Bioformulations: A Sustainable Alternative to Agrochemicals for Food Productivity and Security
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.59436/ijpsr.v2i2.6.3139-342XKeywords:
Formulation, Sustainable agriculture, ProductivityAbstract
Bioformulations are carrier-based preparations that improve soil health and plant growth by adding helpful microbes like Rhizobium, Trichoderma, or Plant Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria. Microbial viability, shelf life, and field performance are all determined by the formulation process, which has a significant impact on a bioformulation's effectiveness. The main stages of developing bioformulations are described in this review. Elite microbial strains are first isolated and screened for desired characteristics such as phosphate solubilization, nitrogen fixation, or antagonism against pathogens. To obtain high cell density, certain strains are mass multiplied in appropriate liquid media under ideal pH, temperature, and aeration conditions. After that, the microbial biomass is combined with carrier ingredients that offer nourishment and protection while being stored. Common carriers include peat, lignite, charcoal, vermiculite, and liquid formulations containing glycerol, CMC, or trehalose. To avoid contamination, the formulation step requires maintaining the correct moisture content, pH, and sterility levels. Efficacy is measured in laboratory, pot, and field experiments, with measures such as germination rate, plant biomass, nutrient uptake, yield growth, and disease suppression compared to uninoculated controls. Factors influencing efficacy include the strain's compatibility with the crop, carrier qualities, storage conditions, and soil environment. Recent improvements in encapsulation, lyophilization, and polymer-based formulations have increased bioinoculants' shelf life and stress resistance. Standardized formulation techniques are crucial for bridging the gap between laboratory achievement and farmer adoption of sustainable agriculture.
References
Aamir, M., Rai, K. K., Zehra, A., Dubey, M. K., Kumar, S., Shukla, V., & Upadhyay, R. S. (2020). Microbial bioformulation-based plant biostimulants: A plausible approach toward next generation of sustainable agriculture. In Microbial endophytes (pp. 195-225). Woodhead Publishing.
Abd El-Fattah, D. A., Eweda, W. E., Zayed, M. S., & Hassanein, M. K. (2013). Effect of carrier materials, sterilization method, and storage temperature on survival and biological activities of Azotobacter chroococcum inoculant. Annals of Agricultural Sciences, 58(2), 111-118.
Adesemoye, A. O., Torbert, H. A., & Kloepper, J. W. (2009). Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria allow reduced application rates of chemical fertilizers. Microbial ecology, 58(4), 921-929.
Alawiye, T. T., & Babalola, O. O. (2019). Bacterial diversity and community structure in typical plant rhizosphere. Diversity, 11(10), 179.
Arora, N. K., Khare, E., & Maheshwari, D. K. (2010). Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria: constraints in bioformulation, commercialization, and future strategies. In Plant growth and health promoting bacteria. Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer Berlin Heidelberg. (pp. 97-116)
Bargaz, A., Lyamlouli, K., Chtouki, M., Zeroual, Y., & Dhiba, D. (2018). Soil microbial resources for improving fertilizers efficiency in an integrated plant nutrient management system. Frontiers in microbiology, 9, 1606.
Bashan, Y., de-Bashan, L. E., Prabhu, S. R., & Hernandez, J. P. (2014). Advances in plant growth-promoting bacterial inoculant technology: formulations and practical perspectives (1998–2013). Plant and soil, 378(1), 1-33.
Berninger, T., González López, Ó., Bejarano, A., Preininger, C., & Sessitsch, A. (2018). Maintenance and assessment of cell viability in formulation of non‐sporulating bacterial inoculants. Microbial biotechnology, 11(2), 277-301.
Biessy, A., & Filion, M. (2018). Phenazines in plant‐beneficial Pseudomonas spp.: biosynthesis, regulation, function and genomics. Environmental Microbiology, 20(11), 3905-3917.
Brar, S. K., Verma, M., Tyagi, R. D., & Valéro, J. R. (2006). Recent advances in downstream processing and formulations of Bacillus thuringiensis based biopesticides. Process biochemistry, 41(2), 323-342.
Burges, H. D. & Jones, K. A. (1998). Formulation of microbial biopesticides: beneficial microorganisms, nematodes and seed treatments. Kluwer Academic, Dordrecht, p 411.
Confortin, T. C., Spannemberg, S. S., Todero, I., Luft, L., Brun, T., Alves, E. A., ... & Mazutti, M. A. (2019). Microbial enzymes as control agents of diseases and pests in organic agriculture. New and future developments in microbial biotechnology and bioengineering, 321-332.
