Futuristic Approaches in Biofertilizer Industry: Challenges, Opportunities, and Future Directions

Over the years conventional fertilizers have been replaced by biofertilizers owing to their negative impact on humans and the environment. Biofertilizers are an integral part of agricultural industries as they are responsible for maintaining the soil ecosystem and increasing the crop yield. Also, bio-based fertilizers have environment-friendly aspects that promote sustainable agriculture. The biofertilizers industry is at its boom and is experiencing an addition of new approaches with time. The future of organic fertilizers lies in the growth of microbial, nano-sized, and liquid biofertilizers as they have the potential to bring a green change in the crop industry. The most used microbial biofertilizers are nitrogenous (rhizobacteria, Azospirillum), fungal (mycorrhizae, penicillium), and endophytic (Pseudomonas, Rahnella). Nanobiofertilizers are composed of nanoparticles (gold, silver, iron-oxide, zinc) or nanocomposites (nanoforms of organic compounds). Concerning liquid biofertilizers the commonly used solutions (solubilizers) are nitrogen, potassium, and phosphate, which are the essential components of the fertilizers. This review gives a deep insight into the emerging forms of biofertilizers (microbial, nano, and liquid) along with their impact on the soil system and crop production. All the mentioned forms exhibit properties that increase and/or maintain the microbial, and nutrient balance in the soil consequently improving the crop yield. Not only this but also these biofertilizers help to preserve the essential components of nature and thus promote green agriculture. Although the upcoming biofertilizers have certain limitations which will be discussed in the articles along with this the futuristic direction will also be reflected upon to deal with the challenges faced while employing biofertilizers.