Course

Practical

• Isolation of phosphate solubilizing
• Development and production of efficient microorganisms,
• Determination of beneficial properties in important bacteria to be used as biofertilizer, Nitrogen fixing activity, indole acetic acid (IAA), siderophore production etc,
• Bioinoculant production and quality
• Population dynamics in broth and carrier materials during
• Development of cultures from
• Preparation of broth for large scale cultivation in fermenter/ large Inoculation and development of culture.
• Mass production of carrier based and liquid Mass production of important two or three biocontrolagents (Trichoderma viride, Pseudomonas fluorescens and Metarhizium anisopliae).
• Form, dose and method of
• Mass production of AM fungi in pot and root organ
• Quality control and BIS
• Mass production of Azolla and
• Visit to a biofertilizer production plant

Unit I

Theory

Block 1: Agriculturally Important Beneficial Microorganisms

Unit I: Agriculturally important beneficial nitrogen fixing microorganisms.

Different agriculturally important beneficial microorganisms: Chemical Vs Biofertilizers: Current Scenario in biofertilizer technology in world-In India-List of biofertilizers-their applications in agriculture. Brief introduction about Agriculturally beneficial microorganisms (free living, symbiotic (rhizobial, actinorhizal), associative and endophytic nitrogen fixers including phosphobacteria, cyanobacteria, their types and importance, taxonomic classification, Nitrogen fixing biofertilizers: nodule formation, competitiveness and quantification of N₂ fixed and their use. BIS standards of biofertilizers

Unit II

Agriculturally important beneficial microorganisms related to phosphorous, potassium, Sulphur and Zinc nutrition

Different agriculturally important beneficial microorganisms: phosphate solubilizing bacteria and fungi, including mycorrhiza; Mechanism of phosphorous solubilization by phosphobacteria. Bacteria for potassium, Sulphur and Zinc nutrition.

Unit III

Agriculturally important beneficial microorganisms having plant growth promoting rhizobacteria.

Different agriculturally important beneficial microorganisms: plant growth promoting rhizobacteria. FCO norms and biofertilizer production and usage at national and international levels

Unit IV

Agriculturally important biocontrol microbial inoculants

Different agriculturally important beneficial microorganisms: Biocontrol microbial inoculants. Requirements for establishing bioinoculants production unit. Economics of biofertilizers production Constraints in biofertilizers production and usage

Unit V

Economics of biofertilizer production

Different agriculturally important beneficial microorganisms for recycling of organic waste and compositing, bioremediators and other related microbes.

Unit VI

Block 2: Production of Biofertilizer

Unit I: Production and quality control of biofertilizer

Different agriculturally important beneficial microorganisms – selection, establishment, competitiveness, crop productivity, soil & plant health, mass scale production and quality control of bio inoculants. Biofertilizer inoculation and microbial communities in the soil. Different formulations of biofertilizers. Advantages and limitations of Liquid formulations.

To familiarize the students and farmers with mass scale production of different agriculturally important microorganisms which are being used as biofertilizers for maintaining the soil and plant health for sustaining crop productivity and their importance in organic farming.