Formulating biofertilizers based on duckweed biomass, and plant-growth promoting bacteria

Alternative fertilizers are urgently needed for transition to sustainable agriculture, which is aligned with Sustainable Development Goal 2 of the United Nations. According to some projections, the raw materials for mineral fertilizers will be depleted by 2050. Moreover, the overreliance on mineral fertilizers severely disturbed the nitrogen and phosphorus cycles in nature and led to global water eutrophication. Duckweed and plant-growth promoting bacteria from its rhizosphere may be used to formulate biofertilizers. Duckweed also connect circular economy with sustainable agriculture as they can utilize excess nitrogen and sequester phosphorus suspended in agricultural runoff. In this way, nutrients can be returned back to the soil where they can be used by the crops. Moreover, the plant-growth promoting bacteria stimulate the productivity, yield, and resilience of plants, which, combined with duckweed biomass, may significantly increase the productivity of the crops while reducing costs associated with production and transport of mineral fertilizers.