Question Details

This is not a biofertilizer

Options

A

Agrobacterium

B

Nostoc

C

Rhizobium

D

Mycorrhiza

Correct Answer :

Agrobacterium

Solution :

The correct option is Agrobacterium.

To understand why this is the correct answer, let we break down what biofertilizers are and examine each option individually:
1. What is a biofertilizer?
Biofertilizers are preparations containing living microorganisms. When applied to seeds, plant surfaces, or soil, they colonize the rhizosphere or the interior of the plant and promote growth by increasing the supply or availability of primary nutrients to the host plant. Common examples include nitrogen-fixing bacteria, symbiotic fungi, and cyanobacteria.

2. Analyzing the options:
Nostoc: This is a genus of blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) that can fix atmospheric nitrogen. It is widely used as a biofertilizer, particularly in flooded rice fields.
Rhizobium: This is a symbiotic bacterium that colonizes the roots of leguminous plants, forming nodules where it fixes atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia, directly benefiting the plant. It is one of the most widely recognized biofertilizers.
Mycorrhiza: This represents a symbiotic association between a fungus and the roots of a vascular plant. The fungus assists the plant in absorbing water and essential nutrients (especially phosphorus) from the soil, functioning effectively as a biofertilizer.
Agrobacterium: Unlike the others, Agrobacterium is a genus of Gram-negative bacteria best known for being plant pathogens. For example, Agrobacterium tumefaciens causes crown gall disease in plants by transferring a specific segment of its DNA (the T-DNA) into the host plant's genome. Because of this ability, it is extensively used as a vector in genetic engineering rather than as a biofertilizer.

Therefore, Agrobacterium is not a biofertilizer.

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