren awarenes ess s of envir environm onmen ental tal and food food safety Biopesti Biopesticides cides often contain contain natural natural food products products that are normally normally consumed and do not have residue concerns. The biopesticides can be the major source for the increasing the net profit from the produce as he can’t afford the high priced chemical pesticides for the small land holding thus this holds the key for the increasing the net profit and may find a biopesticides can provide a solution to their needs Fundamental component of Integrated Pest Management Dr. Dr. Ra Rach chel el Cars Carson on in her her publ public icat atio ion n “Sil “Silen entt Spri Spring ng” ” has has summarized the sufficient socio-economic problems associated with synthetic synthetic chemical chemical usage usage in the agricult agricultural ural scenario scenario In general, general, biopesticides are safer and less toxic to humans and animals than chemical pesticides. pesticides. Moreover, biopesticides biopesticides will not endanger birds or other non-target animals, which make them safer to the habitat and environment. Biopesticides applied onto pests and weeds have prevention target specificity. Disease prevention using biopesticides not only prevents destruction of the native micro flora and fauna, but also fosters crop growth and immunity, as well as the diversity and natural balance of the microorganism's environment and habitat is sustainably maintained. Demand of biopesticides in INDIA Alth Althou ough gh sale sales s of synt synthe heti tic c pest pestic icid ides es domi domina nate te the the $3 $30 0 bill billio ion n pesticide market, the use of biopesticides is increasing. Officials from MOI estimate that global sales will hit $1 billion by 2010 and grow 10 percent a year on average. Biopesticides could make up 4.25 percent of the global pesticide business in 2010, up from 2.5 percent in 2005. As they become more popular, synthetic pesticides are expected to shrink by 1.5 percent each year over the same period. With the worldwide policy toward reducing pesticide usage and wave of heated research on biopesticides, the marketing and sales sales volume volume of wide wide effect effective ive biopes biopestic ticide ides s produ products cts has gradua gradually lly grown each year. In addition, as people's quality of living improves, organic vege vegeta tabl ble e and and frui fruitt farm farmer ers s have have an incr increa easi sing ngly ly grow growin ing g dema demand nd for for biopesticides.
MARKET The present consumption of biopesticides is valued at about Rs. 110 crores, out out of whic which h micr microb obia iall biop biopes esti tici cide des s cons consti titu tute te more more than than 50 50%. %. The The consumption of microbial pesticides has grown at an annual rate of 20% from Rs. 27 crores in2000-2001 to Rs. 60 crores in 2003-2004. Assuming the same rate of growth in the next 5 years, the consumption could reach Rs. 250 crores by 2009-10. However, it has been reported that the present usage repr repres esen entt only only 2-3% 2-3% of the the pote potent ntia iall mark market et dema demand nd of biop biopes esti tici cide des. s. Therefore, considerable increase in the use of biopesticides can be achieved with with su suit itab able le awar awaren enes ess s camp campai aign gn by the the Ag Agri ricu cult ltur ural al Univ Univer ersi siti ties es,, Agricu Agricultu ltural ral Depar Departme tment nt of State State Govt. Govt. and manufa manufactu cturer rers s as well well as. At present there are about 200 manufacturers but most of them are operating on a very small scale to cater to local requirements.
Factors contributed to the emergence of biopesticide market Societies demand over environmental safety. An increase in the price of chemical insecticides and the resistance of insects to these products need to reduce residues of toxic chemicals in foodstuffs, especially those for export markets. A strong increase in the sales of organic food as consumers become more health conscious and concerned over their food coupled with higher buying power leading to increase in non-chemical crop protection and total crop care. The use biopesticides is likely to increase at a much higher rate for the following reasons: a) While While some some chemi chemical cals s pestic pesticide ides s have have been been banned banned alre already ady,, the use use of others is likely to come under greater regulatory control b) An incre increas asin ing g numb number er of pest pests s are are deve develo lopi ping ng resis resista tanc nce e to existi existing ng chemical pesticides c) The The cost cost of devel evelop opme ment nt of new new chem chemic ical al pesti pestici cide des s has has incr increa ease sed d considerably in recent years. d) The dema demand nd for for organ organic ic produ products cts is incr increas easing ing at at a rapid rapid rate rate.. e) Extens Extensive ive resea research rch and and commerc commercial ializa izatio tion n efforts efforts have have been been initia initiated ted by the government to promote biopesticides. Of all pesticides used globally each year, pesticides used in cotton alone ranges upto 25%.Pesticide usage all over the world accounts for $26 million annually. Number of active ingredients in pesticides used in cotton found to cause cancer in human beings and animals is 107.Total cotton cultivation area area in more more than than 60 coun countr trie ies s is 80 mill millio ion n hect hectar ares es.. Tota Totall pest pestic icid ide e cons consum umpt ptio ion n in thir third d worl world d coun countr trie ies s acco accoun unts ts for for abou aboutt 30 300 0 mill millio ion n kilo kilogr gram ams. s. Out Out of the the 30 300 0 mill millio ion n kilo kilogr gram ams, s, 15 150 0 mill millio ion n kilo kilogr gram ams s is consumed in cotton
Why should we use biofertilizers? With the introduction of green revolution technologies the modern agriculture is getting more and more dependent upon the steady supply of synthetic inputs (mainly fertilizers), which are products of fossil fuel (coal+ petroleum). Adverse effects are being noticed due to the excessive and imbalanced use of the these se syn synthe theti tic c inp inputs uts.. Thi This s sit situat uation ion has lea lead d to ide identi ntifyi fying ng har harmle mless ss inputs like biofertilizers. Use of such natural products like biofertilizers in crop cultivation will help in safeguarding the soil health and also the quality of crop products. What are the benefits from using biofertilizers? • • • • • •
Increase crop yield by 20-30%. Replace chemical nitrogen and phosphorus by 25%. Stimulate plant growth. Activate the soil biologically. Restore natural soil fertility. Provide protection against drought and some soil borne diseases.
