International Journal of Engineering and Technical Research (IJETR)

ISSN: 2321-0869, Volume-2, Issue-4, April 2014

Algae as a Soil Conditioner

Saurabh Prakash & Kumar Nikhil

utilized in large quantities, present in plant tissue in amount

Abstract Field trials were conducted to check the ability of from 0.15% to 6.0% on dry matter basis where as
algal fertilizer and is compared with different organic and micronutrients are consumed in smaller quantity which are
inorganic fertilizers. Some of the extremely good algal species present in the plant tissue ranging from 0.15 to 400 ppm or
were checked on the basis of nutrient content and utilized as bio
less than 0.04% on dry matter basis[2].
fertilizer in laboratory as well as in field and shown outstanding
results. The result includes good water holding capacity of soil,
well aeration to root part, good soil binding capacity and
supplement of continuous and calculated nutrient to the soil. The
The other three important elements needed by all plants are
effectiveness of algae as a soil conditioner can be indicated by carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, supplied by water through
average improvement in physio- chemical property of soil or rainfall or irrigation and carbon di oxide is supplied through
improvement in plant growth. This reduces ill effect of chemical atmosphere. In the newly revolution of fertilizer algae as a
fertilizers eco friendly and shows sustainable results. Modern bio fertilizer is in research process. Algae represent a large
world is moving towards a life with balanced eco system which is group of micro organisms which are beneficial for enhancing
obtained by modern generation bio fertilizer made of algal soil productivity. They fixes atmospheric nitrogen and
species which shows better results. synthesize plant growth promoter. bio fertilizers are effective
replacement of chemical fertilizers and also more cost
Index Terms Algal bloom, algal fertilizer, B.G.A, soil-
acidification, soil nutrients.
effective[3]. Various fertilizers are used for different crops or
plants as per their requirements, such as inorganic or
I. INTRODUCTION inorganic nitrogenous fertilizer, phosphate fertilizer,
potassium fertilizer, etc which are discussed below.
Word soil conditioner refers to the chemically biologically
prepared substance used for the nourishment of soil which
essentially helps in growth of various plants. The word soil II. DIFFERENT SOIL CONDITIONER
conditioner somehow differs from fertilizer. Fertilizers only
supply nutrient to the soil but soil conditioner enhances the Soil conditioner or fertilizer are made to enrich soil quality
physical, chemical and biological health of soil. It increases for cultivation purpose. They are the only source which not
aeration, water holding capacity, nutrient viability to the soil only supply nutrient to the soil but also protect soil or plants
due to which soil texture and its quality also get improved from some of the agents which are causing damage. They
which supports vegetation. It brings down the essential provide more strength to the plant and can grow them in
elements and mineral, in a compact amount to the soil which adverse climatic condition. There are various sources of
upgrades the soil quality and makes it fertile. The mostly used nutrients present in our ecosystem either prepared in
fertilizers are of different types, such as organic and inorganic laboratory or grown naturally which are discussed below:
fertilizer which includes DAP, vermicompost, farmyard
manure, etc. Fertilizers are mainly in the form of inorganic, organic and
biofertilizers. Inorganic fertilizers are prepared chemically,
John Bennet Lawes, an English entrepreneur, began to classified in the form of nitrogenous, phosphate, potassium,
experiment on the effects of various manures on plants diammonium hydrogen phosphate, etc. Nitrogenous fertilizer
growing in pots in 1837, and a year or two later the are simply rich in nitrogen, a mineral used by every plant for
experiments were extended to crops in the field. One healthy growth and reproduction. Inorganic nitrogenous
immediate consequence was that in 1842 he patented a fertilizer comes in the form of sodium nitrate, also called
manure formed by treating phosphates with sulphuric acid, chilates and ammonium nitrate, used for quickly providing
and thus was the first to create the artificial manure industry. nitrogen to the soil. Ammonium chloride, ammonium nitrate
and ammonium sulphate are also used as general nitrogenous
Agriculture sector is focusing on research method to find fertilizer[4]. Urea is an another form which contains
effective bio fertilizer which promotes crop yield and at the maximum proportion of nitrogen used as a fertilizer. A major
same time do not cause damage to the ecosystem. Fertilizers nutrient of the fertilizer is phosphate which is necessary for
provides various essential nutrient which is added to the soil growth and reproduction in plants. Inorganic phosphate
and taken by plants for better growth[2]. They are broadly fertilizer comes in the form of rock phosphate, super
classified into macro and micro nutrients. Macronutrients are phosphate and slag. Natural deposit of rock phosphate is in
rocks where as super phosphate is manufactured from rock
phosphate and slag is produced as a by product of steel mills.
Manuscript received April 05, 2014.
Saurabh Prakash, Intrim Trainee, at EMG, CSIR-CIMFR Dhanbad,
It is used in over acidic soil or to remove the deficiency of
Jharkhand (Nov 2013- May 2014), from: College Of Commerce, Magadh phosphorous in soil[4]. Potassium is a major nutrient in the
University, Patna, Bihar, India, Mobile- +91-9122022282 fertilizer. Its organic outsource is kelp meal used to increase
Dr. Kumar Nikhil, Principal Scientist, EMG, CSIR CIMFR, Dhanbad, potassium content in soil, it should only be applied if its
Jharkhand, India, Mobile- +91-9835568089

