The production process of microbial organic fertilizer lines allows for the creation of granular organic fertilizers. This granulation facilitates the application of the fertilizer and ensures quality control during sales and transportation.
Microbial organic fertilizers are fertilizer products that rely primarily on the life activities of microorganisms to provide specific fertilizer effects for crops. There is an essential difference between microbial fertilizers and micronutrient fertilizers: the former consists of living organisms, while the latter consists of mineral elements. Microbial resources are abundant, diverse, and versatile, allowing for the development of fertilizers with various functions and uses. Furthermore, microbial strains can be artificially selected, purified, and rejuvenated to enhance their vitality. With the further development of biotechnology, obtaining desired strains through genetic engineering methods has become possible.
Microbial fertilizers manufactured using organic fertilizer production equipment come in many varieties. Generally, they are classified into two major categories:
1.Narrow-sense Microbial Fertilizers: These refer to products where the life activities of microorganisms increase the supply of plant nutrients. This includes increasing the total supply of plant nutrients in the soil and production environment, improving the plant’s nutritional status, and thereby increasing yield. The representative variety of this category is Rhizobium fertilizer.
2.Broad-sense Microbial Fertilizers: In these products, the life activities of the microorganisms not only increase the supply of plant nutrients but also produce plant growth hormones, promote the absorption and utilization of nutrients by plants, or exert antagonistic effects against certain pathogenic microorganisms. This reduces crop diseases and pests, thereby promoting yield increases.
Classification by Microbial Type
Microbial fertilizers can be divided into five major categories based on the type of microorganism:
1.Bacterial Fertilizers: (e.g., Rhizobium, Nitrogen-fixing bacteria, Phosphate-solubilizing bacteria, Potassium-solubilizing bacteria, Photosynthetic bacteria).
2.Actinomycete Fertilizers: (e.g., Antibiotic-producing bacteria).
3.Fungal Fertilizers: (e.g., Mycorrhizal fungi, including ectomycorrhizal and endomycorrhizal agents).
4.Algal Fertilizers: (e.g., Nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria).
5.Compound Microbial Fertilizers: Fertilizers composed of two or more types of microorganisms combined in planned proportions.
Classification by Functional Characteristics
Based on their mode of action, they are divided into two types:
1.Microbial Inoculants:
These are produced using porous materials (such as peat) as adsorbents to absorb fermentation broth. This type of inoculant is used for seed dressing or root dipping. On one hand, beneficial microorganisms in the fertilizer improve the rhizosphere micro-ecology by increasing the supply of plant nutrients through their life activities. On the other hand, these beneficial microorganisms can spatially compete with pathogenic microorganisms on the crop root surface and in the rhizosphere through non-specific antagonism. This reduces the frequency and severity of pests and diseases, achieving the goal of crop yield increase.
2.Compound Microbial Fertilizers:
These belong to the category of compound fertilizers. Their composition and form are diverse, including combinations of multiple microorganisms or combinations of beneficial microorganisms with various additives. These additives include organic matter (livestock and poultry manure, peat, lignite, etc.) and inorganic matter (chemical fertilizers, trace elements), forming a composite product.