Issue No.2, March 2003

2002 FNCA Workshop on Biofertilizer, 20-23 August, 2002, Beijing, China
Sponsor by : The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan (MEXT)
China Atomic Energy Authority (CAEA)
Local organizer: Institute for Application of Atomic Energy, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS)
Secretariat: Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) of Japan
Japan Atomic Industrial Forum (JAIF) as the secretariat.

The workshop was attended by project leaders of biofertilizer from each of participating countries, i.e.
Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.

Six participants from Japan, four

participants and one invited speaker from China attended the workshop. Eight country reports describing thecurrent status of biofertilizers, such as rhizobia, mycorrhiza, associative nitrogen fixing bacteria and phosphatesolubilizing microorganisms in each country and one invited paper from China were presented. Also, four
selected topics were presented by Japanese experts. At this workshop, topics of 2002 were reviewed and theplans for 2003 were discussed.
In order to enhance the use of biofertilizers, a manual for biofertilizers was proposed to published during theproject period: Vietnam: Chief editor; Japan: General methodology; Vietnam: Rhizobia; Korea, Vietnam: Qualitycontrol; Malaysia and Thailand: Mycorrhiza; China, the Philippines and Indonesia: Associative nitrogen fixing
bacteria; Korea: Phosphate solubilizing microorganisms. The manual will be published during the project
period.
Biofertilizer web-site will be constructed in the FNCA web-site, which includes mailing list and workshop
information such as country reports, invited lecture and topics.
It was decided to separate the FNCA Workshop on Biofertilizer from the FNCA Workshop on Mutation
Breeding. The next Biofertilizer Workshop will be held in Vietnam.
The Biofertilizer group made technical visit to the Institute for Application of Atomic Energy, Chinese
Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS). The participants appreciated the efforts and guidance of the staff ofhosting laboratory.
It was agreed that the Philippines would host the 2003 FNCA Mutation Breeding Workshop and Vietnam the2003 FNCA Biofertilizer Workshop. All participants appreciated the candidature of Malaysia as the venue for the2004 Mutation Breeding Workshop.

1Achievements of 2002 on Selection of Effective Microorganisms(1) Evaluation by tracer technique and other methods
Nitrogen fixation activity and P absorption activity can be most reliably evaluated by 15N and 32P tracer
technique. For field evaluation of leguminous crops, 15N natural abundance method, relative ureide method,and N-difference method may be useful.
(2) Environmental adaptability with the crops
Inoculant with the target crops should be adapted for the environmental conditions in various regions.
Selection of inoculant from indigenous microorganisms may be more adaptable than foreign inoculants.
(3) Compatibility with the crops
Inoculant of biofertilizer should be compatible with the target crops. It is necessary to evaluate thecompatibility with various varieties and cultivars.
(4) Identification of effective microorganisms
Identification of effective microorganisms should be carried out based onphenotypic characterization
and/or 16S γRNA sequencing.
(5) Use of non-nodulating plant mutants
The use of non-nodulating mutants of leguminous crop is useful as a reference plants of N-difference
method, 15N dilution technique and 15N natural abundance method. Non-nodulating mutant of soybean isavailable and the other legumes can be obtained by radiation breeding or chemical mutagens.
(6) Competition between inoculated and indigenous microorganisms
In the field where the indigenous strains of the inoculating microorganisms are present, an appropriate
inoculation method should be taken to overcome the problem of the “competition”.

Profile of Project Leaders of China, Indonesia and Philipines(Profile of Project Leader of each Country is/will be described briefly in this issue and later ones)

Dr. Pan Jiarong
Soil Scientist of Plant Nutrition
Project Leader of China
Institute for Application of Atomic Energy
Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences,Beijing 100094, China
Projects (as Chief Scientific Investigator)
1. Modeling of CERES Crop Models for Nitrogen Management;
2. The Use of Nuclear Techniques to Study the Use Efficiency and Uptake Efficiency of Ammonium
Bicarbonate;
3. The Use of Nuclear and Related Techniques to Optimize the management of Nitrogen Fertilizer,

2Straw and Water for Aerobic rice/Wheat Rotation at Southwest China;
4. Associative Nitrogen Fixation in Rice and wheat/Biofertilizer application;
5. Restoration of Soil Fertility and Sustenance of Agricultural Productivity
6. Assessment of Transgenic Products;
7. Methods of Analysis, Detect and Control of Food Safety.

