Vaishnavi Joshi,
- Student, Department of Botany, School of Basic and applied Sciences, Shri Guru Ram Rai University, Patel Nagar, Dehradun, Uttarakhand., Uttarakhand, India
Abstract
Bio-fertilization represents a sustainable agricultural practice that leverages bio-fertilizers to enhance soil nutrient levels, thereby increasing agricultural productivity eco-friendly and feasible substitute for pollution-free agricultural applications, soil microflora has been used to increase biomass production and improve soil fertility. Numerous cyanobacteria, including species like Oscillatoria angustissima, Nostoc sp., and Anabaena sp., are known to be efficient nitrogen-fixing biofertilizers. Acuteodesmus dimorphus, Spirulina platensis, Chlorella vulgaris, Scenedesmus dimorphus, Anabaena azolla, and Nostoc sp. are other microalgae. Have been successfully employed to enhance crop growth, with Chlorella vulgaris being one of the most extensively studied species in bio-fertilizer research. Furthermore, the integration of seaweed species such as Sargassum sp. And Gracilaria verrucosa into soil has been shown to induce beneficial chemical changes, serving as indicators of soil fertility in clay and sandy soils. Seaweed conditioners enhance soil organic content, stabilize pH, and decrease the carbon-to-nitrogen (C/N) ratio, improving soil quality across various soil types. This review highlights the potential of environmentally friendly bio-based fertilizers, including microalgae and macroalgae, as effective strategies for enhancing soil fertility. These bio-fertilizers provide a sustainable alternative to inorganic and organic fertilizers, which are associated with negative environmental impacts, such as heavy metal accumulation and potential carcinogenic effects on human health.
Keywords: Bio fertilization, microalgae, macro algae, soil fertility, plant growth
[This article belongs to Research & Reviews : Journal of Crop science and Technology ]
Vaishnavi Joshi. Algae as Bio-Fertilizer. Research & Reviews : Journal of Crop science and Technology. 2025; 14(01):32-41.
Vaishnavi Joshi. Algae as Bio-Fertilizer. Research & Reviews : Journal of Crop science and Technology. 2025; 14(01):32-41. Available from: https://journals.stmjournals.com/rrjocst/article=2025/view=195769
References
- Pereira, R.C., Da Gama, B.A.P., 2008. Macroalgal chemical defenses and their roles in structuring tropical marine communities. Algal. Chem. Ecol. 9783540741, 25–55. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-74181-7_2.
- Chapman, R.L., 2013. Algae: The world’s most important ‘‘plants”-an introduction. Mitig Adapt Strateg. Glob. Chang 18, 5–12. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11027-010-9255-9.
- Suleiman, A.K.A., Lourenço, K.S., Clark, C., et al., 2020. From toilet to agriculture: Fertilization with microalgal biomass from wastewater impacts the soil and Rhizosphere active microbiomes, greenhouse gas emissions and plant growth. Resour. Conserv. Recycl. 161. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2020.104924.Tyoker Kukwa, D., Chetty, M., 2021. Microalgae: The Multifaceted Biomass of the 21st Century. Biotechnol. Appl. Biomass. https://doi.org/10.5772/94090.
- Duarte, I., Hernández, S., Ibañez, A., Canto, A., 2018. Macroalgae as Soil Conditioners or Growth Promoters of Pisum sativum (L). Annu. Res. Rev. Biol. 27, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.9734/arrb/2018/43272.
- Abdel-Raouf, N., Al-Homaidan, A., Ibraheem, I., 2016. Agricultural importance of algae. African J. Biotechnol. 11, 11648–11658. https://doi.org/10.4314/ajb.v11i54.
- K. Fageria, The Role of Plant Roots in Crop Production, CRC Press, Boca Raton, 2013.
- Ritika B, Utpal D (2014) Biofertilizer, a way towards organic agriculture: A review. undefined 8:2332–2343. https://doi.org/10.5897/AJMR2013.6374.
- Mahapatra, D.M., Chanakya, H.N., Joshi, N.V., et al., 2018. Algae-Based Biofertilizers. A Biorefinery Approach. 177–196. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-7146-1_10.
- Balasubramaniam, V., Gunasegavan, R.D.N., Mustar, S., et al., 2021. Isolation of Industrial Important Bioactive Compounds from Microalgae. Molecules 26. https://doi.org/10.3390/MOLECULES26040943.
- Ronga D, Biazzi E, Parati K, et al (2019) Microalgal Biostimulants and Biofertilisers in Crop Productions. Agron 2019, Vol 9, Page 192 9:192. https://doi.org/10.3390/
- Guo, S., Wang, P., Wang, X., et al., 2020a. Microalgae as Biofertilizer in Modern Agriculture. Microalgae Biotechnol Food, Heal High Value Prod 397–411. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-0169-2_12.
