Comparison of a novel combination of bio-organic fertilizers vis-à-vis a chemical fertilizer

Abstract

Plant nutrients are essential for the production of healthy crops for the world’s expanding population and thus, they are a vital component of sustainable agriculture. Increased crop production depends on the type of fertilizers used to supplement essential nutrients for plants. The nutrient level fertilizers provide depends on their nature- each type of fertilizer has its advantages and disadvantages concerning crop growth and soil fertility. The management of using fertilizer must aim to ensure both an enhanced and safeguarded environment. Thus, a balanced fertilization strategy must be implemented. An experiment was conducted under field conditions to assess the effects of combinations of bio-fertilizers on agronomic and quality criteria of Brassica juncea (brown mustard), Basella alba (climbing spinach), and Amaranthus dubius (red spinach). Randomized block design with three replicas were used for the study, one set with the application of fertilizers containing Azotobacter, Rhizobium, Sesbania, Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus cereus, Bacillus megaterium, Pseudomonas fluorescens and Glomus (Mycorrhizal inoculant)- under bio-fertilizer; another with a mixture of urea, Potassium Nitrate, Super Phosphate, Potassium Sulfate, and Maple EM solution as chemical fertilizer and a control (water). Results indicated that yield and other plant criteria like chlorophyll content and gel volume were enhanced in bio-fertilizer treated plants compared to the plants grown with chemical fertilizer and control. In general, the application of bio-fertilizer significantly increased leaf length by 16-50%, the total number of leaves by 50-80%, plant size 19.15-63.15%, and gel volume by 147% (approximately) in comparison with untreated plants.