Bio-fertilizer Related works
Since 1977 when A-15, a strains of associative nitrogen fixing bacteria, Alcaligenes faecalis, wasisolated from rhizosphere of rice roots, its physiological characteristics and evaluation of its biologicalnitrogen fixation/mechanism have been studied for two dozens of years. It showed that A-15
(1) Can not only be adsorbed on root surface, but also enter into rice roots and live there;(2) Can exude ammonium which could utilized by rice, 1/3 nitrogen fixed utilization by rice during a courseof 69 h;(3) Exude plant regulator, such as IAA and GA3, to promote the growth of rice;(4) Contains nitrate reductase and increase the uptake of nitrogen by rice roots;(5) Increase the uptake of nutrients by rice roots
On the basis of better understanding of interaction between plants and A15, genes (Nitrogen fixation
genes and their regulation genes) were cloned and genetically-modified strain, A1514 was obtained. A
compound bio-fertilizer, “Shenli” Bio-fertilizer, with A1514 as key strain was manufactured, which is thefirst transgenic nitrogen fixation bio-fertilizer for plant use. Since 1995, it has been put into
industrialization, at a scale of about 20,000 tons annually.
Biofertilizer Team:Lin Min, Pan Jiarong, Lu Wei, Ping Shuzhen, Chen Ming, Zhang Wei------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------MS. SOERTINI GANDANEGARA
Senior Research Staff at Soil and Plant Nutrition
Project Leader of Indonesia
Division of Agriculture
Center for R&D of Isotopes and Radiation technology
P.O.Box 7002, JKSKL 12070, Indonesia

Bio-fertilizer Related works
1983-1989, Biological Nitrogen Fixation of soybean mutant lines in collaboration with Plant Mutation
Breeding Research Group using isotope (15N) and related technique.
1990-1993, Collaboration Program on Biological Nitrogen Fixation of soybean in acid soil under EEC
program with Wageningen Agricultural University and Research Center for Biotechnology,
Indonesian Institute for Science.
1999-

IAEA TC Project INS 5/028 on Biotechnology of Azospirillum with Research Center for
Biotechnology on Azospirillum in Maize.
Selection of mixed inoculants in several maize hybrids, the use of Azolla and Sesbania inlowland rice, and Glyciridia in cropping pattern (rice-soybean-maize) in upland condition

3Biofertilizer Team:MS. SOERTINI GANDANEGARA
Mr. Sudono Slamet
Some laboratory and field technicians
Scientists from Assessment Institute for Agricultural Technology, Lampung Province
Sembawa Research. Institute, Rubber Research Center, South Sumatera.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------MS. CRISPINA MAIQUEZ-ROSALES
Senior Science Research Specialist onUse of Nuclear Techniques in SoilFertility and Plant Nutrition
Project Leader of the Philippines
Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI),Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines

Projects (as Chief Scientific Investigator)
1.

Isotope-aided Micronutrient Studies on Rice Production with Special Reference to Zinc Deficiency

2.

Biological Nitrogen Fixation in Food Legumes

3.

The Use of Nuclear Techniques in Assessing Nitrogen Efficiency in Irrigated Rice Cropping

4.

Quantification of Biological Nitrogen Fixation Under Environmental Stress

5.

The Use of Nuclear Techniques for the Promotion of the Agroforestry Systems

6.

Restoration of Soil Fertility and Sustenance of Agricultural Productivity

7.

Bio-fertilizer Production and Application

Highlights of Project 2002 – Research work on Bio N
Bio N is a nitrogen fixing inoculant for rice. It is an effective and cheap source of nitrogen as
claimed by the researchers who discovered the said bacteria. Thus, a field experiment was conducted inDalwangan, Bukidnon to determine the efficiency of N uptake from inorganic fertilizer and BIO N
inoculant using 15N.
Initial results from samples collected at between panicle initiation and flowering stage growth ofrice indicates that higher fertilizer N yield and Fertilizer N Use Efficiency (FUE) for treatments with half
recommended rate plus BIO N inoculant. This assessment is not final yet since the results of laboratory
analyses of samples collected at maturity growth of rice is still in progress.

Editors:
Pan Jiarong
Institute for Application of Atomic Energy
Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences
P.O.Box 5109, Beijing 100094, China
Phone:+86-10-62815875 Fax:+86-10-62895356 E-mail:panjr@263.net
Mari Miura
Secretariat for the FNCA Biofertilizer Project
Asia Cooperation Center
Japan Atomic Industrial Forum, Inc.
1-2-13 Shiba-Daimon, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-8605 JAPAN
Phone: +81-3-5777-0753
Fax : +81-3-5777-0757 E-mail: mmiura@jaif.or.jp

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