This paper presents the first steps of the development of dry capsules of biofertilizer to replace chemical fertilizers that cause environmental problems. This new product consists of macrocapsules (large size beads about 3 to 4 mm diameter) containing nitrogen fixing bacteria: Azospirillum. They are produced by quick encapsulation and drying processes, are made of alginate (3%), standard starch (44.6%) and modified starch (2.4%) and can contain up to 106 CFU/capsule. This large size inoculum carrier was formulated to reduce production costs, favour its storage and application in the field and the results show that this new form of inoculum carrier is far better than the liquid and powdered forms.
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