Microbial Biotechnology

Soil is the habitat of a very rich diversity of microorganisms such as bacteria, aktinomicetes, fungi, protozoa, algae and viruses. Soil-fertile agricultural land contains more than 100 million microbes per gram of soil. Productivity and carrying capacity of the land depends on the activity of these microbes. Most of the soil microbes have a role favorable for agriculture. Among other soil microbes play a role in degrading organic waste agriculture, re-cycling plant nutrients, biological fixation of nitrogen from the air, dissolving phosphate, stimulating the growth of plants, biocontrol of plant pathogens, helps absorption of plant nutrients, and establish mutually beneficial symbiosis. Soil-based microbial biotechnology developed by utilizing their important role that soil microbes.

Bioactive Compost Technology 

One of the fundamental problems that are often encountered when applying organic farming is soil organic matter content and low soil nutrient status. Organic farmers overcome these problems by providing green manure or manure. Green manure and manure actually is organic waste that has been destroying so it becomes more available to plants. Organic waste such as leaf litter, litter, dirt farm animals can not be directly attributed to the plant. Organic waste should be destroyed / composted in advance by soil microbes into nutrients that can be absorbed by plants. Naturally the composting process takes a very long time, ranging from six months to a year until the organic materials are actually available to plants.Organic waste destruction process can be accelerated by using microbial crusher (decomposers), which has a high ability. The use of this crusher microbes can shorten the decomposition process of several months to a few weeks. On the market today are many available products biodekomposer to accelerate the composting process, for example: SuperDec, OrgaDec, EM4, EM Lestari, Starbio, Degra Simba, stardec, and others.

Dr. Didiek H Goenadi, Executive Director of the Indonesian Forestry Research Institute, defines the bioactive compost as compost produced with the help of microbes lignoselulolitik superior who remain in the compost and act as biological control agents of plant diseases. SuperDec and OrgaDec, biodekomposer products developed by Biotechnology Research Institute of Plantation Indonesia (IBRIEC), developed based on this philosophy. Microbes excel biodekomposer used is Trichoderman pseudokoningii, Cytopaga sp, and white rot fungi. The microbe is able to accelerate the composting process to around 2-3 weeks. Microbes remain alive and active in the compost. When the compost is applied to the soil, the microbes will act to control microbial pathogens cause plant diseases.Advantages of using bioactive compost for organic farming in addition to accelerate the composting time and provide high-quality compost, also serves as a biological agent to control plant diseases, especially diseases that attack from the ground. Concerns of organic farmers would plant is vulnerable to disease can be overcome by using bioactive compost.

Biofertilizer 

Organic farmers are very allergic to chemical fertilizers or other synthetic fertilizers. To meet the nutrient needs of plants, organic farmers generally rely on compost as the main source of plant nutrition. Unfortunately the low nutrient content of the compost. Compost ripe haranya content of approximately: 1.69% N, 0:34% P2O5 and 2.81% K. In other words hundred kilograms of compost equivalent to 1.69 kg Urea, SP 36 kg 0:34, and 2:18 kg KCl. For example to cultivate rice which needs haranya kg Urea / ha, SP 36 kg / ha and kg KCl / ha, then the compost is needed of approximately tons of compost / ha. Such a large amount of compost requires more labor and implies also the cost of production.Many soil microbes that play a role in the provision of maupaun absorption of nutrients for plants. Three essential plant nutrients, namely nitrogen (N), phosphate (P) and potassium (K) all involved a soil microbial activity. Hara N is actually abundant in the air. Approximately 74% air content is N. However, N air can not be directly absorbed by the plant. None of the plants that can absorb N from the air. N must be fixed / tethered by soil microbes and transformed to become available to plants. N fastening microbes there are symbiotic with plants and some are living freely around the plant roots. N fastening microbes symbiotic among others: Rhizobium sp. Rhizobium sp living in root nodules of legumes (leguminose). N fastening microbes non-symbiotic example: Azospirillum and Azotobacter sp sp. N fastening symbiotic microbes can only be used for crops leguminose only, while non-symbiotic N fastening microbes can be used for all types of plants.

Other soil microbes that play a role in the provision of plant nutrients are microbes solvent phosphate (P) and potassium (K). Soils that old fertilizer superphosphate (TSP / SP 36) generally P content was high enough (saturated). However, this bit of P / not available for plants, because it is bound to clay minerals soluble. This is where the role of microbial solvents P. These microbes will break the bonds P of mineral clay and make them available to plants. Many microbes are capable of dissolving P, among others: Aspergillus sp, Penicillium sp, Zerowilia lipolitika, Pseudomonas sp ..., ............ Microbial highly capable of dissolving P, generally also highly skilled in dissolving K.Other microbial groups that also play a role in uptake of P is Mycorrhiza. There are at least two types of mycorrhizae are often used for biofertilizer, namely: ectomycorrhiza and endomikoriza. Ectomycorrhiza often found in plants hard / woody, while endomikoriza found in many plants, either woody plants or not. Mycorrhiza live symbiotically on the roots of plants. Mycorrhizae play a role in dissolving P and helps the absorption of P by plants. In addition bermikoriza plants are also generally more resistant to drought. Examples of mycorrhizae are often found is Glomus sp and sp Gigaspora.Some soil microbes are also able to produce plant hormones that can stimulate plant growth. Hormones produced by microbes would be absorbed by the plants so that the plants will grow faster or bigger. Groups of microbes that are able to produce plant hormones, among others: Pseudomonas sp and Azotobacter sp.Soil microbes that are beneficial to dissolve nutrients, helps absorption of nutrients, and stimulate plant growth is formulated in a special carrier material and used as biofertilizer for organic farming. Results of research conducted by IBRIEC get that biofertilizer at least be able to supply more than half the crop nutrient needs. Biofertilizer developed by IBRIEC include: Gold, Rhiphosant, Kamizae, and Simbionriza.

Biocontrol Agents 

Pests and plant diseases is one of the serious obstacles in the cultivation of organic agriculture. The types of plants that used to be protected by chemical pesticides such as the types of hybrids, generally very rentah against pests and diseases when cultivated with organic systems. Its true nature has provided a natural protection mechanism. In nature there are microbes that can control pathogenic organisms. Microbe or pathogen will attack plants when there is an imbalance between the population of microbial pathogens with the controller. Here the number of pathogenic organisms greater than the number of microbes controller. If we can menyeimbangakan population of both types of these organisms, the plant pests and diseases can be avoided.

Microbes that can control crop pests include: Bacil thurigiensis (BT), Bauveria bassiana, Paecilomyces fumosoroseus, and Metharizium anisopliae. These microbes are able to attack and kill various insects which become pests. Microbes that can control plant diseases for example: Trichoderma sp. Trichoderma sp able to control plant diseases caused by Gonoderma sp, JAP (white root fungus), or Phytoptora sp.

Applications in Organic Farming 

Microbial biotechnology products almost exclusively use natural materials. These products can meet the needs of organic farmers. The need for soil organic matter and plant nutrients can be filled with bioactive compost and compost activator. Biofertilizer application in organic farming can supply the nutrient needs of plants that have been met from chemical fertilizers. Pests and plant diseases can be controlled by using biokotrol.

So far, farmers Indonesia to implement organic farming systems rely on compost and tend to let pests and plant diseases. With the availability of microbial-based biotechnology, organic farmers do not have to worry about the problem of availability of organic matter, nutrients and pests and plant diseases.