beneficial microorganisms in agriculture

7/30/2019 Beneficial Microorganisms in Agriculture

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UTILIZATION OF BENEFICIAL MICROORGANISMS IN AGRICULTURE

What Const i tutes an Ideal Agric ul tura l System?

Conceptual design is important in developing new technologies for utilizing beneficialand effective microorganisms for a more sustainable agriculture and environment.The basis of a conceptual design is imply to first conceive an ideal or model and thento devise a strategy and method for achieving the reality. However it is necessary tocarefully coordinate the materials, the environment, and the technologies constitutingthe method. Moreover one should adopt a philosophical attitude in applying microbialtechnologies to agricultural production and conservation systems.

There are many opinions on what an ideal agricultural system is. Many would agreethat such an idealized system should produce food on a long-term sustainable basis.Many would also insist that it should maintain and improve human health, beeconomically and spiritually beneficial to both producers and consumers, activelypreserve and protect the environment, be self-contained and regenerative, andproduce enough food for an increasing world population (Higa, 1991).

Eff ic ient Ut il izat ion and Recycl ing of Energy

Agricultural production begins with the process of photosynthesis by green plantswhich requires solar energy, water, and carbon dioxide. It occurs through the plantsability to utilize solar energy in "fixing" atmospheric carbon into carbohydrates. Theenergy obtained is used for further biosynthesis in the plant, including essential

amino acids and proteins. The materials used for agricultural production areabundantly available with little initial cost. However, when it is observed as aneconomic activity, the fixation of carbon by photosynthesis has an extremely lowefficiency mainly because of the low utilization rate of solar energy by green plants.Therefore, an integrated approach is needed to increase the level of solar energyutilization by plants so that greater amounts of atmospheric carbon can be convertedinto useful substrates (Higa and Wididana, 1991a).

Although the potential utilization rate of solar energy by plants has been estimatedtheoretically at between 10 and 20%, the actual utilization rate is less than 1%. Eventhe utilization rate of C4 plants, such as sugar cane whose photosynthetic efficiency

is very high, barely exceeds 6 or 7% during the maximum growth period. Theutilization rate is normally less than 3% even for optimum crop yields.

Past studies have shown that photosynthetic efficiency of the chloroplasts of hostcrop plants cannot be increased much further; this means that their biomassproduction has reached a maximum level. Therefore, the best opportunity forincreasing biomass production is to somehow utilize the visible light, whichchloroplasts cannot presently use, and the infrared radiation; together, thesecomprise about 80% of the total solar energy. Also, we must explore ways ofrecycling organic energy contained in plant and animal residues through directutilization of organic molecules by plants (Higa and Wididana, 1991a).


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Thus, it is difficult to exceed the existing limits of crop production unless theefficiency of utilizing solar energy is increased, and the energy contained in existingorganic molecules (amino acids, peptides and carbohydrates) is utilized eitherdirectly or indirectly by the plant. This approach could help to solve the problems ofenvironmental pollution and degradation caused by the misuse and excessive

application of chemical fertilizers and pesticides to soils. Therefore, newtechnologies that can enhance the economic-viability of farming systems with little orno use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides are urgently needed and should be ahigh priority of agricultural research both now and in the immediate future (NationalAcademy of Sciences, 1989; 1993).

Preservation o f Natural Resou rces and the Enviro nment

Contents

The excessive erosion of topsoil from farmland caused by intensive tillage and row-

crop production has caused extensive soil degradation and also contributed to thepollution of both surface and groundwater. Organic wastes from animal production,agricultural and marine processing industries, and municipal wastes (e.i., sewageand garbage), have become major sources of environmental pollution in bothdeveloped and developing countries. Furthermore, the production of methane frompaddy fields and ruminant animals and of carbon dioxide from the burning of fossilfuels, land clearing and organic matter decomposition have been linked to globalwarming as "greenhouse gases" (Parr and Hornick, 1992b).

Chemical-based, conventional systems of agricultural production have created manysources of pollution that, either directly or indirectly, can contribute to degradation ofthe environment and destruction of our natural resource base. This situation wouldchange significantly if these pollutants could be utilized in agricultural production assources of energy.

Therefore, it is necessary that future agricultural technologies be compatible with theglobal ecosystem and with solutions to such problems in areas different from thoseof conventional agricultural technologies. An area that appears to hold the greatestpromise for technological advances in crop production, crop protection, and naturalresource conservation is that of beneficial and effective microorganisms applied assoil, plant and environmental inoculants (Higa, 1995).

Benef ic ia l and Effect ive Microo rganism s for a Sustainable Ag ricul ture

Towards Agr icu l tu re Without Chemica ls and With Opt imum Yields of High

Qual i ty Crops .

