What is bio-organic fertilizer, and how should it be used correctly?

In recent years, bio-organic fertilizer has gradually gained favor in the market and has become the fertilizer of choice for growing organic crops, with broad room for development. However, many people do not know much about it, so what is bio-organic fertilizer? And how should it be used?

1. What is bio-organic fertilizer?

Bio-organic fertilizer refers to a type of fertilizer made by combining specific functional microorganisms with organic materials that mainly come from plant and animal residues (such as livestock and poultry manure, crop straw, etc.) and have undergone harmless treatment and composting. It has the effects of both microbial fertilizer and organic fertilizer. The roles (functions) of bio-organic fertilizer are mainly to improve the soil, enhance the soil's water- and fertilizer-holding capacity, promote plant growth, improve the plant's disease prevention and resistance capacity, increase fertilizer use efficiency, and provide functions such as soil remediation and pesticide degradation.

Compared with chemical fertilizers, bio-organic fertilizer has more complete nutrient elements. Long-term use can effectively improve the soil, regulate the soil and rhizosphere microecological balance, improve the crop's resistance to pests and diseases, and improve product quality;

Compared with farmyard manure and refined organic fertilizer, the fundamental advantage of bio-organic fertilizer lies in this: the functional bacteria in bio-organic fertilizer have specific effects on improving soil fertility and promoting crop growth, while farmyard manure and refined organic fertilizer are produced by natural fermentation and do not have the special effects of functional bacteria;

Compared with microbial inoculants, bio-organic fertilizer contains both functional bacteria and organic matter. In addition to improving the soil, organic matter itself is the living environment for functional bacteria. After being applied to the soil, the functional bacteria are more likely to colonize and take effect; while microbial fertilizer contains only functional bacteria, and the functional bacteria in it may not be suitable for some soil environments and may be unable to survive or take effect. On the other hand, bio-organic fertilizer is cheaper than microbial fertilizer. Bio-organic fertilizer is of great significance to building a resource-saving and environment-friendly society, and is an inevitable choice for achieving sustainable agricultural development.

2. How should bio-organic fertilizer be used?

Different fertilization methods are chosen for bio-organic fertilizer according to different crops. The commonly used application methods of bio-organic fertilizer are:

1. Seed application method: during mechanical sowing, mix granular bio-organic fertilizer evenly with a small amount of chemical fertilizer and apply it into the soil with the seeder.

2. Broadcast application method: in combination with deep ploughing or at sowing time, apply bio-organic fertilizer evenly in the area where the root system is concentrated and in the soil layer that remains moist for a long time, so that soil and fertilizer are blended together.

3. Strip trench application method: for row-sown crops or fruit trees such as grapes, open a trench and then apply fertilizer and sow, or open a trench 5cm away from the fruit tree and apply fertilizer.

4. Ring trench application method: for young fruit trees such as apples, peaches, and pears, open a ring-shaped trench around the trunk at a distance of 20-30cm from the trunk, apply fertilizer, and then cover with soil.

5. Radial trench application: for mature fruit trees such as apples, peaches, and pears, at a distance of 30cm from the trunk, open 4-5 trenches 50cm long around the tree according to the spread of the fruit tree's root system, apply fertilizer, and then cover with soil.

6. Hole application method: for dibbled or transplanted crops, such as corn, cotton, tomatoes, etc., apply the fertilizer into the sowing hole, and then sow or transplant.

7. Root dipping method: for transplanted crops, such as rice, tomatoes, etc., prepare a fertilizer suspension by adding 5 parts water to bio-organic fertilizer, dip the seedling roots in it, and then plant.

8. Seed-covering fertilizer method: after opening a trench and sowing, evenly cover the seeds with bio-organic fertilizer.

3. Can bio-organic fertilizer completely replace pesticides?

Bio-organic fertilizer can improve the soil environment, enhance crop stress resistance, play a preventive role against soil-borne diseases, and maintain crop health. However, its therapeutic effect is limited. For crops that are already diseased, pesticides are still needed for more potent treatment.