Gross, H., & Loper, J. E. (2009). Genomics of secondary metabolite production by Pseudomonas spp. Natural product reports, 26(11), 1408-1446.
Gurusinghe, S., Brooks, T. L., Barrow, R. A., Zhu, X., Thotagamuwa, A., Dennis, P. G., ... & Weston, L. A. (2019). Technologies for the selection, culture and metabolic profiling of unique rhizosphere microorganisms for natural product discovery. Molecules, 24(10), 1955.
Ho, Y. N., Lee, H. J., Hsieh, C. T., Peng, C. C., & Yang, Y. L. (2018). Chemistry and biology of salicyl-capped siderophores. Studies in Natural Products Chemistry, 59, 431-490.
Ijaz, M., Ali, Q., Ashraf, S., Kamran, M., & Rehman, A. (2019). Development of future bioformulations for sustainable agriculture. Microbiome in plant health and disease: challenges and opportunities, 421-446.
Iqbal, B., Li, G., Alabbosh, K. F., Hussain, H., Khan, I., Tariq, M., ... & Ahmad, N. (2023). Advancing environmental sustainability through microbial reprogramming in growth improvement, stress alleviation, and phytoremediation. Plant stress, 10, 100283.
Jambhulkar, P. P., & Sharma, P. (2014). Development of bioformulation and delivery system of Pseudomonas fluorescens against bacterial leaf blight of rice (Xanthomonas oryzae Pv. oryzae). Journal of Environmental Biology, 35 (5), 843–849.
Jeyakumar, S. P., Dash, B., Singh, A. K., Suyal, D. C., & Soni, R. (2020). Nutrient cycling at higher altitudes. In Microbiological advancements for higher altitude agro-ecosystems & sustainability (pp. 293-305). Singapore: Springer Singapore.
Jeyarajan, R., & Nakkeeran, S. (2000). Exploitation of microorganisms and viruses as biocontrol agents for crop disease management. In Biocontrol Potential and its Exploitation in Sustainable Agriculture: Crop Diseases, Weeds, and Nematodes (pp. 95-116). Boston, MA: Springer US.
Keswani, C., Singh, H. B., García-Estrada, C., Caradus, J., He, Y. W., Mezaache-Aichour, S., ... & Sansinenea, E. (2020). Antimicrobial secondary metabolites from agriculturally important bacteria as next-generation pesticides. Applied microbiology and biotechnology, 104(3), 1013-1034.
Khan, A., Singh, A. V., Gautam, S. S., Agarwal, A., Punetha, A., Upadhayay, V. K., ... & Goel, R. (2023). Microbial bioformulation: a microbial assisted biostimulating fertilization technique for sustainable agriculture. Frontiers in Plant Science, 14, 1270039.
Kloepper, J. W. (1978). Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria on radishes. In Proc. of the 4th Internet. Conf. on Plant Pathogenic Bacter, Station de Pathologie Vegetale et Phytobacteriologie, INRA, Angers, France, 1978 (Vol. 2, pp. 879-882).
Lindow, S. E. (1987). Competitive exclusion of epiphytic bacteria by Ice− Pseudomonas syringae mutants. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 53(10), 2520-2527.
Malusá, E., Sas-Paszt, L., & Ciesielska, J. J. T. S. W. J. (2012). Technologies for beneficial microorganisms inocula used as biofertilizers. The scientific world journal, 2012(1), 491206.
Masschelein, J., Jenner, M., & Challis, G. L. (2017). Antibiotics from Gram-negative bacteria: a comprehensive overview and selected biosynthetic highlights. Natural product reports, 34(7), 712-783.
Matilla, M. A., Nogellova, V., Morel, B., Krell, T., & Salmond, G. P. (2016). Biosynthesis of the Acetyl‐CoA carboxylase‐inhibiting antibiotic, andrimid in Serratia is regulated by Hfq and the LysR‐type transcriptional regulator, AdmX. Environmental Microbiology, 18(11), 3635-3650.
Mawar, R., Manjunatha, B. L., & Kumar, S. (2021). Commercialization, diffusion and adoption of bioformulations for sustainable disease management in Indian arid agriculture: prospects and challenges. Circular Economy and Sustainability, 1(4), 1367-1385.
Mbarga, J. B., Begoude, B. A. D., Ambang, Z., Meboma, M., Kuaté, J., Schiffers, B., ... & Ten Hoopen, G. M. (2014). A new oil-based formulation of Trichoderma asperellum for the biological control of cacao black pod disease caused by Phytophthora megakarya. Biological Control, 77, 15-22.
