Organic Fertilizer from Algae: A Novel Approach Towards Sustainable Agriculture

Abstract

To meet the global demand for food requirement, today’s farmer is using synthetic fertilizers and pesticides enormously. Although such supplements have helped many developing countries to increase the crop yield, simultaneously it has also raised many issues. The use of synthetic fertilizers has not only increased the cost of food production, but also there is decrease of soil fertility and degradation of local ecosystem due to increase in pollutants in soil, water and air. Therefore, there is a need to look for such alternatives which not only can help in combating the pollution problem but can also be used to increase the crop production. The organic fertilizers or the biofertilizers are one of the alternatives, which are eco-friendly, cost-effective and enhance the soil quality without degrading the ecosystem. Amongst various available fertilizers, the organic fertilizers from algae are considered as a potential alternative to mainstream synthetic fertilizers, as these are rich in macronutrients, micronutrients, some growth regulators, etc. which directly help in improvement of growth and yield of crop plants. In the present chapter, various aspects and potentiality of both microalgae and macroalgae as organic fertilizer have been discussed.