Agriculture has been a part of the human world ever since it was first discovered by the prehistoric humans. Since then it has been an essential practice that ensures survival as well as proper health of human beings. Every country small or big is directly or indirectly dependent on agriculture to provide food to its population.
As you may have heard before, India is an agricultural country which means that its economy is greatly dependent on agriculture. Agriculture is practiced far and wide in the country. In such cases, sustainable agriculture becomes very important.
Sustainable Agriculture
In simple terms, sustainable agriculture is the practice of agriculture in order to provide food and fiber whilst using techniques that are safe for the environment, public health as well as animal welfare. There are several microorganisms, insects, plants, animals, etc., that are beneficial in sustainable agriculture and they may be referred to as agriculture friendly.
Most of the agriculture friendly organisms are microorganisms. Bacteria and Fungi are the commonly found beneficial microorganisms in agriculture. However, some viruses too are helpful in plant growth and resistibility to drought. Soil bacteria are widely used in crop production and they are referred to as Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR).
These soil bacteria help widely in nitrogen fixation and are very important in the nitrogen cycle. They are divided into symbiotic and free living bacteria. The symbiotic bacteria are those that form an association with the roots of plants stimulating the formation of root nodules. Nitrogen is converted to ammonia in these nodules and utilized by the plant.
Examples of Symbiotic Nitrogen Fixing Bacteria Are
Rhizobium, Brady rhizobium, Azorhizobium, Allorhizobium, Sino rhizobium and Mesorhizobium.The free living nitrogen fixing bacteria belong to species: Azospirilum, Enterobacter, Klebsiella and Pseudomonas. Apart from nitrogen fixation they also provide protection from phytopathogens and certain plant diseases. Image-Root nodules due to symbiotic association.
Mycorrhiza: An Association
An association between fungi and roots of higher plants called the Mycorrhiza is in plant growth. The mycorrhizae are again divided into two types: Endomycorrhiza and Ectomycorrhiza. Endomycorrhizal fungi penetrate within the cell walls and form arbuscules within the cells. Arbuscules are small tree like structures that are organs of nutrient exchange.
The ectomycorrhizal fungi form a more exogenous association with the plant. These fungi form associations with the roots of higher plants and help in the uptake of nutrients from deeper especially Phosphorous which is low in motility .The fungi on the other hand derive nutrition from the host plant. Apart from this they are also now being used to control pests.
How This Association Works
Increased root surface area for absorption. Virus are almost always immediately considered as pathogens, however, some experiments showed that viruses are not always harmful. One experiment showed that the virus infected plants had higher tolerance to drought. Also viruses were seen playing a role in heat tolerance for some plants growing in geothermal areas.
Baculovirus are natural pathogens of several insects (mostly lepidopteran).They are used in biocontrol as species specific bio pesticides. Not all insects are harmful and damaging for crops in agriculture. In fact the percentage of harm causing insects is lesser compared to those that are not harmful. Many insects are also beneficial to plants in several ways.
They maybe predators or parasites of several pest insects (Example: Spiders and some beetles, flies and lacewings are predators of insects. Wasps are parasitic insects which lay their eggs inside insects).Certain insects like bees, honey bees, butterflies and moths help in pollination of plants. Thus, insects are mostly helpful in biocontrol and pollination.
Earthworms
Another very common beneficial insect in agriculture is the earthworm belonging to the phylum Annelida .They can be of two types the burrowing and non-burrowing type. The non-burrowing earthworms are red in color and also known as red worms. Earthworms are efficient decomposers and therefore help in production of humus.
They also help improve soil structure and are great fertilizers. As a result they are often known as a farmer’s best friend. The excretory product of the worms called casting are usually nutrient rich (nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium).
The red worms are more efficient than the burrowing worms. These worms are also used in composting known as vermicomposting which is the natural degradation of agricultural waste by the earthworms.
This in turn provides humus for fertilizer. Farm animals may also be considered as agriculture friendly. Rearing of cattle and simultaneously cultivating crops is an effective method of sustainable agriculture. Animals such as cows, horses, bulls, donkeys, sheep, and goat prove very useful in agriculture.
Pesticides and fertilizers and other chemical products are very widely used in agriculture which proved to be hazardous for the environment and also for the consumer. A method of sustainable agriculture is now becoming widespread and is called organic farming.
Why We Should Use Micro-organisms?
This type of farming utilizes the natural processes of the ecosystem and avoids the use of synthetic substances such as fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, etc., for crop and livestock production. Hence, organic farming utilizes a lot of these agriculture friendly organisms.
Sustainable agriculture is an important step towards preserving what remains of our environment for future use. Hence, its practice must be much more greatly encouraged in the years to come.
Written By - Nidhi Verma
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