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2.5 APPLICATION OF BIOFERTILIZERS ON VEGETABLES
For vegetables, the biofertilizers commonly used are Azotobacter and phosphate solubilizers.
There are four methods for application of biofertilizers in vegetables:
- Seed treatment;
- Cut-piece/set treatment;
- Seedling treatment;
- Soil application.
Seed Treatment
- About 200 g of biofertilizers is required to treat 10–14 kg of seeds.
- Suspend one packet of 200 g in approximately 400 ml water and mix it thoroughly.
- Pour this mixture on seeds and mix with hands to obtain uniform coating on each and every seed.
- Spread the seeds in shade for drying for 10–15 minutes then sow them immediately.
Set treatment
- Prepare a culture suspension by mixing 1 kg of culture in 50–60 litres water.
- The cut pieces of planting material required for 1 acre are kept immersed in the suspension for 10–15 minutes.
- Then bring out these cut pieces and allow to dry for some time before planting.
- The cut-pieces method is applicable for crops like potato.
Seedling treatment
- Seedling treatment is recommended for tomato, chilli pepper, onion etc.
- Prepare the suspension by mixing 1 kg of culture in 10–15 litres of water.
- Get seedlings required for 1 acre and make small bundles of seedlings.
- Dip the seedlings in the suspension for 15–20 minutes.
- Transplant these immediately.
- Generally, the ratio of inoculants and water should be 1:10 approximately, i.e. a 1 kg packet in 10 litres of water.
Soil Application
- Prepare the mixture of 2–3 kg of biofertilizer in 40–60 kg of soil/compost.
- Broadcast the mixture in one acre of land, either at sowing time or 24 hours before sowing. The application of phosphate solubilizers is very common.
2.5.1 Application of biofertilizers on tomato crops
The recommended biofertilizers for tomato are Azotobacter in combination with PSB. Mycorrhizal inoculation gives additional benefit for mobilizing nutrients and overcoming soil moisture stress. Biofertilizers are applied by seed coating, seedling root dip and soil application.
SEED TREATMENT:
- Keep the seeds required for sowing one acre of land in a heap on a clean-cemented floor or polyethylene sheet.
- Prepare culture suspension by mixing one packet (200 g) each of Azotobacter and PSB biofertilizer in approx. 800 ml of water.
- Sprinkle the culture suspension on the tomato seeds and mix.
- Spread the seeds to dry under shade for some time and then sow.
An alternate method involves 10% sugar solution or 10% solution of gum Arabic sprinkled on the seeds serving as a sticker for biofertilizers to seeds. Dry the seeds by spreading them under shade for some time and then sow. Add the contents of the inoculant packet uniformly over sticker-coated seeds and simultaneously mix the contents. Prepare the suspension by mixing 1 kg (5 packets) each of Azotobacter and PSB culture in 15–20 litres of water. Get the tomato seedlings required for one acre of land. Dip the root portion of seedlings in the suspension for 30 minutes and transfer to the main field.
SOIL APPLICATION METHOD:
- Mix 2–3 kg each of the Azotobacter and PSB culture packets with 100 kg of well decomposed cattle manure/compost for one acre of land and sprinkle water to the mixer.
- Keep the mixer overnight for curing.
- Broadcast into soil at the time of planting or at the time of irrigation.
Mycorrhizal Application in Tomato:
- Apply mycorrhizal culture in the tomato nursery at 100 g/m2 three centimeters below the soil.
- For planting out, apply 20 g mycorrhizal culture per seedling into the planting pit and cover with soil.
- For existing plants, apply mycorrhizal culture at 20 g near the root zone along with other fertilizers.