Introduction

Substances which are added to the soil to

increase its fertility are called Fertilizers.
Many natural substances like leaves, cow dung,
bone meal compost etc are being used since
ancient times to make up the deficiency of
nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in soils.
These substances are known as natural
fertilizers.
Since the demand for fertilizers cannot be met by
natural fertilizers alone, many compounds are
manufactured to provide nitrogen, potassium and
phosphorous to plants.
These chemicals are known as artificial or
chemical fertilizers.
Biofertilizers on the other hand are ready to use
live formulates of such beneficial microorganisms
which on application to seed, root or soil mobilize
the availability of nutrients by their biological
activity in particular, and help build up the microflora and in turn the soil health in general.

In this project, we will study about fertilizers and

bio-fertilizers, their uses, their harmful effects,
and compare both of them.

FERTILIZERS
Types of chemical fertilizers:
Complete - Complete has all three primary
nutrients-nitrogen phosphorous & potassium.
Incomplete - Incomplete DOES NOT have all three
primary nutrients
Inorganic - Comes from sources other than animals
or plants
Examples: Chemical products
Advantages of Inorganic - Can make the desired
ratio of nutrients, are easy to get, and cheap.
Disadvantages of Inorganic - No organic material
and possible chemical building up in growing
media.
Soluble - Dissolve in water and are applied as a
liquid solution. They thus allow Fertigation
(fertilizing through irrigation water.)

 Insoluble - Includes granular and slow release

applied to the growing media.
Types:
Granular-relatively inexpensive, easy to find
Slow Release-more expensive because it is
coated,more uniform release of nutrients over time
period.

Artificial inorganic
fertilizers (Synthetic
fertilizers)
Nitrogenous fertilizers:
Important nitrogenous fertilizers are
1) Ammonium sulphate
2) Ammonium phosphate
3) Calcium Cyanamid
4) Urea
Phosphatic fertilizers:Important phosphatic fertilizers are
1) Super phosphate of lime ( Calcium super
phosphate)
2) Triple super phosphate

3) Ammonium superphosphate
Mixed fertilizers:A fertilizer which contains more than one plant
nutrients is called mixed fertilizer.
Mixed fertilizer Containing nitrogenous,
phosphatic and potash fertilizers in definite
proportions.Such fertilizers are called NPK
fertilizers.

FERTILIZER EFFICIENCY
NPK Value:The efficiency of a fertilizer is expressed in
terms of NPK Value. N,P,K stands for
Nitrogen, Phosphorous and Potassium.
It expresses the nitrogen, phosphorous and
potassium contents in terms of elementary
nitrogen, P2O5, and K2O respectively .
NPK Vlue of 10:5:20 for a mixed fertilizer
means that the particular fertilizer contains
10% nitrogen, 5% P2O5 and 20% K2O.
Example:

 A 100 kg bag of fertilizer has an analysis

of 15-5-15. How many kilograms of
nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium are
in the bag?
Nitrogen: 100kg X 15%=15kg
Phosphorus: 100kg X 5%=5kg
Potassium: 100kg X 15%=15kg

Impact of excessive use

of fertilizers on
environment
The increased use of fertilizers to expand food
supplies have come at a large cost to our
environment.
Modern agricultural techniques are typically
wasteful in their use of fertilizers.
Often, many farmers add large amounts of
fertilizer or manure at the time of sewing in order
to cover and protect the young plants.
This technique is inefficient, since the young
plants are unable to absorb most of the nitrogen.

Therefore, much of the nitrogen is lost to the

environment in a number of ways.
For example, the nitrate directly leaching off into
the environment as water runs off of the field is a
leading cause.
Once the nitrogen is introduced into the ground
system, the ammonium ions, which are normally
in equilibrium with ammonia in the soil, are
disturbed. This action causes a disruption in the
pH of the soil, which affects plant growth.
Phosphate based fertilizers are also used in
addition to nitrogen based fertilizers.
Unfortunately, as with nitrogen based fertilizers,
there are negative environmental consequences.
The increasing use of phosphate fertilizers has
led to the accumulation of phosphorus in soils.
This causes problems because the means by
which phosphorus is immobilized cannot
accommodate for the additional phosphorus that
fertilizers add to soils.
Consequently, high concentrations of phosphorus
flow away with agricultural runoff.
The toxic effects of phosphorus become
noticeable when agricultural runoff is deposited
in lakes, streams and other water sources

because excessive amount of phosphorus leads

to eutrophication.
Eutrophication a natural process by which lakes,
streams and some estuaries age, is sped up by
activities such as land clearing, production and
application of fertilizers, agricultural runoff and
release of human waste.
The previously mentioned processes result in the
mobilization of nutrients such as nitrogen and
phosphorus into aquatic systems.
These nutrients disrupt aquatic systems by
increasing the growth of unwanted algae and
aquatic weeds. As these organisms die they
reduce the oxygen supply available for other
organisms.
Without dissolved oxygen in the water, most
organisms cannot survive. The depletion of
oxygen also promotes the conversion of
compounds to their toxic form which may
potentially harm more organisms.
If the fertilizers end up in drinking water, they
can cause health problems for people.

Bio-fertilizers
Now we know that fertilizers have their own
disadvantages.
This is where bio-fertilizers step in. Even though
fertilizers are useful, they are not eco-friendly.
As science developed a number of intellectuals
throughout the world started working on the
alternatives. It was a necessary step as it was
related to the most important invention of man:
Agriculture.

