INIFAP's Bacterial Biofertilizer Program

Abstract

The considerable reduction in agricultural profitability due to the increase in the prices of agricultural inputs, particularly chemical fertilizers and pesticides, prompted the Federal Government in 1998 to look for production alternatives tending to reduce the use of agrochemicals in our country. In light of the importance of maintaining food self-sufficiency and the profitability of agricultural activity in our country, the Biofertilizers Research Program of INIFAP received uninterrupted support from SAGARPA since 1999 to generate technologies regarding the development and management of biofertilizers, as well as achieving the implementation of schemes allowing the adoption of these products by producers. As a starting point, INIFAP tried to consolidate alliances between some of the main research institutions in Mexico to promote biofertilizers as an alternative to reducing the use of chemical fertilizers. In this first phase, microorganisms such as Glomus intraradices, Bradyrhizobium japonicum, Azospirillum brasilense and Rhizobium etli were used to minimize fertilization doses in some of the main basic crops of our country. After the success of this first initiative, mycorrhiza production centers were established by INIFAP in different parts of the country and, subsequently, a group of scientists from different research areas of this research institution was integrated. This research group initially focused on the study of plant growth-promoting bacteria, development and formulation of new and more efficient bacterial biofertilizers using local strains from the main agro-ecological regions of Mexico and, finally, transferring the technology for the use and application of these products to the mexican farmers. This review describes some of the main achievements reached by the Biofertilizers Research Group of INIFAP in bacterial biologics.