Azolla: A review of its biology and utilization

The Azolla-Anabaena beneficial interaction is extraordinary because of its high

profitability joined with its capacity to fix nitrogen at high rates. Because of the developing worry
about thev preservation of the earth and the need for conveying renewable and sustainable
resources; the use of Azolla as an organic fertilizer on agrarian harvests, in order to provide a
natural source of the crucial nutrient nitrogen, can be beneficial to the eventual fate of our planet.
Other than the ecological propriety of the utilization of Azolla, for large numbers of ranchers in
numerous places of the world who can't bear the cost of compound fertilizers, Azolla application
can improve their monetary status, expanding yields while limiting expenses. Because of the way
that rice paddy fields structure a perfect situation for Azolla, one of its most reasonable applications
is on rice (Wagner, 1997).

Azolla: Biology and agronomic significance

Azolla is a class of little exquisite water plants with an overall dissemination. The variety
has inborn enthusiasm for that its individuals are equipped for acclimatizing climatic nitrogen, the
genuine specialist of obsession probably being the blue-green alga that is perpetually present in
holes in their leaves.

This strange property might be, to some extent, the reason for its utilization in farming in
some tropical regions. In different pieces of the world it is viewed as a disturbance. Azolla is a
genuine case of a plant being a yield in the ideal spot and a weed in an inappropriate spot. Data
concerning Azolla is generally dispersed through the writing and a lot of it is in dialects other than
English. This survey has been set up with the object of examining a portion of this data, especially
that identifying with nitrogen obsession and the down to earth importance of Azolla (Moore, 1969).
 Azolla: An aquatic pteridophyte with great potential

The small fast growing free floating fern has global distribution. Azolla is a dichotomously
branched free floating aquatic fern naturally available on moist soils, ditches and marshy ponds.
The shape of Indian species is typically triangular measuring about 1.5 to 3.0 cm in length, 1 to 2
cm in breadth. Fronds has tiny roots usually associated with rich microphylla, short branched stem
called rhizome covered with small alternate overlapping leaves thesporophyte has dorsiventral
organization and each leaf is divided into dorsal and ventral lobe., the ventral lobe is thin almost
colourless and distal half is only one celled thick. The aerial dorsal leaf lobe has multi layered
mesophyll adaxial and abaxial epidermal tissues, numerous stomata and single celled papillae. In
the dorsal leaf lobe there is an ellipsoidal cavity which is formed by the enfolding of the adaxial
epidermis. The cavity largely filled with gases is lined with mucilage which contains the
cyanobiont Anabaena azollae and a gram positive non-nitrogen fixing bacteria identified as
Arthrobacter species (Raja, Rathau, John, & Rateke, 2012).

Azolla-Anabaena Symbiosis: Use in Agriculture

Azolla is a quickly developing aquatic fern which lives in harmonious relationship with the
filamentous nitrogen-fixing cyanobacterium Anabaena. The Azolla-Anabaena affiliation has a
gigantic potential for giving photosynthetic generation of nitrogen manure. This section audits and
abridges data that is accessible on the rural uses of Azolla. Development of Azolla expanded grain
and straw yield, yet in addition improved the nature of grain by expanding its protein content.
When utilizing Azolla as a nitrogen compost, it is essential to decide the proper inoculum thickness
for effective development/creation. Azolla inocula are ceaselessly developed in alleged duplication
focuses or readiness plots and lakes. Overwintering, spring nursery engendering, oversummering,
and pre-winter nursery proliferation are for the most part procedures used to store or spread Azolla
inocula consistently. In many regions, double editing of rice and Azolla is the dominating strategy
by which Azolla is applied as a nitrogen manure (Nierzwicki-Bauer, 1990).
 Use of Azolla in Asian agriculture

The water greenery Azolla has incredible potential as a nitrogen manure in rice
development because of essence of the blue-green alga Anabaena azollae in its leaf cavities, which
fixes the climatic nitrogen productively. This greenery quickly products in waterlogged paddy
fields and could be become both as a green compost before planting and as a double yield
subsequent to planting of rice. Both these practices are versatile under Asian conditions and
increment the development and yield of rice just as soil fruitfulness. Azolla double harvest breaks
down after tangle arrangement and advantages the rice crop, yet its joining in the dirt as a green
excrement gives better outcomes. Use of basal portion of nitrogen through compound composts or
green manuring with Azolla is alluring alongside its double trimming for better tillering of rice.
Despite the fact that Azolla green manuring pursued by a couple of double yields can meet the
whole N necessity of rice, a mix of substance N composts and Azolla performs better (Singh,
1989).

