AsianScientist (Nov. 17, 2025) – The Sundarbans — the mangrove forest space between India and Bangladesh — are identified for his or her local weather vulnerability, frequent cyclones, and the lack of lives and livelihoods. The mangroves within the area function prominently in public discussions as a result of they function a pure protect in opposition to local weather disasters corresponding to excessive cyclones, defending not simply the Sundarbans but in addition human settlements away from the coast. Agriculture is the first supply of livelihood within the area. Nonetheless, Sundarban’s soil is extremely saline, which makes agriculture tough. A brand new research has taken scientists one step nearer to utilizing salt-tolerant micro organism as naturally out there fertilizers, which may assist counter excessive salinity.
The paper, printed in PLOS One, was authored by researchers on the Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata. They studied the distribution of salt-tolerant micro organism within the Indian Sundarbans, which may assist climate-proof the crops grown within the area and supply another mind-set about farming.
Earlier this yr, some members of the identical current analysis group found a number of new species of salt-tolerant micro organism that they claimed can be utilized as organic fertilizers, or “biofertilizers,” to maintain agriculture on extremely saline soil. These micro organism are native to the Sundarbans.
“We are attempting to develop biofertilizers,” mentioned Pabitra Banik, professor on the Agricultural and Ecological Analysis Unit, Organic Science Division, Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata, and corresponding creator of the papers. The group is conducting trials of those biofertilizers with numerous agricultural analysis companions, together with the Ramakrishna Mission at Narendrapur, close to Kolkata.
Nonetheless, biofertilizers can’t be used straight, even when the trials are profitable. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all — farmers have to account for a way soil traits range throughout the area. Every cropping season, together with customary fertilizers, adjustments the soil’s chemical and organic traits. So, farmers want to regulate which crops to domesticate and which cropping patterns to follow, and for that, they want an correct map of soil traits, which is at present unavailable.
That’s precisely what the analysis group did. They created distant sensing maps of 19 websites unfold throughout 5 blocks within the Sundarbans. Every block, on common, covers 4 villages. These maps confirmed the place salt-tolerant micro organism are extra considerable, and whether or not cropping patterns have an effect on this. The group discovered that blocks nearer to the Bay of Bengal and a few villages on the Sagar Islands had the best ranges of salt-tolerant micro organism. This data will assist them plan future biofertilizer manufacturing.
The researchers collected 80 soil samples from 19 websites within the Indian Sundarbans and performed detailed laboratory analyses on the Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata. Then, they measured numerous soil parameters and concluded that cropping patterns, corresponding to monocropping and combined cropping (e.g., rice with greens), didn’t considerably have an effect on the soil’s salinity. “The one variation is as a result of proximity of the ocean,” mentioned Banik. This discovering will assist farmers modify their cropping accordingly and assist researchers decide the simplest use of the biofertilizers.
He additionally urged that ‘Krishi Vigyan Kendras’ ought to inform farmers in regards to the precise salinity ranges affecting crops and advise them on the simplest use of biofertilizers when they’re lastly out there.
Within the meantime, the analysis group can be growing efficient methods to observe rainfall, sea water ranges, sea water temperatures, and acidity ranges, amongst others, which can additional increase these initiatives. “It should give us an entire image of the Sundarbans,” mentioned Banik.
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Supply: Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata ; Picture: S.Narongrit99/shutterstock
The research might be discovered at: The spatial distribution of salt tolerant micro organism and different soil parameters below totally different agricultural programs of the Indian Sundarbans
