Question

Microbes can be used to decrease the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Explain how this can be accomplished.

Answer 1

Chemical fertilizers are the major cause of concern as they cause environmental pollution. The microbes can be of great help in enriching the soil of its nutrients.

Such microbes are called biofertilizers. Such as bacteria (Azospirillum, Azotobacter) enrich the soil by adding nitrogen to it. Rhizobium is a symbiotic bacteria that help the legumes to fix atmospheric nitrogen.

Certain bacteria help is controlling the pests. Such as Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) when consumed by the butterfly larvae it releases toxins that kill the larvae.