Impact of Biological Fertilizers Based on Essential Bacterial Stimulants on Rice Growth and Production

Biological fertilizers are a group of living organisms whose activities can improve soil fertility, fertilizers that contain microbes and are useful for helping plant growth. The purpose of this study was to analyze the growth and production of rice plants against the application of biological fertilizers. There are 7 bacterial isolates used as biofertilizers, namely, Bacillus sp., two Pseudomonas sp. strains, two Azospirillum sp. strains, and two Azotobacter sp. strains. This study used an experimental design method through a one-factor randomized block design. The treatment in the study consisted of no fertilization, compost, 100% NPK, 7 isolates enriched compost, 7 isolates enriched compost+50% NPK, 4 isolates enriched compost, and 4 isolates enriched compost+50% NPK. The results showed that compost enriched with biological fertilizers could increase the nutrient content of the soil, thereby increasing the growth and production of rice plants. Treatment of compost enriched with 7 isolates+50% NPK gave the highest yield, both for rice plants. The use of biological fertilizers can reduce the dose of inorganic fertilizer use by up to 50% in rice cultivation.