Rhizobium Biofertilizer: Organic Boost for Pulse Crop Yields

Rhizobium Culture: The speed at which chemical fertilizers and pesticides are being used in farming day by day. Due to this, the crisis of both environment and human health is deepening. Along with this, due to the decrease in soil fertility, its effect is also visible on crop production in the long run. In such a situation, the need for biofertilizer has increased a lot in today’s time.

What are biofertilizers? (What Is Biofertilizer?)

Bio fertilizer is a bacterial fertilizer. It contains beneficial microbes, which absorb nitrogen already present in the atmosphere and make the phosphorus present in the soil soluble in water and give it to the plants. This can fulfill the nitrogen and phosphorus needs of the plants. These bio fertilizers are also beneficial for human health, environment and fertility of the farm soil.

Biofertilizer Rhizobium Culture

In such a situation, farmers should try to farm in a natural way as much as possible and biofertilizers are helpful in this. If we talk about pulse crops, then not only do they give good profit, but it also increases green fodder for animals and fertility of the soil. Therefore, more emphasis is given on its production. In such a situation, if the plants keep getting nitrogen in a natural way, then not only will they grow well, but farmers will also not need to add nitrogen separately.

For this, agricultural experts advise farmers to use biofertilizers. Today in this article we are going to tell you about Rhizobium Culture, a bio fertilizer that supplies nitrogen. Kisan of India had a special conversation with Dr. Mamta Singh, Agricultural Scientist of Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, on the use of Rhizobium Culture for pulse crops.

Dr. Mamta Singh says that now there is a need to emphasize on integrated nutrient management and organic farming. Emphasis has to be laid on the use of bio fertilizers that improve the health of the field soil.

What is Rhizobium Culture? (What Is Rhizobium Culture)

Rhizobium culture is an organic fertilizer, which is used for the treatment of seeds. In research done on agriculture, it was found that the use of Rhizobium culture has a good effect on crops including cereals, pulses, oilseeds, fodder, vegetables, cash crops. Its use protects crops from pests and diseases. Germination of seeds and growth of plants is good and crop production also increases. Very positive changes are being seen on using Rhizobium culture in legume crops.

Rhizobium is a type of bacteria that lives inside a hole in the root nodes of the plants by forming a web. It takes the elements necessary for its nutrition from the plants and in return provides nitrogen present in the atmosphere to the plants. This eliminates the need to provide nitrogen externally.

Types and importance of biofertilizers

Pulse crops are of different types such as gram, peas, lentils, green gram, black gram, pigeon pea, etc. Apart from this, soybean, groundnut, linseed, fenugreek, senji, berseem, lucerne, cowpea, etc. also come in this category. Since the crops are different, different varieties of bacteria are used for this. Scientists have developed a different species for each crop.

With the use of biofertilizer Rhizobium culture, Azotobacter, 30 to 40 kg nitrogen per hectare is available to the crops. Due to this, an increase of about 10 to 20 percent has been observed in the production capacity of crops.

Similarly, the use of phospho bacteria and mycorrhiza biofertilizers can increase the amount of phosphorus in the fields by 20 to 30 percent. On one hand, the use of these biofertilizers reduces the production cost of the farmer, while on the other hand, the soil structure of their fields also improves. 

Use of Rhizobium Culture for Pulse Crops

Dr. Mamta Singh said that to fulfill the nitrogen requirement in pulse crops, bio fertilizer Rhizobium culture is used as seed treatment and soil treatment. After sowing seeds in the fields, Rhizobium bacteria enter the roots of the plants and form small nodules. The bacteria increase their number in these nodules. Then they absorb naturally present nitrogen from the atmosphere, convert it into nutrients and make it available to the plants.

Rhizobium culture forms nodules in the roots of pulse crops. This leads to nitrogen fixation in the soil. Rhizobium fulfills the amount of nitrogen in pulse crops up to 70 percent. It is used in many pulse crops like tur, gram, moong, urad, peas, lentils, soybean, groundnut and beans.

How to use Rhizobium culture? (How To Use Rhizobium Culture?)

Rhizobium culture is of two types. First is powder (200 gram packet) and second is in liquid form (1 liter bottle). Although the use of this fertilizer is beneficial in both the forms, but the bacteria in liquid form can survive for a longer time in a cold place. If the powder form is not properly maintained, they start dying quickly.

If you are using powder, then 5 packets will be required for seed treatment of one acre of crop, whereas if used in liquid form, one bottle is enough for one acre.

Rhizobium Bacteria is used for seed treatment and at the time of plowing the soil.

Seed treatment: Clean the seeds thoroughly and keep them in a vessel and pour the liquid fertilizer on it and mix it well. If you are using it in powder form, then for one hectare, first make a solution by melting 60 grams of jaggery in one liter of water and when it cools down, add 3 packets of Rhizobium culture to it. Keep stirring it slowly with a wooden stick. Then sprinkle this solution on the seeds in such a way that it sticks well on all the seeds and then dry the seeds in the shade so that the stickiness reduces. After that sow.

It can also be mixed in the soil. For this, mix the liquid or powder in well-rotted cow dung manure and mix it in the soil at the time of plowing. By doing this, its use capacity increases and production also remains good.

Rhizobium Culture: Keep these things in mind (Key Points For Rhizobium Culture)

While buying Rhizobium culture from the market, read the name of the crop, method of use and date on the packet.

It is beneficial to use Rhizobium culture only as per the advice of the agricultural expert and the quantity of seeds.

Every pulse should be treated with the culture made for it. Using another culture will not cause knots in the roots and the crop will not get its benefits.

Rhizobium is a living bacterium. Therefore, protect it from sunlight and keep it in a cool place.

After seed treatment, do not dry the seeds in direct sunlight.

After making all the preparations for seed treatment, the packet of Rhizobium should be opened at last.

During sowing, the seeds should be well covered in soil, otherwise the bacteria may die in strong sunlight.

Benefits of Rhizobium Culture

The cost of farming is reduced because after this, urea is not required to be applied separately for nitrogen. This leads to good production at less cost.

With its use, there is a 10-25 percent increase in soybean crop and a good increase in the crop of gram, green gram, urad, tur, cowpea, groundnut. The amount of nitrogen in the soil increases and it remains fertile.

The nitrogen collected by bacteria present in the roots of pulses is absorbed by the next crop.

Sowing seeds treated with rhizobium culture increases crop production by 8 to 15 percent.

Its use saves up to 25 percent of nitrogen fertilizers (such as urea and DAP).