Mishra, J., & Arora, N. K. (2016). Bioformulations for plant growth promotion and combating phytopathogens: a sustainable approach. In Bioformulations: For sustainable agriculture (pp. 3-33). New Delhi: Springer India.
Morrison, C. K., Arseneault, T., Novinscak, A., & Filion, M. (2017). Phenazine-1-carboxylic acid production by Pseudomonas fluorescens LBUM636 alters Phytophthora infestans growth and late blight development. Phytopathology, 107(3), 273-279.
Nagaraju, M. C., & Mohan, M. (2021). Recent advances in Bacillus thuringiensis formulations. Biopesticides in Horticultural Crops, 139-151.
Namsena, P., Bussaman, P., & Rattanasena, P. (2016). Bioformulation of Xenorhabdus stockiae PB09 for controlling mushroom mite, Luciaphorus perniciosus Rack. Bioresources and Bioprocessing, 3(1), 19.
Navon, A. (2000). Bacillus thuringiensis application in agriculture. In Entomopathogenic bacteria: from laboratory to field application (pp. 355-369). Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands.
Nguyen, H. M., Sako, K., Matsui, A., Suzuki, Y., Mostofa, M. G., Ha, C. V., ... & Seki, M. (2017). Ethanol enhances high-salinity stress tolerance by detoxifying reactive oxygen species in Arabidopsis thaliana and rice. Frontiers in plant science, 8, 1001.
Onofre-Lemus, J., Hernández-Lucas, I., Girard, L., & Caballero-Mellado, J. (2009). ACC (1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate) deaminase activity, a widespread trait in Burkholderia species, and its growth-promoting effect on tomato plants. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 75(20), 6581-6590.
Pawar, S., Chaudhari, A., Prabha, R., Shukla, R., & Singh, D. P. (2019). Microbial pyrrolnitrin: Natural metabolite with immense practical utility. Biomolecules, 9(9), 443.
Pieterse, C. M., Zamioudis, C., Berendsen, R. L., Weller, D. M., Van Wees, S. C., & Bakker, P. A. (2014). Induced systemic resistance by beneficial microbes. Annual review of phytopathology, 52(1), 347-375.
Rai, S., Mago, Y., Aggarwal, G., Yadav, A., & Tewari, S. (2024). Liquid bioformulation: a trending approach towards achieving sustainable agriculture. Molecular Biotechnology, 66(10), 2725-2750.
Rocha, I., Ma, Y., Vosátka, M., Freitas, H., & Oliveira, R. S. (2019). Growth and nutrition of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) under water deficit as influenced by microbial inoculation via seed coating. Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science, 205(5), 447-459.
Rojas-Sánchez, B., Guzmán-Guzmán, P., Morales-Cedeño, L. R., Orozco-Mosqueda, M. D. C., Saucedo-Martínez, B. C., Sánchez-Yáñez, J. M., ... & Santoyo, G. (2022). Bioencapsulation of microbial inoculants: mechanisms, formulation types and application techniques. Applied Biosciences, 1(2), 198-220.
Sahai, P., Sinha, V. B., & Dutta, R. (2019). Bioformulation and nanotechnology in pesticide and fertilizer delivery system for eco-friendly agriculture: a review. Sci Agric, 3, 2-10.
Samavat, S., Heydari, A., Zamanizadeh, H. R., Rezaee, S., & Aliabadi, A. A. (2014). Application of new bioformulations of Pseudomonas aureofaciens for biocontrol of cotton seedling damping-off. Journal of Plant Protection Research, 54(4).
Santos Kron, A., Zengerer, V., Bieri, M., Dreyfuss, V., Sostizzo, T., Schmid, M., ... & Pelludat, C. (2020). Pseudomonas orientalis F9 pyoverdine, safracin, and phenazine mutants remain effective antagonists against Erwinia amylovora in apple flowers. Applied and environmental microbiology, 86(8), e02620-19.
Schisler, D. A., Slininger, P. J., Behle, R. W., & Jackson, M. A. (2004). Formulation of Bacillus spp. for biological control of plant diseases. Phytopathology, 94(11), 1267-1271.
Singh, A. V., Khan, A., & Joshi, M. (2020). Plant–microbe interaction: A sustainable strategy to elevate salinity tolerance in plants. In Microbes and signaling biomolecules against plant stress: strategies of plant-microbe relationships for better survival (pp. 37-54). Singapore: Springer Singapore.