They found that biofertilizers can help increasing

the yield without causing the damage associated
with chemical fertilizers.
We shall now discuss about bio fertilizers in
detail.

Concept of biofertilizer

Bio-fertilizer concept goes back as early as 300

BC when our ancestors realized the importance
of legume crops bearing nodules.
The perspective of bio-fertilizer came into
existence through discovery of many organisms
capable of nitrogen fixation, P-solubilization, P.
mobilization, potash solubilization and
micronutrient transformation in the soil.
The role of biofertilizers assumes special
significance due to increased cost of chemical
fertilizers and their ill effects on soil health.

What are bio-fertilizers?

 It is a large population of a specific or a group

of beneficial microorganisms for enhancing
the productivity of soil.
They do so either by fixing atmospheric
nitrogen or by solubilizing soil phosphorus or
by stimulating plant growth through
synthesis of growth promoting substance.
Bio fertilizers based on renewable energy
source are cost effective, eco friendly and
can help to economize on the high
investment needed for chemical fertilizer.

Advantages:

Renewable source of nutrients

Sustain soil health
Supplement chemical fertilizers.
Replace 25-30% chemical fertilizers
Increase the grain yields by 10-40%.
Decompose plant residues, and stabilize
C:N ratio of soil
Improve texture, structure and water
holding capacity of soil
No adverse effect on plant growth and
soil fertility.
Stimulates plant growth by secreting
growth hormones.
Secrete fungistatic and antibiotic like
substances.
Solubilize and mobilize nutrients.

 Eco-friendly, non-pollutants and cost

effective method.
Since a bio-fertilizer is technically living,
it can symbiotically associate with plant
roots. Involved microorganisms could
readily and safely convert complex
organic material in simple compounds,
so that plants are easily taken up.
Microorganism function is in long
duration, causing improvement of the
soil fertility.
It maintains the natural habitat of the
soil.
Replaces
chemical nitrogen and phosphorus by
25%, and stimulates plant growth.
It provides protection against drought
and some soil-borne diseases.
Bio-fertilizers are cost-effective relative
to chemical fertilizers.
It is environmentally friendly in that it
not only prevents damaging the natural
source but also helps to some extent
cleanse the plant from precipitated
chemical fertilizers.
Mycorrhizal fungi benefit host plants

by:
Increasing physiological absorbing
surface area of the root system

 Increases ability of plant to absorb

water and nutrients such as N, P or
other essential elements from soil
Increased tolerance of plant to drought ,
high soil temp. and extremes of soil
acidity due to metals like S , Mn , Al
Provide protection from certain plant
pathogenic fungi and nematodes that
attack roots
Biofertilizers offer a huge potential for
widespread use offering both economic
and environmental advantage to
farmers/growers and commercial
viability to production units.

Types of Bio-fertilizer:
1)For nitrogen
-Rhizobium for legumes crops
-Azotobacter/ Azospirilium for non legume crops
-Acetobacter for sugarcane only.
-Blue Green Algae (BGA) and Azolla for low land
paddy.
2)For phosphorus
-Phosphate solubilizing Bacteria (PSB) for all
crops to be applied with Rhizobium,
Azotobacter, Azospirilium and Acetobacter
3)For enriched compost
-Phosphate solubilizing Bacteria (PSB) and
Azatobacter culture
-Cellulolytic fungal culture
Phospo: it release insoluble phosphorus in soil
and fix this phosphorus in clay minerals which is
of great significance in agriculture.

Rhizo: bacterial plays a very important role in

agriculture by inducing nitrogen fixings nodules
on the root of legumes such as peas and alfafa.
Azotobacter: fixes the atmospheric nitrogen in
the soil and make it available to the plants. It
protects the root from other pathogens present in
the soil.
Trichoderma: it is a non pathogenic and ecofriendly product. The product is antagonistic
hyper parasitic against different pathogens in the
field and economically well established bio
control agent.

RHIZOBIUM
AZOTOBACTER

PS
B
BLUE GREEN ALGAE
AZOSPIRILLUM
VA-MYCORRHIZA

Bibliography
http://www.wikipedia.org
http://agroinnovations.com
http://www.naip.icar.org.in/

ACKNOWLEDGEMEN
T
I take this opportunity to express my
profound gratitude and deep regards to my
teacher, Dr. Kiran Varsha for her exemplary
guidance, monitoring and constant
encouragement throughout the course of this
project. The blessing, help and guidance
given by her time to time shall carry me a
long way in the journey of life on which I am
about to embark.
I also take this opportunity to express a deep
sense of gratitude to Rawat Sir (Lab
Assistant) for his cordial support, valuable
information and guidance, which helped me
in completing this task through various
stages.
I am thankful to Director Sir and VicePrincipal Maam for their cooperation during
the period of my assignment.

Lastly, I thank my parents, sister and friends

for their constant encouragement without
which this assignment would not be possible.

Contents:

Acknowledgements
Introduction
Fertilizers
Synthetic Fertilizers
Fertilizer Efficiency
Impact of Fertilizers on Environment
Bio-Fertilizers
What are Bio-Fertilizers?
Advantages
Types of Bio-Fertilizers

ABHISHEK GUPTA
SS1 B
CHEMISTRY PROJECT
FERTILIZERS VS. BIOFERTILIZERS