Question

How do biofertilizers enrich the fertility of the soil?

Answer 1

Soil is a material generally composed of five materials- minerals, organic matter, living matter, gases, and water. Soil is crucial for the growth of plants. Basically, it is human life support. Biofertilizers add nutrients to the soil and hence increase its quality.

Complete answer:
Soil is a major component of nutrients needed by plants. Soil has important nutrients needed by plants. Fertilizers are used to increase the fertility of the soil. It provides nutrients essential for the growth of the plants. Fertilizers are of various types. One of the common types is biofertilizers.
Biofertilizers were announced as an alternative to chemical fertilizers which were harmful for the plants. The Green revolution brought the idea of using biofertilizers in India.
Biofertilizers are natural fertilizers containing manure. It is a substance containing living microorganisms. It is either applied to the seed, plant surfaces or soil. It adds nutrients to the soil through nitrogen fixation, solubilizing phosphorus. They help build the microflora in the soil and thereby betters the soil.
Biofertilizers are of different types:
Bacterial- Live cells of bacteria are used in the fertilizers. They are mainly nitrogen fixing bacteria and work under two conditions- symbiotically and free-living bacteria
Algal- They are also free-living bacteria called cyanobacteria or blue-green algae. They are very commonly used in rice fields.
Azolla- They are tiny freshwater ferns. They have good tolerance to heat and cold.
They enrich the fertility of the soil by promoting healthy plant growth. It reduces the risk of any diseases to plants. They sustain the soil health, increasing the yield by 10-40%. They are eco-friendly, pocket friendly and non-pollutant. Hence, they are a good replacement for chemical fertilizers.

Note: Just like biofertilizers there are biocomposites, too. They are mostly prepared from sugar industry waste which is decomposed. It consists of oxygen, nitrogen, phosphate solubilizing bacteria and decomposing fungi. It does the same job as biofertilizers.