NATURAL NUDGE

Employ beneficial and cost-effective microbes to improve crop yield

- RAJAN

THE LIBERALISATION, privatisation and globalisation reforms of the 1990s disrupted the country's agrarian sector. Seeds, inputs and markets were out of reach for small farmers and agricultural workers, who fell in debt due to high production costs, credit rates, volatile market prices and fossil-fuel-based inputs. Hence, in the early 2000s India began promoting chemical-free organic farming and zero budget natural farming. These improve soil fertility, but there are conflicting views about their impact on yield.

To overcome this and boost productivity, the agriculture sector can tap into microorganisms. Scientific research shows constructive and cost-effective use of bacterial, fungal and algal microbes can also have positive results on crop yields.

Microbes can be used as biofertilisers, biostimulants and biopesticides, cultured in the laboratory. Nowadays, some varieties are also made by trained farmers.

Soil contains several natural microbes that help plants absorb nutrients. These can be cultured and modified into biofertilisers. They increase the availability of nutrients and boost yield by 10-25 per cent, says a 2018 Frontiers in Plant Science study.

Current estimated demand for biofertilisers in India is 18,500 tonnes per year, while production is 10,000 tonnes, as per data with Rama University, Noida.