Vocational education teachers
LP Specification
2. LP aim
The aim of LP8 is to provide general information about:
- The most common used biofertilizers and biopesticides
- Biofertilizers contribution to soil fertility and plant nutrition
- Quality control of biofertilizers
- Existing guidelines for quality evaluation of biofertilizers
- Trends in biofertilizers production
- The multistep procedure for production of biofertilizers including: development of an effective inoculant, choice of carrier, application of stickers and additives
- Current policies of EU on organic farming
- Fostering organic agriculture in a greener and fairer Common Agriculture Policies
3. Knowledge background
Basic knowledge in:
- soil and fertilizers
- microbial physiology and ecology
- microbiology
- fertilizers and trends
- chemistry
- organic farming and law
4. Anticipated Learning Outcomes
Knowledge and understanding
Upon completion of the LP, the trainees are expected to:
- Learn, implement and enhance common knowledge about bio fertilizers and bio pesticides in the agriculture area,
- Understand different types of bio fertilizers, advantages and disadvantages of bio fertilizers.
- Learn, implement and enhance existing knowledge in the area of biofertilizers and organic farming.
- Be aware of the efficacy of biofertilizers compared to the use of inorganic fertilizers.
- Differentiate the socio-economic factors necessary to sustain biofertiliser technology
- Outline and apply general concepts of quality management.
- Recognize and use various parameters for biofertilizers quality testing.
- Describe quality assessment procedures for different types of biofertilizers: Rhizobium; non-symbiotic N2-fixer; mycorrhizal fungi and phosphate solubilizers
- Learn, implement and enhance common knowledge about basic parameters of biofertilizers market, marketing and eco-friendly technologies.
- Understand the advantages and disadvantages of biofertilezers market
- Understand the role of biofertilizers as vital segment from Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
- Learn, implement and enhance existing knowledge in biofertilizers’ composition and procedures applied for their production.
- Identify the efficacy of biofertilizers depending on their specific formulations
- Know, implement and improve current EU policies for organic farming;
- Understand the EU Action plan on organic farming and its operation, especially Action 6 functioning;
- Recognize EU Organic Food and Farming Policy and organic legislation developments;
- Raise awareness on the broader EU policy framework on organic farming perspectives
Intellectual skills
Upon completion of the LP, the trainees are expected to develop higher order skills that are reflected in their ability to:
- Prepare analysis how do most popular biofertilizers work
- Explain and analyze the application of biofertilizers
- Write and communicate educational papers about new biofertilizers, and making them available to the teachers’ community further discussions
- Comparing parameters about liquid and carrier-based forms
- Prepare analysis of the application and environmental impact of biofertilizers and communicate the results to different targets: industry, business, government, general public
- Write and communicate scientific papers and reports detailing research and new findings, and making them available to the scientific community further discussions
- Prepare quality parameters
- Apply general concepts of quality management in define subject area
- Interpret data related to biofertilizers quality assessment
- Perform training and explain major issues in biofertilizers quality management procedures
- Prepare marketing analysis in different context –quality and quantity, needs, sales and legislation.
- Presentation of the benefits of the biofertilezers market
- Understanding the trends in biofertilezers’ innovative production
- Describe principal characteristics of common used biofertilizers
- Differentiate between various types of biofertilizers and their principal application
- Perform service as a technical expert in biofertilizers formulation
- Interpret assessment/investigation findings related to biofertilizers production and present them to the broad audience
- Analyze EU organic farming policies and action plans for their implementation
- Conduct practical application of EC CAP
- Develop and apply logical thinking in solving problems associated with CAP financial support
Professional skills
Upon completion of the LP, the trainees will be able to:
- Advice trainees how to represent biofertilizers as a better fertilizers.
- Design and carry out constrains of biofertilizers and biofertilizer technology.
- Train agricultural extension workers;
- Promote biofertilizers through proved advantages, especially liquid forms.
- Know how to compare the common fertilizers with biofertilizers
- Advice organizations and business representatives on development and implementation of microbial biofertilizers as technological innovation, their
- efficacy and income effect.
- Design and carry out environmental impact assessments to identify changes
- Train agricultural extension workers;
- Promote biofertilisers through field demonstrations
- Develop protocols for biofertilizers quality assessment
- Initiate actions to maintain or improve quality of biofertilizers
- Perform inspections and give advice on biofertilizer’s quality provision
- Handle specific quality and risk assessment issues during biofertilizers field application
- Advice trainees how to recognize innovative biofertilizers trends.
- Understand and implement the innovative products as key players in sustainable agriculture.
- Promote biofertilisers innovative products for improving soil fertility, plant tolerance and crop productivity.
- Select components and production procedures for biofertilizer formulation
- Analyze situation and advice organizations about type and production procedures to be used when biofertilizers are applied
- Present, promote and train farmers in biofertilizers selection, production and application
- Advice organizations and business representatives on EC CAP application in Rural Development programmes;
- Implement into practice RDP measures combined with organic farming support;
- Utilize Cohesion and Structural Funds for organic farming development;
- Train agro-economists and agro-advisors;
- Promote EC CAP through instruction sessions performance.
Wider competences
Upon completion of the LP, the trainees will be able to:
- Understand and present the key role of biofertilizers in the sustainable agriculture
- Be independent, dynamic and organized, to think critically and creatively
- Influence and motivate others; to have organization, planning and judgment skills
- Communicate effectively, clearly and concisely; capable of team work
- Use modern technological tools to facilitate organisation and logistics
- Manage multiple tasks simultaneously
- Use the reasonable eco-friendly innovative product to improve and sustain the soil, plant and crop.
