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Blue Green Algae: A Potential Biofertilizer for Rice

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The Algae World

Part of the book series: Cellular Origin, Life in Extreme Habitats and Astrobiology ((COLE,volume 26))

Abstract

The biofertilizers, which are low cost inputs, renewable and pollution free have a crucial role in augmenting nutrient supply to crops by increasing their availability through exploitation of natural processes like biological nitrogen fixation, solubilization of insoluble P and decomposition of organic wastes etc. Blue Green Algae (BGA) find a highly favourable abode in the waterlogged conditions of rice fields and provide cheap nitrogen to plants besides increasing crop yield by making soil vital, fertile and productive. BGA biofertilizer in rice popularly known as “Algalization” helps in creating an environmentally safe agro ecosystem that ensures economic viability in paddy cultivation while saving energy intensive inputs. The agricultural importance of these organisms lies in their capacity to metabolize the molecular nitrogen, liberation of part of fixed nitrogen and growth promoting substances as extra metabolites, solubilising the insoluble phosphates, addition of organic matter and improving the physical and chemical nature of soil. Based on the natural ecology of these organisms, a rural oriented algal biofertilizer technology was developed which could be easily adopted by farmer for multiplication at their own level. The technology was introduced as a package of practices in a number of Indian states and showed positive results in terms of saving on chemical nitrogenous fertilizers and increasing crop yield. The technology has been substantially improved and the basic changes include; indoor production of algal biomass under semi-controlled conditions in a polyhouse for round the year production, a suitable and cheap growth medium for faster growth of the organisms and mixing with a suitable carrier material in desired quantities that supports higher microbial load with longer shelf life. This has also considerably reduced the quantity of inoculum per unit area. The product has been extensively tested in the field and established the advantage of using cyanobacterial inoculation in rice crop and its adoption as a management practice. It leads not only to saving on expensive inorganic chemical fertilizer but also sustains productivity by maintaining a continuous supply of crop nutrients. Considering the immense market potential, it is now desired that these products be exploited commercially.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Conservation and Utilisation of Blue Green Algae, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, 110012, India

    Sunil Pabbi

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  1. Sunil Pabbi
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Correspondence to Sunil Pabbi .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Marine Biotechnology Laboratory, Department of Botany, University of Delhi, Delhi, India

    Dinabandhu Sahoo

  2. The Hebrew Univ Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel

    Joseph Seckbach

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Pabbi, S. (2015). Blue Green Algae: A Potential Biofertilizer for Rice. In: Sahoo, D., Seckbach, J. (eds) The Algae World. Cellular Origin, Life in Extreme Habitats and Astrobiology, vol 26. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-7321-8_17

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