Biofertilizer Technology
Contents: Preface. I. Azolla: 1. Introduction. 2. Occurrence. 3. Distribution. 4. Vernacular names. 5. Taxonomy. 6. Morphological characters. 7. Life cycle. 8. Fern-Alga relation. 9. Growth. 10. Factors affecting growth. 11. Sporulation. 12. Structure of Sporocarps. 13. Sporophyte reproduced. 14. Induction of sporulation. 15. Sporocarp collection from the fresh A. Microphylla. 16. Spore collection from Azolla Mexicana. 17. Azolla spore collection. 18. Decomposition of sporulated Azolla and isolation of spores. 19. Sterilization of sporocarps. 20. Germination of sporocarps in solid agar medium. 21. Germination of sporocarp in moist filter paper. 22. Germination of megasporocarp in liquid medium. 23. Hybrid Azolla. 24. Spore inoculum production. 25. Presoaking of sporocarps for germination. 26. Storage and viability of spore inoculum. 27. Germination of sporocarps. 28. Factors affecting sporocarp growth. 29. Using sporocarps to culture sporophytes. 30. Germplasm shipment. 31. Nitrogen fixation. 32. Measuring N2-fixation. 33. Availability of N2-fixed. 34. Agronomic significance. 35. Methods of Azolla use in rice culture. 36. Field application. 37. Management practices. II. Blue green algae: 1. Introduction. 2. Distribution. 3. Systematic position. 4. Origin and affinities. 5. Salient features. 6. Taxonomic classification. 7. Form structure and development of B.G.A. 8. Reproduction. 9. Life cycle and photoregulation. 10. Growth characteristics. 11. Nitrogen fixation. 12. Production of seeding material. 13. Straw based production technology of commercial purposes. 14. Algal production technology. 15. Multiplication of B.G.A. 16. Inoculation technique. 17. Survival and persistence of the inoculum in the soil. 18. Biological Nitrogen fixation. 19. Effect of algalization on rice yields. 20. Reclamation of sodic soils. 21. Economics of Algal inoculation. 22. Future prospectus. Conclusions. Selected references. Glossary. Index.
"Man made fertilizers have come to stay in the present century for increasing the output of agricultural production and to meet ever increasing demand of human population, which has been further accentuated by the limited availability of additional fertile farm land.
Industrial nitrogen is heavily dependent on energy derived from fossil fuel which is getting depleted at a very fast rate. On the contrary, biological nitrogen fixation requiring nearly half the quantum of energy (needed for industrial fixation) and is dependent on energy from renewable resources such as products of photosynthesis and organic matter in the soil. The natural organic nitrogen provided by the biofertilizers to the agro-ecosystem do not pose any health risk to humans which is being seriously apprehended by the use of chemical and synthetic inorganic nitrogen.
In view of escalating energy costs, it is essential for us to evolve and adopt a strategy of using biological fertilizers along with chemical fertilizers. This calls for adoption of integrated nutrient supply by using a judicious combination of chemical fertilizers and biofertilizers. The very objective of boosting crop productivity by chemical fertilizers is becoming self-defeating and unsustainable. An effort has been made in this book to provide an up-to date comprehensive account of fundamental as well as applied aspects related to biological N2-fixation through Azolla and Blue green algal bifertilizers." (jacket)
