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

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Generally, farmers use chemical fertilizers and pesticides in their fields. However, these chemical-based fertilizers and pesticides have deleterious effects on us. They tend to pollute the environment including soil and nearby water bodies. The fruits, vegetables and grains grown in fields in chemical fertilizers and pesticides, the chemicals get incorporated in them and they become toxic for animals and humans. Thus, farmers need to find more environmental friendly methods to control pests and fertilize the soil.  Biocontrol agents and biofertilizers are being used now to control pests and fertilize the soil respectively. 

Microbes as biocontrol agents

These are microbes or other biological organisms that can be used to control pest and parasite populations in fields. For example, the Bt toxins of Bacillus thuringiensis are used to control lepidopteran insects. Trichoderma is free-living fungi that are very common in the root systems and control several plant pathogens. Baculoviruses are also pathogens that attack insects and other arthropods. The majority of baculoviruses used as biological control agents are in the genus Nucleopolyhedrovirus. These viruses are excellent candidates for species-specific, narrow spectrum insecticidal applications.

Microbes as biofertilizers

Bio fertilisers are organisms that enrich the nutrient quality of the soil. The main sources include bacteria, fungi and cyanobacteria. The root nodule formed by Rhizobium bacteria on the root of leguminous plants increases the nitrogen level of soil, necessary for various metabolic processes. Azotobacter and Azospirillum are free-living bacteria that live in soil and fix atmospheric nitrogen into organic forms. Cyanobacteria such as Nostoc, Anabaena are autotrophic microbes found in aquatic and terrestrial environment that fix atmospheric nitrogen. 

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