What is Azolla biofertilizer?
Azolla is water fern which is also used as a biofertilizer. There are around 80,000 symbiotic cyanobacteria present on its leaves. Symbiotic cyanobacteria Anabaena Azollae is responsible for nitrogen-fixation which increases the fertility of the soil and in turn enhances the yield.
Can we use Azolla as biofertilizer?
Azolla as biofertilizer may be used as a partial substitute for synthetic fertilizer N due to its sustainable supplementation of N to rice crops and the associated improvement of soil fertility.
Is Azolla a good fertilizer?
Nitrogen is one of the most essential elements needed by plants for their growth and azolla’s high nitrogen content makes it an ideal biofertilizer.
What is Azolla and its uses?
Azolla can be used as an animal feed a human food, a medicine and water purifier. It may also be used for the production of hydrogen fuel the production of biogas the control of mosquitoes and the reduction of ammonia volatilization which accompanies the application of chemical nitrogen fertilizer.
What is the importance of Azolla in agriculture?
Azolla substantially increases the amount of nitrogen fertilizer available to growing rice and it is has been used for thousands of years as a ‘green’ nitrogen fertilizer to increase rice production.
Why Azolla is used in rice cultivation?
Biological nitrogen fixation through Azolla Anabaena complex is a potential biological system for increasing rice yields, at comparatively low cost. Azolla possesses the desired qualities of a green manure crop, like quick growth, large biomass production, higher nitrogen content and easy decomposability in the soil.
How do you use Azolla fertilizer?
Azolla can be used in two ways: 1) as green manure incorporated before transplanting, and 2) as an intercrop incorporated after transplanting. In each case, about 500 kg (fresh weight) per ha is introduced into standing water in the rice field.
What is the best fertilizer for Azolla?
Fertilize Azolla with 2.2 kg Phosphorus (P)/ha every 5 d, 4 kg K/ha every 10 d, and/or 500−1000 kg/ha farmyard manure every 5−10 d. If chemical fertilizers are unavailable, ash is substituted.
What is Azolla in agriculture?
Azolla is an aquatic floating fern, found in temperate climate suitable for paddy cultivation.
How do you fertilize Azolla?
Grow Azolla for about a month before incorporating at transplanting. Fertilize Azolla with 2.2 kg Phosphorus (P)/ha every 5 d, 4 kg K/ha every 10 d, and/or 500−1000 kg/ha farmyard manure every 5−10 d. If chemical fertilizers are unavailable, ash is substituted.
What is the benefit of Azolla?
Azolla is very rich in proteins, essential amino acids, vitamins (vitamin A, vitamin B12, Beta Carotene), growth promoter intermediaries and minerals including calcium, phosphorous, potassium, ferrous, copper, magnesium.
What is Azolla cultivation?
Azolla Cultivation. Introduction of Azolla Cultivation:- What is Azolla? Well, it is nothing but a free floating water fern consisting of a short, branched, floating stem, bearing roots which hang down in the water. It’s kind of green fodder grown on water surface.
Is Azolla a biofertilizer?
Azolla is an aquatic heterosporous fern which contains an endophytic cyanobacterium, Anabaena azollae, in its leaf cavity. The significance of Azolla as biofertilizer in rice field was realized in Vietnam.
Can Anabaena azollae be used as biofertilizer in rice?
Within the leaf cavity filaments of Anabaena azollae are present. Dr. P.K. Singh, at CRRI has done an outstanding work on mass cultivation of Azolla and its use as biofertilizer in rice and other crop fields.
What is Azolla used for in India?
Besides several microorganisms such as algae and various inorganic compound fixing bacteria, Azolla is also used as a biofertilizer in temperate as well as tropical rice-growing areas. Azolla has been in use widely in countries like China and Vietnam for centuries but it is of a recent introduction in India.
What is bio-fertilizer?
Biofertilizers play an important role in improving soil fertility and boosting crop yields. Azolla’s traditional cultivation as a bio-fertilizer for wetland paddy (due to its ability to fix nitrogen), Azolla is finding increasing use for sustainable production of livestock feed.