8. References and useful readings
- Araujo A. S. F., Santos V. B., Monteiro R. T. R. Responses of soil microbial biomass and activity for practices of organic and conventional farming systems in Piauistate, Brazil. Eur J Soil Biol., 2008, 44: 225-230. 10.1016/j.ejsobi.2007.06.001.
- Biofertilizer Manual by FNCA Biofertilizer, 2006, Japan Atomic Industrial Forum (JAIF)
- Borkar S. G. Microbes as Biofertilizers and their Production Technology, 2015, Woodhead Publishing India Pvt. Ltd.
- Dabbert, S., Häring, A.M., Zanoli, 2004. Organic farming: policies and prospects. London: Zed Books
- DG Agriculture and Rural Development, 2013. Facts and figures on organic agriculture in the European Union. Brussels: European Commission. Available at: ec.europa.eu/agriculture/ markets-and-prices/more-reports/pdf/organic-2013_en.pdf
- European Commission, 2004. European Action Plan for Organic Food and Farming. COM (2004) 415. Brussels: European Commission. Available from: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do? uri=COM:2004:0415:FIN:EN:PDF
- Food and Agricultural organization of the United Nations, Soil bulletin 20, Prof. Dr. Zulkifli Hj. Shamsuddin, University Putra Malaysia, in Inaugural Lecture of 17th June 2005
- Gonzalez, L. J., Rodelas, B., Pozo, C.,. Salmeron, V., Mart nez M. V. and Salmeron, V. Liberation of amino acids by heterotrophic nitrogen fixing bacteria. Amino Acids, 2005, 28: 363-367.
- Herrmann L & Lesueur D. Challenges of formulation and quality of biofertilizers for successful inoculation. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol, 2013, 97:8859–8873
- International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD), 2009. Agriculture at a Crossroads. Global Report. Washington, DC: Island Press
- Malus E., Sas-Paszt L., Ciesielska J. Technologies for Beneficial Microorganisms Inocula Used as Biofertilizers. The Scientific World Journal, 2012, Article ID 491206
- Marschner, H. Mineral nutrition of higher plants (2nd ed)., 1995, Academic Press, London
- Matthew, C. J., Bjorkman, M. K., David, A. M., Saito and P. J. Zehr. Regional distributions of nitrogen-fixing bacteria in the Pacific Ocean. Limnol. Oceanogr, 2008, 53: 63-77.
- Megali L, Glauser G, Rasmann S. Fertilization with beneficial microorganisms decreases tomato defenses against insect pests. Agron Sustain Dev., 2013, doi:10.1007/s13593-013-0187-0.
- Organic Farming: Organic Inputs and Techniques: http://agritech.tnau.ac.in/org_farm/orgfarm_biofertilizertechnology.html
- Raja N. Bio pesticides and bio fertilizers: ecofriendly sources for sustainable agriculture. J Biofertil Biopestici, 2013, vol.4 (1).
- Sahoo R. K., Ansari M. W., Pradhan M., Dangar T. K., Mohanty S., Tuteja N. Phenotypic and molecular characterization of efficient native Azospirillum strains from rice fields for crop improvement. Protoplasma, 2014 doi:10.1007/s00709-013-0607-7
- Sanders, J., Stolze, M. and Padel, S. eds. 2011. Use and efficiency of public support measures addressing organic farming. Braunschweig: Thünen-Institute of Farm Economics. Available from: www.ec.europa.eu/agriculture/external-studies/2012/organic-farming-support/full_text_en.pdf
- SOER 2015 — The European environment — state and outlook 2015
- Wani S. A, Chand S., Ali T. Potential Use of Azotobacter chroococcum in Crop Production: An Overview. Curr Agri Res J, 2013 1: 35–38.
- Yadav A. K., Chandra K. Mass Production and Quality Control of Microbial Inoculants. Proc Indian Natn Sci Acad, 2014, 80 (2): 483-489
- Youssef M. M. A., Eissa M. F. M: Biofertilizers and their role in management of plant parasitic nematodes . A review. E3 J Biotechnol. Pharm Res, 2014, 5: 1-6.
9. LP authors
LO1: Why biofertilizers??
Dr. Nataliya Kostadinova
Polya Dimitrova
LO2: Trends in biofertilizers production
Dr. Nataliya Kostadinova
Polya Dimitrova
LO3: Common used bio-fertilizers
Assist. Prof. Anna Tomova
LO5: Production of biofertilizers
Assoc. Prof. Ventsislava Petrova
Dr. Kliment Petrov
LO6: Quality control of biofertilizers
Dr. Kliment Petrov
Assoc. Prof. Ventsislava Petrova
LO11: EU policies in organic farming
Assoc. Prof. Anna Kujumdzieva
Assoc. Prof. Trayana Nedeva
Certification
Bio-FIT project proposes Qualification Awarding System (Bio-FIT QAS) that envisages upon completion of Bio-FIT training programme, trainees to gain two types of qualifications:
- Awards. To get an award a trainee has to have 1 to 13 credit points which equals 10 to 120 hours of learning.
- Certificates. Certificates are given upon acquisition of 14 to 30 credits which equals 130 to 300 hours.
The two types of qualification can be given at any level of difficulty, specified by the training programme (5, 6 or 7). This is due to the fact that these documents reveal the size of the qualification and not its difficulty level. The latter is indicated by the title of the qualification, which also reveals the size of the qualification and its subject.