- Tyoker Kukwa, D., Chetty, M., 2021. Microalgae: The Multifaceted Biomass of the 21st Century. Biotechnol. Appl. Biomass. https://doi.org/10.5772/94090.
- Salinas-Salazar, C., Garcia-Perez, J.S., Chandra, R., et al., 2019. Methods for extraction of valuable products from microalgae biomass. Microalgae Biotechnol. Dev. Biofuel Wastewater Treat 245–263. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-2264-8_11.
- Khan, W., Rayirath, U.P., Subramanian, S., et al., 2009. Seaweed extracts as Biostimulants of plant growth and development. J. Plant Growth Regul. 28, 386–399. https://doi.org/10.1007/S00344-009-9103-X/FIGURES/2.
- Osório, C., Machado, S., Peixoto, J., et al., 2020. Pigments content (Chlorophylls, fucoxanthin and phycobiliproteins) of different commercial dried algae. Separations 7, 1–14. https://doi.org/10.3390/separations7020033. Konur, Ozcan, 2015. Algal Economics and Optimization. CRC Press.
- Hashem HA, Mansour HA, El-Khawas SA, Hassanein RA (2019) The Potentiality of Marine Macro-Algae as Bio-Fertilizers to Improve the Productivity and Salt Stress Tolerance of Canola (Brassica napus L.) Plants. Agron 2019, Vol 9, Page146 9:146. https://doi.org/10.3390/AGRONOMY9030146.
- Silva, L.D., Bahcevandziev, K., 2019. Pereira L (2019) Production of bio-fertilizer from Ascophyllum nodosum and Sargassum muticum (Phaeophyceae). J. Oceanol. Limnol. 373 (37), 918–927. https://doi.org/10.1007/S00343-019-8109-X.
- Nabti, E., Jha, B., Hartmann, A., 2016a. Impact of seaweeds on agricultural crop production as biofertilizer. Int. J Environ. Sci Technol 145 (14), 1119–1134. https://doi.org/10.1007/S13762-016-1202-1.
- Feller, C., Beare, M.H., 1997. Physical control of soil organic matter dynamics in the Tropics. Geoderma 79, 69–116. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0016-7061(97)00039–6.
- Izzati M (2015) The Use of Seaweeds Sargassum Sp and Gracilaria Verrucosa as Soil Conditioneer to Enhance The Growth of Vigna Radiata in Sandy and Clay Soil. Undefined
- Izzati, M., Haryanti, S., Setiari, N., 2019. The use of macroalga sargassum sp. And Gracilaria verrucosa in improving sandy and clay soil fertility. J. Phys. Conf. Ser.1217. https://doi.org/10.1088/1742–6596/1217/1/012179.
- G. Burns, J.A. Davics, The microbiology of soil structure, Biol. Agric. Hortic. 3 (1986) 95e113.
- Roychoudhury, B.D. Kaushik, G.S.R. Krishnamurthy, G.S. Venkataraman, Effect of blue-green algae and Azolla application on the aggregation status of the soil, Curr. Sci. 48 (1979) 454e455.
- J. Cameron, G.R. Julian, Utilization of hydroxyapatite by cyanobacteria as their sole source of phosphate and Calcium, Plant Soil 109 (1988) 123e124.
- Bose, U.S. Nagpal, G.S. Venkataraman, S.K. Goyal, Solubilization of tricalcium phosphate by blue-green Algae, Curr. Sci. 7 (1971) 165e166.
- Roychoudhury, B.D. Kaushik, Solubilization of Mussorie rock phosphate by cyanobacteria, Curr. Sci. 58 (1989) 569e570.
- L.N. Rao, R.G. Burns, The effect of surface growth on blue-green algae and bryophytes on some microbiolog-Ical, biochemical and physical soil properties, Biol. Fert. Soils 9 (1991) 239e244.
- N. Ibrahim, M. Kamel, M. El-sherbeny, Effect of inoculation of alga Tolypothrix tenuis on the yield of rice and Soil nitrogen balance, Agrokem.Talajtan 20 (1971) 389e400.
- J. Acea, N. Diz, A. Prieto-Fernández, Microbial populations in heated soils inoculated with cyanobacteria, Biol. Fert. Soils 33 (2001) 118e125.
- L. Rogers, R.G. Burns, Changes in aggregate stability, nutrient status, indigenous microbial populations, and seedling emergence, following inoculation of soil with Nostoc muscorum, Biol. Fert. Soils 18 (1994) 209e215.
- K. Chaurasia, A. Parasnis, S.K. Apte, An integrative expression vector for strain improvement and environmental applications of the nitrogen fixing cyanobacterium, Anabaena sp. strain PCC7120, J. Microbiol. Methods 73 (2008) 133e141.

Research and Reviews : Journal of Crop science and Technology
| Volume | 14 |
| Issue | 01 |
| Received | 08/11/2024 |
| Accepted | 21/12/2024 |
| Published | 05/01/2025 |
Login
PlumX Metrics