Reevaluation of azolla utilization in agricultural production

For a really long time Azolla has been contemplated essentially as wellspring of N for rice
fields. Most writing on Azolla spins around this fairly restricted application. The systems for
development and use of Azolla have been created from the customary techniques for developing
Azolla in relationship with rice and consolidating it as a manure. Ongoing examinations, anyway
demonstrated that the potential for Azolla in rural generation goes a long ways past its N2-
obsession capacity or its utilization as green fertilizer. A reconsideration of Azolla to grow better
approaches to use it and to give it full play in agrarian creation is suggested (Chung-chu, 1987).
 Azolla—Anabaena symbiosis — its physiology and use in tropical agriculture

Azolla is a water fern widely distributed in aquatic habitats like ponds, canals, and paddies
in temperate and tropical regions. This plant has been of interest to botanists and Asian agronomists
because of its symbiotic association with a N2-fixing blue-green alga and rapid growth in nitrogen-
deficient habitats (Watanabe, 1982)

Advancements in the Utilization of Azolla-Anabaena System in Relation to Sustainable

Agricultural Practices

The nitrogen fixing amphibian pteridophyte Azolla can fix air nitrogen at less expensive
and quicker rates due to the nearness of a cooperative cyanobacterium Anabaena azollae. In light
of this property it has been misused generally as biofertilizer for rice plants. Notwithstanding this
it has a few different uses, for example, nourishment, feed, biogas maker and hyperaccumulator of
substantial metals and so on. As a result of the multifaceted uses the advancement and utilization
of Azolla-Anabaena framework would be perfect and condition inviting in practical agribusiness.
(Abraham, Yadav, Singh, & Singh, 2014)
 Improving soil fertility through Azolla application in low land rice: A review

The nonstop uses of concoction manures negatively affect soil natural issue saves, soil
wellbeing and ecological security. The utilization of Bio-manures like Azolla expands the rice
efficiency as well as improves the long haul soil ripeness. Azolla is a quickly developing sea-going
pteridophyte which fixes air Nitrogen by shaping a cooperative relationship with the Blue-Green
Algae, Anabaena azollae. Azolla is a proficient Nitrogen fixer. It is developed in marsh rice fields
on the grounds that overwhelmed living space is appropriate for it. Under ideal field condition, it
fixes air nitrogen at a rate surpassing that of the Legume-Rhizobium cooperative relationship. It
builds the rice yield equal to that created by 30-60 kg N/ha. As green fertilizer in water logged
soil, it upgrades the quick mineralization of nitrogen. It lessens the NH 3 volatilization misfortunes
through its impact on floodwater pH that prompts the preservation of urea-N in the framework to
improve the productivity of N composts. It altogether improves the physical and concoction
properties of the dirt incorporating improvement in soil microbial exercises. It helps moreover of
Organic Matter and arrival of cations, for example, Magnesium, Calcium and Sodium. The all out
N, accessible P and replaceable K in the dirt and N-take-up by rice can be improved. Hence, Azolla
application is considered as a decent practice for continuing soil fruitfulness and harvest
profitability independent of certain impediments (Subedi, Shrestha, Jiban, 2015).

Changes in Soil Chemical Properties of Organic Paddy Field with Azolla Application

The utilization of natural compost is an approach to improve soil fruitfulness. Azolla can
be utilized as natural manure. This investigation intends to decide the impact of (Azolla
mycrophylla. L) On some dirt compound properties on natural paddy field. The field tests utilized
factorial complete randomized square structure of three variables, specifically Azolla (0 and 2
tons/ha), Manure (0 and 10 tons/ha) and Rice Varieties (Mira1, Mentik Wangi and Merah Putih),
with multiple times replication. Utilizing Azolla on a natural paddy field doesn't essentially build
the degrees of soil N, natural C, Cation Exchange Capacity and soil pH. Anyway Azolla's impact
on soil accessible P is noteworthy (Syamsiyah, 2017).