Singh, J., Singh, A. V., Upadhayay, V. K., & Khan, A. (2020). Comparative evaluation of developed carrier based bioformulations bearing multifarious PGP properties and their effect on shelf life under different storage conditions.
Soni, R., Kumar, V., Suyal, D. C., Jain, L., & Goel, R. (2017). Metagenomics of plant rhizosphere microbiome. In Understanding Host-Microbiome Interactions-An Omics Approach: Omics of Host-Microbiome Association (pp. 193-205). Singapore: Springer Singapore.
Strehmel, N., Böttcher, C., Schmidt, S., & Scheel, D. (2014). Profiling of secondary metabolites in root exudates of Arabidopsis thaliana. Phytochemistry, 108, 35-46.
Suryadi, Y., Susilowati, D. N., Kadir, T. S., Zaffan, Z. R., Hikmawati, N., & Mubarik, N. R. (2013). Bioformulation of antagonistic bacterial consortium for controlling blast, sheath blight and bacterial blight diseases on rice.
Suyal, D. C., Joshi, D., Debbarma, P., Soni, R., Das, B., & Goel, R. (2019). Soil metagenomics: unculturable microbial diversity and its function. In Mycorrhizosphere and pedogenesis (pp. 355-362). Singapore: Springer Singapore.
Tamez-Guerra, P., McGuire, M. R., Medrano-Roldan, H., Galan-Wong, L. J., Shasha, B. S., & Vega, F. E. (1996). Sprayable granule formulations for Bacillus thuringiensis. Journal of economic entomology, 89(6), 1424-1430.
Tewari, S., Pooniya, V., & Sharma, S. (2020). Next generation bioformulation prepared by amalgamating Bradyrhizobium, cell free culture supernatant, and exopolysaccharides enhances the indigenous rhizospheric rhizobial population, nodulation, and productivity of pigeon pea. Applied Soil Ecology, 147, 103363.
Thistlethwaite, I. R., Bull, F. M., Cui, C., Walker, P. D., Gao, S. S., Wang, L., ... & Willis, C. L. (2017). Elucidation of the relative and absolute stereochemistry of the kalimantacin/batumin antibiotics. Chemical Science, 8(9), 6196-6201.
Upadhayay, V. K., Singh, A. V., Khan, A., & Pareek, N. (2021). Influence of zinc solubilizing bacterial co-inoculation with zinc oxide supplement on rice plant growth and Zn uptake. Journal of Pharmaceutical Innovation, 10, 113–116.
Vassilev, N., Vassileva, M., Lopez, A., Martos, V., Reyes, A., Maksimovic, I., ... & Malusa, E. (2015). Unexploited potential of some biotechnological techniques for biofertilizer production and formulation. Applied microbiology and biotechnology, 99(12), 4983-4996.
Vassilev, N., Vassileva, M., Martos, V., Garcia del Moral, L. F., Kowalska, J., Tylkowski, B., & Malusá, E. (2020). Formulation of microbial inoculants by encapsulation in natural polysaccharides: focus on beneficial properties of carrier additives and derivatives. Frontiers in plant science, 11, 270.
Vishwakarma, K., Kumar, V., Tripathi, D. K., & Sharma, S. (2018). Characterization of rhizobacterial isolates from Brassica juncea for multitrait plant growth promotion and their viability studies on carriers. Environmental Sustainability, 1(3), 253-265.
Wong, C. K. F., Saidi, N. B., Vadamalai, G., Teh, C. Y., & Zulperi, D. (2019). Effect of bioformulations on the biocontrol efficacy, microbial viability and storage stability of a consortium of biocontrol agents against Fusarium wilt of banana. Journal of applied microbiology, 127(2), 544-555.
Wu, Z., Li, X., Liu, X., Dong, J., Fan, D., Xu, X., & He, Y. (2020). Membrane shell permeability of Rs-198 microcapsules and their ability for growth promoting bioactivity compound releasing. Rsc Advances, 10(2), 1159-1171.
Zaidi, A., Khan, M. S., Saif, S., Rizvi, A., Ahmed, B., & Shahid, M. (2017). Role of nitrogenfixing plant growth‐promoting rhizobacteria in sustainable production of vegetables. In: Zaidi A, Khan MS, editors. Current perspective in microbial strategies for vegetable production. Cham: Springer. p. 49–79.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Sangeeta Yadav, Suhani, Devesh Kumar (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