The Potential for Biofertiliz Biofertilizers ers
The growth in agricultural agricultural production production during the last last three decades has been bee n acc accomp ompani anied ed by a sh sharp arp inc increa rease se in th the e us use e of ch chemi emical cal fer fertil tiliz izers ers,, causing serious concern (Marothia, 1997). Foremost among these concerns is the effec effectt of exces excessive sive fert fertiliz ilizer er (esp (especia ecially lly nitr nitrogen ogenous ous fert fertiliz ilizers) ers) on the qualit qua lity y of so soil il and gro ground und wat water. er. Bio Biofer fertil tiliz izers ers are co consi nsider dered ed to be an important alternative source of plant nutrition. They are biologically active products, including bacteria, algae or fungi, with the ability to provide plants with nutrients. Most biofertilizers belong to one of two categories: nitrogen fixing and phosphate solubilizing. Nitrogen fixing biofertilizers fix atmospheric nitro nit rogen gen int into o for forms ms wh which ich ar are e rea readil dily y us useab eable le by pl plant ants. s. The These se inc includ lude e Rhizobium, Azotobacter, Azospirillu Azospirillum m , blu blue e gr green een alg algae ae (BG (BGA) A) and Azolla. Azolla. While Whi le Rh Rhizo izobiu bium m req requir uires es sym symbio biotic tic as asso socia ciatio tion n wit with h the ro root ot nod nodule ules s of legumes to fix nitrogen, others can fix nitrogen independently. Phosphate solubilizing micro-organisms (PSM) secrete organic acids which enhance the uptake of phosphorus by plants by dissolving rock phosphate and tricalcium phosphates. PSMs are particularly valuable as they are not crop specific and can benefit all crops . Production of biofertilizers in India The idea of using micro-organis micro-organisms ms to improve land productivity has been around in India for at least 70 years, but it was only in the 1990s that large scale production of various biofertilizers commenced. Presently, a number of agricultu agri cultural ral univ universi ersities ties,, stat state e Agri Agricult cultural ural depa departme rtments nts and comme commercia rciall enterprises produce various biofertilizers. The promotion of biofertilizer biofertilizers s is mainly carried out by the National Biofertilizer Development Development Centre (Ghaziabad), (Ghaziabad), which was set up in 1987. The National Centre has the capacity to produce 375 tons of biofertilizers per year. In addition to this, 158 commercial production units have been set up with government support. India’s total production in 1998-99 was reported to be 16,000 tons.9 Rhizobium accounts for the largest proportion (40%) of the total production in India. This is followed by Azotobacter. With the increase in the price of phosphate fertilizers, the potential for the use of PSM has also increased. Effectiveness of biofertilizers A considerable amount of research has been done to establish the effect eff ective ivenes ness s of bio biofer fertil tilize izers rs on var variou ious s cro crops, ps, in dif differ ferent ent agr agro-c o-clim limati atic c regions. Most agricultural universities, the ICAR and the National Biofertilizer Development Centre have carried out number of field trials to document the effectiven effec tiveness ess of these micro-organi micro-organisms. sms. These prog programm rammes es show that the use of biofertilizers can have a significant effect on the yield of most crops. However, their effectiveness is found to vary greatly, depending largely on soil condition, temperature and farming practices. As an example, Table 3 shows the effect of Azotobacter on yield. The organic matter decomposers also plays a major role in the recyclicing of the crop residues that is converted into the valuable nutrients also also its incorpor incorporati ation on in the soil soil leads leads to the increa increases ses avabilit avability y of the nutrients by the increase in the microbial activity in the soil .that helps in improving the physical properties of the soil also improve the water holding capacity of the of soil. The lot numbers of the micro-organisms and their activity protect the crops from the harmful micro-organisms. micro-organisms.
There is greater need for perpetuating the technology for the decomposition of the crop residues into valuable nutrients Keeping in view the potential of biopesticides and biofertilizers as an important component of sustainable sustainable agriculture particularly on small ‐farmer holdings, the Asia ‐Pacific Association of Agricultural Institutions (APAARI) in its Tenth General Assembly Meeting held on 20th October 2008 at Tsukuba recommended to organize an Expert Consultation on “Bio ‐pesticides and Bio‐fert fertil iliz izer ers” s” as a part part of work work plan plan for for 20 2009 09.. and and popu popula lari rizi zing ng the the technology among the Asian cultivators. cultivators.
