Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

Sustainability of Agricultural Environment in Egypt: Part II pp 235–263Cite as

Organic and Biofertilization on Crop Production in Semiarid Regions

  • Chapter
  • First Online:

Part of the book series: The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry ((HEC,volume 77))

Abstract

Organic farming involves holistic production systems that avoid the use of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, and genetically modified organisms, thereby minimizing their deleterious effect on the environment. Agriculture area under organic farming ranges from 0.03% in India to 11.3% in Austria. Organic agriculture is the system that favors the maximum use of organic matter and microbial fertilizers to improve soil health and increase yield. Organic agriculture has a long history, but it shows a recent and rapid rise. This article describes the importance of organic and biofertilizers in increasing the quality and productivity of developing crops under semiarid regions, especially in salt-stressed areas, and their role in improving the properties of these lands.

The organic farming system is largely dependent on the cycle of crops, crop residues, legumes, green fertilization, organic residues from outside and inside the farm to maintain soil productivity, and organic agriculture, as pest control, insect, animal, fungal or weed. The use of organic fertilizers, natural and manufactured instead of using chemical fertilizers, and the use of alternatives to pesticides and green pesticides are safe and have a good impact on agricultural products in terms of production of clean agricultural crops that are safe to human health and pollution-free.

In Egypt, the expansion of organic agriculture will be an added value in some areas of the project of reclamation of one and a half million acres, in addition to the state’s interest in the expansion of agricultural plantations. Also, Egyptian organic agriculture has a comparative advantage in terms of production dates and quality of European market countries. The number of organic farming in the world is growing rapidly. In terms of numbers, the area cultivated by organic methods increased from 1.15 million hectares in the early 1970s to 11 million hectares in 1999 and reached 43.7 million hectares in 2014, which nearly quadrupled in 15 years. Egypt is ranked third after Tunisia and Uganda among African countries, where the area organically grown in Egypt according to global statistics to 85.8 thousand hectares in 2014.

Biofertilizers are preparations containing microorganisms that can supply plants with the necessary nutrients from natural sources, thus reducing dependence on different chemical fertilizers. These fertilizers can release nutrients continuously, making them sufficient to cover the needs of the treated plants. Biofertilizers are also sources of food for low-cost plants as a substitute for the use of mineral fertilizers, which have the effect of polluting the environment, whether for soil or water, when excessively used. These fertilizers are produced from microorganisms by selecting the desired microbes to multiply in suitable farms and then transferring the bacterial growth to a suitable liquid or solid carrier and are used as a vaccine, where they are added to the agricultural soil either as mixed with soil or mixed with plant seeds when planting. Only those microorganisms are used which have specific functions to enhance plant growth and reproduction by increasing the efficiency of nutrients and increasing their availability in soil.

This chapter gives a quick picture of the important use of organic and biological fertilizers to increase the efficiency of the fertilizers of macroelements, especially the nitrogenous one, and the effect of this on the productivity and quality of barley grains growing under the conditions of semiarid regions, especially those suffering from salt stress.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   259.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD   329.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

References

  1. USDA (2017) Annual agricultural statistics. United States Department of Agriculture, Washington

    Google Scholar 

  2. FAO (2014) “Food and Agricultural Organization” of the United Nations statistical. Statistical year book

    Google Scholar 

  3. Aksoy U (2001) Ecological farming. II. In: Proceedings of the ecological farming symposium, Antalya, 14–16 Dec

    Google Scholar 

  4. Chowdhury R (2004) Effects of chemical fertilizers on the surrounding environment and the alternative to the chemical fertilizers. IES-ENVIS Newslett 7:4–5

    Google Scholar 

  5. Oyewole CI, Opaluwa H, Omale R (2012) Response of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum): growth and yield, to rates of mineral and poultry manure application in the guinea savanna agro-ecological zone in Nigeria. J Biol Agric Health Care 2:44–56

    Google Scholar 

  6. Bulluck LR, Ristaino JB (2002) Effect of synthetic and organic soil fertility amendments on southern blight, soil microbial communities, and yield of processing tomaes. Phytopathology 92:181–189

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Bulluck LR, Brosius M, Evanylo GK, Ristaino JB (2002) Organic and synthetic fertility amendments influence soil microbial, physical and chemical properties on organic and conventional farms. Appl Soil Ecol 19:147–160

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Arancon NQ, Edwards CA, Bierman P, Metzger JD, Lee S, Welch C (2004) Effects of vermicompost on growth and marketable fruits of field-grown tomatoes, peppers and strawberries. Pedobiologia 47:731–735

    Google Scholar 

  9. Heeb A, Lundegardh B, Savage GP, Ericsson T (2006) Impact of organic and inorganic fertilizers on yield, taste, and nutritional quality of tomatoes. J Plant Nutr Soil Sci 169:535–541

