ABSTRACT
In man’s continued effort to enhance food production, new high yielding crop varieties and new techniques for crop and field management are constantly evolving, resulting in the parallel increase of chemical fertilizer used to boost the yield. But continuous use of chemical fertilizers lead to environmental pollution and loss of soil fertility. These chemical fertilizers destroy natural soil microflora and result in a reduced humus layer of soil, affecting natural fertility and sustainability of crop yield. To sustain agriculture production of crops, maintenance of soil fertility and soil health is essential. In this regard, microorganisms play an important role in the cycling of nutrients, decomposition of waste residues, and other related activities to maintain productivity. These organisms are generally called biofertilizers or, more precisely, bioinoculants (Singh, 1998). Biofertilizers are preparations containing viable forms of beneficial microorganisms intended for seed, plant, or soil applications. They can affect growth and yield of plants either directly or indirectly through different mechanisms. These are ecofriendly, self-replicating, and easily manageable inputs that augment and increase the availability of crop nutrients.
