Mohan Easan

By Easan Mohan and Kuppu Rajendran

The role of microorganism is very critical in nutrient management of horticulture and plantation forestry. They are conductors of the nutrient management orchestra as they provide by inputs in terms of micro and macronutrients besides organic matter and can be called as bio-inoculants (biofertilizers). Biofertilizers play a vital role in fixing the atmospheric nitrogen and mobilization of phosphorous, sulfur, manganese, copper, and iron in the soil. Symbiotic (Rhizobium and Frankia) and nonsymbiotic microorganisms (Azospirillum) are known to improve the soil fertility by fixing the atmospheric nitrogen. Arbuscular mycorrhizae fungi (AM fungi) and phosphobacterium have ability to transfer insoluble phosphate into soluble form. Moving in this direction it becomes imperative to understand as forest microbiologist and pathologist, the roles played by microorganism in diverse plants-soil-microbe interaction to analyze their effectiveness in improving their efficiency. Biofertilizers are economy and environmentally safe, and there is a growing awakening among the tree growers and farmers. In agriculture, advantages of biofertilizer application are better known, but in tree crops, the utility of biofertilizers is still in an experimental stage. The review paper is collective evident for the compatibility of different biofertilizers and their augmentation effect on the production of quality seedling and nutrient management of tropical horticulture and plantation forestry.

Part of the book: Sustainable Crop Production