question_answer

How are biofertilizers different from fertilizers such as NPK that we buy in the market? Justify the role of Rhizobium as a biofertilizer.

Answer:

NPK fertilizers are chemical fertilizers which are composed ofnitrogen(N), phosphorus(P) and potassium(K). Excessive use of these chemical fertilizers causes deterioration of soil by destroying natural bacterial population and increased salt content of the soil. While biofertilizers are organisms that enrich the quality of soil by natural process and do not harm the soil. The bacterium Rhizobium present in the root nodules of leguminous plants fix atmospheric nitrogen thereby increasing the fertility of soil. Thus, Rhizobium is a natural biofertilizer.