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 Algae as a Soil Conditioner

deficiency is observed. Inorganic potassium is used along All of these finally harm the ecosystem which misbalance the
with potassium chloride and potassium sulphate to enrich the food chain and living organisms are main targets affected by
soil quality. Potassium chloride is also called muriate of this change. Disadvantage of complex fertilizer are some
potash whereas potassium sulphate is called sulphate of composted bio waste used as an organic fertilizer may support
potash. Both are water soluble hence quickly available to the growth of pathogens and other disease causing organisms
plants. Granite meal and green sand is also used for potassium if not properly composted[12]. Nutrients content are variable
enrichment[4]. Excess of potassium generally due to fertilizer, and their release to available forms that the plant can use may
further aggravate the stress from the magnesium deficiency[5]. not occur at the right time of plant growth[13].
Di ammonium hydrogen phosphate is used as a fertilizer for
better growth of plant, but on regular use it slightly increase Fertilizers are beneficial and essential for providing
the pH of soil [6]. DAP fertilizer is an excellent source of sufficient food to the huge population but they are causing
nitrogen and phosphate. It is incompatible with alkaline serious damage to the environment. For growing good yield
chemicals because its ammonium ion is more likely convert in farmers apply large amount of chemical fertilizers to the soil
to ammonia in a high-pH environment. but rather than giving good yield they are destroying the soil
quality. Chemical fertilizers easily dissolves in water and
Natural form of such fertilizer are also available in our settles down in the earth and pollutes the underground water
surrounding. Naturally organic nitrogen comes from by which results in various health problems from drinking that
products of plants and animals. In support of nitrogenous water. Similarly in the rainy seasons, heavy rain takes away
supplement to soil oil cakes, blood meal cotton seed meal, the fertilizers to pond and river which pollutes the aquatic
corn gluten meal, leather and fish meal are also used for ecosystem. Acid rain is an another effect of chemical
increasing nitrogenous content in soil. Its deficiency shows fertilizer. Scientists are researching the alternative of
poor plant growth, pale green and yellow leaves, insufficient chemical fertilizer to save whole environment and ecosystem
formation of chlorophyll, etc. Organic source of phosphate and step towards sustainable development. Using algae as a
includes bone meal and bat guano. soil conditioner is one step forward in a direction to resolve
these problems.
Organic fertilizers are prepared from organic source which
includes FYM, vermicompost, etc. FYM is one of the oldest
manure used for growing crops made from decomposed IV. ALGAE AS A SOIL CONDITIONER
mixture of dung and urine of farm animal along with their Algae as a soil conditioner is an organic, natural material and
litter and left over material from fodder roughage fed to the source of renewable energy. It retains water and essential
cattle. It is rich in nutrients and increase the physical, nutrients to the soil which is required for the proper growth of
chemical and biological property of soil[7]. The dumped a plant. It has been tried through various research for several
manures are converted in fertilizer in 5 6 months. years, algae is utilised as soil conditioner where its liquid
Vermicompost is one of the most successful bio fertilizer preparation and powered extracts are used effectively on
causing zero ill effect to soil or plant. It is a product of cereals crops due to which increase in crop yield, improved
heterogeneous mixture of decomposed vegetable on food nutrient uptake, resistant to pest has been reported.
waste, bedding materials of vermcast decomposed by
earthworm. These casting contains reduce level of
contaminants of higher nutrient value [8]. It contains most of Blue green algae are simplest autotrophic plant having a high
the useful nutrient require for the plant growth. Mostly value as a soil conditioner because of its ability of building up
flowering plants and fruiting plants grown by applying food materials from in organic matters and its ability to
vermicompost and shows good and productive results hence photosynthesize food and fix atmospheric nitrogen shows its
also known as garden fertilizer. symbiotic relation in paddy fields. Their anti fungal activity
makes them more suitable for use as bio fertilizer[14]. BGA
III. BENEFITS AND DRAWBACKS OF FERTILIZERS synthesize and liberate auxin and amino compounds which
Fertilizer materials are drawn from nature, and often stimulate the growth of plants, used particularly in rice
recombined, concentrated, blended and balanced according to crops[15]. A cyno bacteria an another algae species is used in
crop requirements. Applied fertilizer supplements the soils paddy field as a major component and its ability to fix
shortfall in providing adequate plant nutrition to grow food. nitrogen and proves itself beneficial for plant and soil[2].
Fertilizer materials are applied in an efficient, economic and
environmentally responsible manner, in order to grow the Giant Kelp (an algal species) is also used as a fertilizer with
worlds food supply [9]. a combination of other fertilizer which provides plants a high
value of nutrients they need. Kelp fertilizer comes in liquid,
Chemical fertilizer are causing water pollution by increase soluble powder and solid forms. This practice is in application
nitrogen and phosphorous level which cause some ecological in pacific coast of North America[16]. It provides all the
problems. Some of the major disadvantages of chemical major nutrients including 2.5 lbs of potassium which is a
fertilizers are land degradation, heavy use of chemicals major plant nutrient.
degrade health of soil, high level of chemicals are supplied
directly to crops and vegetables which is not fruitful with BGA has also proved very effective for seed treatment as
respect to health condition. Some agricultural problems are replacement to chemicals, used for the same by increasing the
soil acidification, trace mineral depletion[10], over yield, weight and oil content and also inducing resistance to
fertilization[11], lack of long term sustainability on fertilizers. Tikka disease in ground nut plant[14]. Several studies shows

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 International Journal of Engineering and Technical Research (IJETR)
ISSN: 2321-0869, Volume-2, Issue-4, April 2014

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ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The author thanks to the Director, CSIR- CIMFR, Dhanbad
to provide facility to complete the article. I am also thankful to
the reviewer for their valuable comments and remarks which
greatly improved this article.

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