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Liu B, Gumpertz ML, Hu S, Ristaino JB (2007) Long-term effects of organic and synthetic soil fertility amendments on soil microbial communities and the development of southern blight. Soil Biol Biochem 39:2302–2316

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Maske SN, Munde GR, Maske NM (2015) Effect of manures and fertilizer on brinjal (Solanum melongena L.) C.V. Krishna. Bioinfolet 12:678–679

    Google Scholar 

  12. Tonfack LB, Bernadac A, Youmbi E, Mbouapouognigni VP, Ngueguim M, Akoa M (2009) Impact of organic and inorganic fertilizers on tomato vigor, yield and fruit composition under tropical and soil conditions. Fruits 64:167–177

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Palm CA, Gachengo CN, Delve RJ, Cadisch G, Giller KE (2001) Organic inputs for soil fertility management in tropical agro ecosystems: application of an organic resources database. Agric Ecosyst Environ 83(1–2):27–42

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Krupenikov IA, Boincean BP, Dent D (2011) The black earth: ecological principles for sustainable agriculture on chernozem soils. Springer, London, p 143

    Google Scholar 

  15. Doltra J, Laegdsmand M, Olesen JE (2011) Cereal yield and quality as affected by nitrogen availability in organic and conventional arable crop rotations: a combined modeling and experimental approach. Eur J Agron 34:83–95

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Andrews SS (2006) Crop residues removal for biomass production: effects on soils and recommendations. Soil Quality National Technology Development Team USDA-National Resource Conservation Service

    Google Scholar 

  17. Kas M, Haberletes J, Matejkov S (2010) Crop productivity under increasing nitrogen rates and different organic fertilization system in a long-term IOSDV experiment in the Czech Republic. Arch Agric Soil Sci J 56:451–461

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Montemurro F, Ferri D, Convertini G (2006) Nitrogen indicators, uptake and utilization efficiency in a maize and barley rotation cropped at different levels and sources of N fertilization. Field Crop Res 99:114–124

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Lu C, Ma J, Chen X, Zhang X, Shi Y, Huang B (2010) Effect of nitrogen fertilizer and maize straw incorporation on NH4 + − 15N and NO3 − – 15N accumulation in black soil of north east China among three consecutive cropping cycles. J Soil Sci Plant Nutr 10:443–453

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Adesemoye OA, Torbert HA, Kloepper JW (2009) Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria allow reduced application rates of chemical fertilizers. Microb Ecol 58:921–929

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Namvar A, Khandan T, Shojaei M (2012) Effects of bio and chemical nitrogen fertilizer on grain and oil yield of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) under different rates of plant density. Ann Biol Res 3(2):1125–1131

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Rana A, Joshi M, Prasanna R, Shivay YS, Nain L (2012) Biofertification of wheat through inoculation of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria and cyanobacteria. Eur J Soil Biol 50:118–126

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Vessey JK (2003) Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria as biofertilizers. Plant Soil 255:571–586

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Daneshmand NG, Bakhshandeh A, Rostami MR (2012) Biofertilizer affects yield and yield components of wheat. Int J Agric 2(6):699–704

    Google Scholar 

  25. Kizilkaya R (2008) Yield response and nitrogen concentrations of spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) inoculated with Azotobacter chroococcum strains. Ecol Eng 33(2):150–156

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Sary GA, El-Naggar HM, Kabesh MO, El-Kramany MF, Akoum GSH (2009) Effect of bio-organic fertilization and some weed control treatments on yield and yield components of wheat. World J Agric Sci 5(1):55–62

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Kandil AA, El-Hindi MH, Badawi MA, El-Morarsy SA, Kalboush FAHM (2011) Response of wheat to rates of nitrogen, biofertilizers and land leveling. Crop Environ 2(1):46–51

    Google Scholar 

  28. Saini VK, Bhandari SC, Tarafdar JC (2004) Comparison of crop yield, soil microbial C, N and P, N-fixation, nodulation and mycorrhizal infection in inoculated and non-inoculated sorghum and chickpea crops. Field Crop Res 89:39–47

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Piccinin GG, Braccini AL, Dan LGM, Scapim CA, Ricci TT, Bazo GL (2013) Efficiency of seed inoculation with Azospirillium brasilense on agronomic characteristics and yield of wheat. Ind Crop Prod 43:393–397

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. El-Kramany MF, Ahmed MKA, Bahr AA, Kabesh MO (2000) Utilization of biofertilizers in field crop production. 13-effect of organic manuring, chemical and biofertilizers on yield and nutrient content of sesame grown in newly reclaimed soil. Egypt J Appl Sci 15(11):137–155

    Google Scholar 

  31. Haque MM, Ilias GNM, Molla AH (2012) Impact of Trichoderma-enriched biofertilizer on the growth and yield of mustard (Brassica rapa L.) and tomato (Solanum lycopersicon Mill.) Agriculturists 10:109–119

