Biophosphate: A Microbial Phosphate Fertilizer

Indonesian Agricultural Biotechnology and Genetic Resources Research Institute
Indonesia
E-mail: rifcd@indo.net.id, 2003-10-01

Efforts to increase agricultural production in Indonesia face several constraints, in terms of soil fertility. The availability of phosphorus (P) in the soil is very low, because of the high rate of P fixation in the soil. Most rice fields in Indonesia are saturated with P, but in the form of fixed phosphate in soil, so that crops cannot utilize it.

A microbial fertilizer called Bio-Phosphate has been developed to increase the solubility of P, which is unavailable in soil or from fertilizer. Bio-Phosphate increases the solubility of phosphate so it can be taken up by plants. It combines effective phosphate-solubilizing microbes and mychorrizae with a carrier material (Fig. 1). The combination is then enriched by adding the micronutrients required by microbes and plants.

Benefits of Bio-Phosphate

• It increases the solubility of fixed phosphate in soil or phosphate fertilizer, so that it becomes available for plants.
• It increases the absorption of nutrients by plants.
• It improves soil fertility and the nutrient balance of the soil.

Feasibility of Bio-Phosphate

• Selected strains with high potential are widely available in Indonesia, and probably in other tropical Asian countries.
• The carrier material is abundant and cheap in Indonesia.
• The production process is simple and low-cost, yielding a high-quality product.
• There is a good marketing potential for the product, and it is easy to develop and to produce.

Advantages of Bio-Phosphate

• It is widely adaptable, and can be applied to lowland paddy fields, dry uplands, and dry acidic soils.
• It is processed using sophisticated technology which prevents contamination by other microbes.
• It increases the efficiency of phosphate fertilizer applications by up to 50%.
• It can be used for food crops, horticultural crops, plantation crops and forest trees.
• It is safe for the environment.

Research results show that the application of Bio-Phosphate can increase phosphate availability by two to four times in the soil, and improves the nutrient absorption of nitrogen (N) by eight to ten times, compared to soils without Bio-phosphate.

Index of Images

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  Figure 1 Mychorrhizae (Left) and Microbes (on Right) Used for Biophos. on Right: Closeup of Bio-Phosphate

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