What is biofertilizer?

Can it really improve the farm sector's production?

Biofertilizer have increased broad recognition not only among farmers as fertilizer enhancement for their crops, but also the issues it has spawned in the alleged fertilizer scam that has recently rocked the country.

A nationwide study was done by the Department of Agriculture (DA)-PhilRice researchers, Cezar Mamaril and Michelle Castillo, did a nationwide study, entitled "Comparative Performance of Biofertilizers under Aerobic and Anaerobic Conditions." The said research is said to check the effectiveness of biofertilizers for lowland rice and upland crops and to determine the soil and environmental conditions where they may be effective.

As a result of the said study, Biag said Mamaril and Castillo claimed in their study that biofertilizers did not have positive effects on the grain yield and biomass of irrigated rice, much less their impact on yield parameters like tiller count and number of productive tillers.

In addition to this, a study site in Bay, Laguna, showed that biofertilizers did not boost the number of spikelets and the number and weight of filled grains.

However, Evelyn Javier of the Agronomy, Soils and Plant Physiology Division of PhilRice, said that using the dapog method, the authors observe that biofertilizers had some constructive effects on root length at seedling stage. Said positive effects could be due to the microorganisms producing plant growth hormones, which enhance root growth under dapog seedbed.

With these different marks, more similar studies with more sites will be carried out in wet season to observe if the similar results will be acquired.

If the results would be positive, Biofertilizers could be of great help in the crop growing industry of the country. [via businessmirror.com.ph]