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Sreenivasa MN, Nagaraj MN, Bhat SN (2010) Beejamruth: a source for beneficial bacteria. Karnataka J Agric Sci 17:72–77

    Google Scholar 

  33. Tandon HLS (1992) Fertilizers, organic manures, recyclable bastes and biofertilizers. Fertilizer Development and Consultation Organization, New Delhi

    Google Scholar 

  34. Diacono M, Rubino P, Montemurro F (2013) Precision nitrogen management of wheat; a review. Agron Sustain Dev 33(1):219–241

    Article  Google Scholar 

  35. Campuzano GE, Slafer GA, Miralles DJ (2012) Differences in yield, biomass and their components between triticale and wheat grown under contrasting water and nitrogen environments. Field Crop Res 128:167–179

    Article  Google Scholar 

  36. Liu D, Shi Y (2013) Effects of different nitrogen fertilizer on quality and yield in winter wheat. Adv J Food Sci Technol 5(5):646–649

    Article  Google Scholar 

  37. Namvar A, Teymur K (2013) Response of wheat to mineral nitrogen fertilizer and biofertilizer (Azotobacter sp. and Azospirillum sp.) inoculation under different levels of weed interference. Ekologija J 59(2):85–94

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  38. Poraas MME, Salwa AIE, Shaban KA, Sallam AM (2008) Effect of applied organic and bio-fertilizers on the productivity and grains quality of maize grown in saline soil. Egypt J Soil Sci 48(4):485–500

    Google Scholar 

  39. Omran SEH, Eman AIM, El-Guibali AH (2009) Influence of organic and bio-fertilization on productivity, viability and chemical components of flax seeds. Egypt J Soil Sci 49(1):49–64

    Google Scholar 

  40. Berhanu GW, Kismanyoky T, Sardi K (2013) Effect of nitrogen fertilization and residue management on the productivity of winter barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) Acta Agron Hungarica 61(2):101–111

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  41. Page AL, Miller RH, Keeney DR (1982) Methods of soil analysis. Part 2: chemical and microbiological properties.2nd edn. Agronomy Society of America, Madison

    Google Scholar 

  42. Bates LS, Waldren RP, Teave ID (1973) Rapid determination of free proline for water stress studies. Plant Soil 939:205–207

    Article  Google Scholar 

  43. Baker D (1979) Report on cereal foods. J Assoc Off Anal Chem 62:369–370

    Google Scholar 

  44. Echeverria HE, Videla CC (1998) Eficiencia fisiologica y de utilizacion de nitrogeno en trigo en la region pampeana Argentina. Ciencia del suelo 16:83–87

    Google Scholar 

  45. Craswell ET, Godwin DC (1984) The efficiencies of nitrogen fertilizer applied to cereals in different climates. Adv Plant Nutr 1:1–55

    Google Scholar 

  46. Angas P, Lampurlanes J, Martinez CC (2006) Tillage and N fertilization effects on N dynamics and barley yield under semiarid Mediterranean conditions. Soil Tillage Res 87:59–71

    Article  Google Scholar 

  47. Ryan J, Garabet S, Harmsen K, Rashid A (1996) A soil and plant analysis. Manual adapted for the West Asia and North Africa region. ICARDA, Aleppo, p 140

    Google Scholar 

  48. Black CA, Evans DD, White II, Ensminger LE, Clark FE (1982) Methods of soil analysis. American Society of Agronomy, Madison

    Google Scholar 

  49. Watanabe FS, Olsen SR (1965) Test of an ascorbic acid method for determining phosphorus in water and Na HCO3 extracts from soil. Soil Sci Soc Am Proc 29:677–678

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  50. Jackson ML (1958) Soil chemical analysis. Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs

    Google Scholar 

  51. Soltanpour N (1985) Use of ammonium bicarbonate – DTPA soil test to evaluate elemental availability and toxicity. Soil Sci Plant Anal 16:323–338

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  52. Snedecor GW, Cochran WG (1971) Statistical methods.6th edn. Iowa State University Press, Iowa

    Google Scholar 

  53. Siam HS, Shaban KA, Safaa AM (2013) Evaluation of applying different mineral nitrogen sources on soil fertility and wheat productivity under saline soil conditions. J Appl Sci Res 9(4):3146–3156

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  54. Ashmaye SH, Shaban KA, Abd El-Kader MG (2008) Effects of mineral nitrogen, sulphur, organic and bio-fertilizer on maize productivity in saline soil of Sahl El-Tina. Minufiya J Agric Res 33(1):195–209

    Google Scholar 

  55. Abdel-Fattah MK (2012) Role of gypsum and compost in reclaiming saline – sodic soils. ISOR J Agric Vet Sci 1(3):30–38