Agriculture in a broad sense, is not an enterprise which leaves everything to naturewithout intervention. Rather it is a human activity in which the farmer attempts tointegrate certain agroecological factors and production inputs for optimum crop andlivestock production. Thus, it is reasonable to assume that farmers should beinterested in ways and means of controlling beneficial soil microorganisms as animportant component of the agricultural environment. Nevertheless, this idea has

often been rejected by naturalists and proponents of nature farming and organicagriculture. They argue that beneficial soil microorganisms will increase naturally
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when organic amendments are applied to soils as carbon, energy and nutrientsources. This indeed may be true where an abundance of organic materials arereadily available for recycling which often occurs in small-scale farming. However, inmost cases, soil microorganisms, beneficial or harmful, have often been controlledadvantageously when crops in various agroecological zones are grown and

cultivated in proper sequence (i.e., crop rotations) and without the use of pesticides.This would explain why scientists have long been interested in the use of beneficialmicroorganisms as soil and plant inoculants to shift the microbiological equilibrium ina way that enhances soil quality and the yield and quality of crops (Higa andWididana, 1991b; Higa, 1994:1995).

Most would agree that a basic rule of agriculture is to ensure that specific crops aregrown according to their agroclimatic and agroecological requirements. However, inmany cases the agricultural economy is based on market forces that demand astable supply of food, and thus, it becomes necessary to use farmland to its fullproductive potential throughout the year.

The purpose of crop breeding is to improve crop production, crop protection, andcrop quality. Improved crop cultivars along with improved cultural and managementpractices have made it possible to grow a wide variety of agricultural and horticulturalcrops in areas where it once would not have been culturally or economically feasible.The cultivation of these crops in such diverse environments has contributedsignificantly to a stable food supply in many countries. However, it is somewhatironic that new crop cultures are almost never selected with consideration of theirnutritional quality or bioavailability after ingestion (Hornick, 1992).

As will be discussed later, crop growth and development are closely related to thenature of the soil microflora, especially those in close proximity to plant roots, i.e., therhizosphere. Thus, it will be difficult to overcome the limitations of conventionalagricultural technologies without controlling soil microorganisms. This particular tenetis further reinforced because the evolution of most forms of life on earth and theirenvironments are sustained by microorganisms. Most biological activities areinfluenced by the state of these invisible, minuscule units of life. Therefore, tosignificantly increase food production, it is essential to develop crop cultivars withimproved genetic capabilities (i.e., greater yield potential, disease resistance, andnutritional quality) and with a higher level of environmental competitiveness,particularly under stress conditions (i.e., low rainfall, high temperatures, nutrient

deficiencies, and agressive weed growth).

To enhance the concept of controlling and utilizing beneficial microorganisms forcrop production and protection, one must harmoniously integrate the essentialcomponents for plant growth and yield including light (intensity, photoperiodicity andquality), carbon dioxide, water, nutrients (organic-inorganic) soil type, and the soilmicroflora. Because of these vital interrelationships, it is possible to envision a newtechnology and a more energy-efficient system of biological production.

Low agricultural production efficiency is closely related to a poor coordination ofenergy conversion which, in turn, is influenced by crop physiological factors, the

environment, and other biological factors including soil microorganisms. The soil andrhizosphere microflora can accelerate the growth of plants and enhance their


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resistance to disease and harmful insects by producing bioactive substances. Thesemicroorganisms maintain the growth environment of plants, and may havesecondary effects on crop quality. A wide range of results are possible depending ontheir predominance and activities at any one time. Nevertheless, there is a growingconsensus that it is possible to attain maximum economic crop yields of high quality,

at higher net returns, without the application of chemical fertilizers and pesticides.Until recently, this was not thought to be a very likely possibility using conventionalagricultural methods. However, it is important to recognize that the best soil and cropmanagement practices to achieve a more sustainable agriculture will also enhancethe growth, numbers and activities of beneficial soil microorganisms that, in turn, canimprove the growth, yield and quality of crops (National Academy of Sciences, 1989;Hornick, 1992; Parr et al., 1992).

Harmful Microorganisms

Microorganisms are harmful in many ways. Some of the Microorganisms cause disease in humans,

plants and animals these disease causing microorganisms are called Pathogens. SomeMicroorganisms spoil food, clothing and even leather.

Diseases causing Microorganisms in Humans

Pathogens enter in our body through the air we breathe, the water we drink and the food we eat.

They can also get transmitted by direct contact with an infected person or carried through an

animal. These kind of microbal diseases are called communicable diseases as they spread from the

infected persons for example common cold, chicken pox, tuberculosis and many more.

When a person suffering from common cold sneezes, fine droplets of moisture carrying thousands

of viruses spread in the air. The virus may enter the body of health person while breathing. There

are some insects and animals which act as carriers of disease causing microbes.

Diseases causing Microorganisms in Animals

Several microorganisms not only cause disease in humans and plants but also in other animals.

For example, anthrax is a dangerous diseases caused by bacterium. Foot and mouth disease of

cattle is caused by a virus.

Diseases causing Microorganisms in Plants

Several microorganisms caused disease in plants like wheat, rice, potato, sugarcane, orange and

others. The disease reduces the yield of crop. They can be controlled by the use of certain

chemicals which kill the microbes.

Food Poisoning

it can be due to consumption of food spoilt by some microorganisms. Microorganism that grow on

our food sometimes produce toxic substances, these make the food poisonous causing serious

illness and even death. So it is very important that we preserve food to prevent it form being

spoilt.

So in this way we can say that Microorganism is harmful to us.

beneficial microorganisms in agriculture

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