Biofertilizers: A natural input of soil fertility management for vegetable production: A review

Sustainable vegetable production is the need of the hour for optimum plant growth, development, higher productivity and balanced and sufficient availability of nutrients. In order to maintain soil fertility and higher vegetable production, chemical fertilizers are being used widely. However incessant use of fertilizers causes decline in soil quality, health as well as productivity of the crop. Continuous use of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) fertilizers leads to soil acidity. The potential biological N₂-fixing Azotobacter and Azospirillum and P-solubilizing bacteria such as Bacillus and Pseudomonas and the vesicular arbuscular mycorrhizae play a vital role in nitrogen and phosphorus nutrition of horticultural crops. Application of biofertilizers is greatly involved in the accumulation of soil enzymes which directly reflects on soil fertility index. The effective biofertilizers for crops not only provide economic benefits to the farmers but also improve and maintain the soil fertility.