Determination of The Shelf Life of A Biofertilizer and Liquid Low Molecular Weight Chitosan (LMC) Mixture at Room and Cool Temperatures

Low cost and effective agriculture inputs are essential for sustainable agriculture production. Biofertilizer and liquid low molecular weight chitosan (LMC), otherwise well known as oligochitosan, produced from natural resources are alternatives to reduce dependency on chemical fertilizers and chemical based pesticides and pest repellents. Previous studies showed combination of biofertilizer and LMC enhanced productivity. Normal practices were to apply biofertilizer and LMC separately. These practices were labour intensive and time costing. Biofertilizer contains living microorganisms, and thus there was a concern on deleterious effect when oligochitosan was applied together with biofertilizer. The objective of the present study is to determine survival and shelf life of a biofertilizer microorganism in mixture with LMC. Acinetobacter baumannii (AP1) is a multifunctional biofertilizer bacterium with nitrogen (N₂) fixation, phosphate solubilisation and potassium solubilisation capabilities. AP1 was mixed with LMC. The mixtures were kept at room and cool temperature. The population of AP1 was determined monthly by serial dilution method. Results showed survival and shelf life of AP1 were good even after two months storage at room and cool temperature. The study will continue for up to six-month storage. (author)