    Google Scholar 

  56. Zaka MA, Obaid UR, Rafa HU, Khan AA (2005) Integrated approach for reclamation of salt affected soils. J Agric Soc Sci 1(2):94–97

    Google Scholar 

  57. Bassiony HM, Shaban KA (2010) Economic analysis for the efficiency use of mineral and bio-fertilizers on saline soil. Zagazig J Agric Res 37(5):1313–1330

    Google Scholar 

  58. Rashed FM, Kesba HH, Saleh WD, Moselhy MA (2011) Impact of rice straw compost on microbial population plant growth nutrient uptake and root-knot nematode under greenhouse conditions. Afr J Agric Res 6:1188–1203

    Google Scholar 

  59. Nasef MA, Shaban KA, Abdel Hameed AF (2009) Effect of compost and bio-fertilizer application on some chemical soil properties and rice productivity under saline soil condition. J Agric Mansoura Univ 34(4):2609–2623

    Google Scholar 

  60. Bhandari AL, Ladha JK, Pathak H, Padre AT, Dawe D, Gupta RK (2002) Yield and soil nutrient changes in a long-term rice–wheat rotation in India. Soil Sci Soc Am J 66:162–170

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  61. Yadvinder S, Singh B, Ladha JK, Khind CS, Gupta RK, Meelu OP, Pasuquin E (2004) Long-term effects of organic inputs on yield and soil fertility in rice–wheat rotation. Soil Sci Soc Am J 68:845–853

    Google Scholar 

  62. Ewees MSA, Abdel Hafeez AAA (2010) Response of maize grain yield to a partial substitution of N-mineral by applying organic manure, bio-inoculation and elemental sulphur as an alternative strategy to avoid the possible chemical pollution. Egypt J Soil Sci 50(1):141–166

    Google Scholar 

  63. Hammad AMM, Abdel Ati YY (1998) Reducing of nitrate and nitrite content of potato tublers via biofertilization with Azospirillum and VA Mycorrhizal fungi. J Agric Sci Mansoura Univ 23(6):2597–2610

    Google Scholar 

  64. Bhande SR, Sharma SB, Chougule AB (1997) Effected biofertilizer in combination with nitrogen through organic and inorganic sources on yield and quality of onion. Nat Hortic Res Dev Found 17(2):1–3

    Google Scholar 

  65. Abedi T, Alemzadeh A, Kazemeini SA (2010) Effect of organic and inorganic fertilizers on grain yield and protein banding pattern of wheat. Aust J Crop Sci 4(6):384–389

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  66. Hegazi IMA (2004) Maximizing wheat production in sandy soil by using some natural soil amendments. Egypt J Appl Sci 19(4):214–226

    Google Scholar 

  67. Russel EW (1973) Soil conditions and plant growth.10th edn. Longman Group, London

    Google Scholar 

  68. Nour El-Din M, Salama AS (2006) Significance of biofertilization for improving yield, chemical and technological properties of wheat plants grown in saline soil. Zagazig J Agric Res 33(3):501–515

    Google Scholar 

  69. Amirjani MR (2011) Effect of salinity on growth, mineral composition, proline content, antioxidant enzymes of soybean. Am J Plant Physiol 5:360–360

    Google Scholar 

  70. Mabrouk SS (2002) Response of some peanut cultivars to bio and organo-mineral fertilization. Zagazig J Agric Res 29(6):2071–2083

    Google Scholar 

  71. Wortman SE, Davis AS, Schutte BJ, Lindquist JL (2011) Integrating management of soil nitrogen and weeds. Weed Sci 59:162–170

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  72. Abbas MHH, Ahmed OAI, El-Gamal MAH, Haythum MS (2011) Integrated effect of mineral nitrogen, bio and organic fertilization on soybean productivity. Egypt J Biotechnol 39:43–63

    Google Scholar 

  73. Torsvik V, Ovreas L (2002) Microbial diversity and function in soil: from genes to ecosystems. Curr Opin Microbiol 5:240–245

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  74. Peix A, Velazquez E, Martýnez-Molina E (2007) Molecular methods for biodiversity analysis of phosphate solubilizing microorganisms (PSM). In: Velazquez E, Rodrguez-Barrueco C (eds) First international meeting on microbial phosphate solubilization. Springer, Berlin, pp 97–100

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Soil and Water Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt

    Ayman M. Helmy

Authors
  1. Ayman M. Helmy
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ayman M. Helmy .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Engineering, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt

    Abdelazim M. Negm

  2. Faculty of Agriculture, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt

    Mohamed Abu-hashim

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Helmy, A.M. (2018). Organic and Biofertilization on Crop Production in Semiarid Regions. In: Negm, A., Abu-hashim, M. (eds) Sustainability of Agricultural Environment in Egypt: Part II. The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry, vol 77. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/698_2018_288

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation