Chapter 25 - Cyanobacteria as a source of biofertilizers for sustainable agriculture

Abstract

Sustainable agriculture is a concept rather than a specific methodology, which includes advancement in agricultural management practices and technology. Convention agriculture is facing either reduced production or increased cost or both. An ever-increasing amount of fertilizer and pesticide as well as energy requirement for tilling to aerate soil and increasing irrigation cost is a prime concern. Today the drive for productivity is increasingly combined with the desire and even the demand for sustainability. Improvement in sustainable agriculture requires the optimum use and management of soil fertility and its physiochemical property. Cyanobacteria recently emerge as a potential candidate as biofertilizer who can fulfill the demand of sustainable agriculture need due to their ability to efficiently harvest solar energy and convert it into biomass by simple utilization of carbon dioxide, water, and nutrient. Cyanobacteria are widely adapted to survive against various extreme environments. During phylogeny, cyanobacteria are exposed to a variety of stress, the main being water and salt stress. Cyanobacteria are one of the major components of the nitrogen-fixing biomass in paddy fields and provide a potential source of nitrogen fixation at no cost. Due to the important characteristic of nitrogen fixation, cyanobacteria have a unique potential to contribute to enhancing productivity in a variety of agricultural and ecological situations. Small-scale farmers using cyanobacteria as biofertilizers have the potential to provide larger and more sustainable yields and healthier soils for themselves and their communities.