Claims:What is claimed is:
1. A water soluble Liquid Spirulina Fertilizer prepared by mixing Spirulina powder in water with addition of stabilizers and emulsifiers, that can be diluted in water for foliar application as well as application through drip or sprinkler irrigation or other irrigation systems for use in Agriculture.
2. A water soluble Powder Spirulina Fertilizer prepared by mixing Spirulina powder, that can be diluted in water for foliar application as well as application through drip or sprinkler irrigation or other irrigation systems for use in Agriculture.
3. A Spirulina fertilizer combination of claim 1 wherein seaweed extract, amino acids, plant growth promoters, secondary nutrients, N-P-K macronutrients, micronutrients and humic acids are added to make a complete nutrition fertilizer for application in agriculture.
4. A Spirulina fertilizer combination of claim 2 wherein seaweed extract, amino acids, plant growth promoters, secondary nutrients, N-P-K macronutrients, micronutrients and humic acids are added to make a complete nutrition fertilizer for application in agriculture.
5. A Spirulina fertilizer combination of claim 1 wherein the percentage of Spirulina is 1% to 50%.
6. A Spirulina fertilizer combination of claim 2 wherein the percentage of Spirulina is 1% to 98%.
7. A Spirulina fertilizer combination of claim 1 wherein seaweed extract, amino acids, plant growth promoters, secondary nutrients, N-P-K macronutrients, micronutrients and humic acids are present in 1% to 50 % concentrations.
8. A Spirulina fertilizer combination of claim 2 wherein seaweed extract, amino acids, plant growth promoters, secondary nutrients, N-P-K macronutrients, micronutrients and humic acids are present in 1% to 98 % concentrations.
9. A Spirulina fertilizer combination of claim 1 wherein seaweed extract, amino acids, plant growth promoters, secondary nutrients, N-P-K macronutrients, micronutrients and humic acids are present interchangeably and/ or not present to make a crop specific Fertilizer.
10. A Spirulina fertilizer combination of claim 2 wherein seaweed extract, amino acids, plant growth promoters, secondary nutrients, N-P-K macronutrients, micronutrients and humic acids are present interchangeably and/ or not present to make a crop specific Fertilizer. , Description:Field of the Invention and use of Invention:
This invention relates to a Fertilizer preparation made from Spirulina for use in Agriculture, which enhances plant yields while being safe to the environment. Spirulina fertilizer can be both foliar applied and soil applied making it a very comprehensive fertilizer. The present invention provides an individual Spirulina fertilizer preparation method as well as a Spirulina fertilizer prepared from a combination of Seaweed extract, amino acids, plant growth promoters, secondary nutrients, N-P-K macronutrients, micronutrients and humic acids. This preparation uses ingredients from both Natural and Chemical sources. All the ingredients in the formulation being completely water soluble makes the final preparation completely water soluble for foliar application or drip application. Spirulina contains Proteins, Vitamins, minerals and many micro elements and naturally occurring trace elements that are responsible for growth and overall development of the plants. This invention overcomes many of the problems associated with conventional fertilizers.

Prior Art and problem to be solved:
Increasing the productivity in agriculture has becoming the top priority for the farmers. The area under agriculture is decreasing steadily while the rise in population is increasing, resulting in an urgency to generate higher yields from available land. Farmers in order to increase productivity use chemical fertilizers or growth promoters that affect the farm ecology and environment. This results in lower yields in the preceding years. One more important fact is providing the plants with complete nutritional requirement is very important for higher yields. Currently the products available in the market are individual fertilizers or growth promoters like N-P-K, Micronutrients, Humic acid, Seaweed extract and so on. It becomes difficult and laborious for the farmers to spray all the nutrients at one time and this may result in nutritional deficiency of some elements resulting in lower yields.
Therefore it is important to provide for a complete fertilizer that has all the required ingredients while being environmentally safe that will help in increasing the yields of the farmers and cater to the world’s ever growing food requirement by increasing productivity.
China Patent CN104355785A discloses a method of preparing a slow release organic fertilizer with a combination of zeolite powder, stone powder, potassium, animal feces, Spirulina powder, talc, rock phosphate, ammonium sulphate, urea, fulvic acid and EDDHA chelates of micronutrients. Similarly in CN104193555A the inventor discloses a method of preparing an organic soil application fertilizer by combining bentonite, calcium propionate, Spirulina, Sea clam shell powder, cow dung, wood and food residue.
While the innovation to use Spirulina in the fertilizer is of a major benefit to the crops, however the use and application of the product becomes limited due to being only a soil application fertilizer. Thus there is a need to provide for a complete Spirulina water soluble fertilizer that can be foliar applied, soil applied as well as applied through the drip or sprinkler irrigation system. Making a foliar application product makes it easy to apply for the farmer. In the present invention many other ingredients are also added in the formulations which are important for plant growth and increasing yields.
Secondly, due to the use of Chemical Fertilizers, soils are becoming saline. Due to increased Salinity the germination percentage is reduced, root growth is improper, microbes are reduced, soils cation exchange capacity is reduced and pH imbalance results in lower yields of the crops. It is important to have a fertilizer that improves soil physical properties, increase soil aggregate structure, soil moisture and air circulation and increase soil fertility.
Accordingly, the present invention aims to provide a Spirulina based fertilizer that is simple to use, that reduces the salt content of the soil, enhances the activity of soil microorganisms and enzymes, and promotes the growth of plant roots while making available all the nutrients for higher yields.
Thus, there exists a need for a complete Fertilizer that combines Spirulina, Seaweed extract, amino acids, plant growth promoters, secondary nutrients, N-P-K macronutrients, micronutrients and humic acids, which is fully water soluble with a neutral pH and is safe to the environment while providing ease of application to farmers for increasing yields.
Objects of the Invention:
To achieve higher yields it is important to provide plants with adequate nutrition at every growth stage of the plant. The fertilizers available today may provide either macro nutrients, or micronutrients and other growth promoters or bio stimulants individually. Farmers have to apply these products individually one after the other to provide the required nutrition for the crops making it a laborious process. One application lost is nutrition lost, therefore it is necessary to have one product that is comprehensive and contains all the necessary ingredients to provide a complete nutrition package for the plants. With every application of the inventive Spirulina fertilizer, farmers can provide complete nutrition to the plants without worrying about applying different fertilizers.
It is already being proposed to have a Spirulina Fertilizer that combines Seaweed extract, amino acids, plant growth promoters, secondary nutrients, N-P-K macronutrients, micronutrients and humic acids. Therefore the Principal object of the invention is to provide a comprehensive fertilizer that combines all the essential nutrients for the plants, making it a complete plant food for increasing growth and yields in the crops.
Secondly some of the conventional fertilizers are chemicals that are harmful to the environment and soil thereby reducing the quality of soil and hampering the yields in the longer run. Therefore additional object of the invention is to provide for a fertilizer that uses organic or food grade chemical sources that have less environmental fate and do not disturb the farm ecology.
There are new inventions where Spirulina is combined with other ingredients to provide an organic fertilizer for soil application, however by limiting it to soil application the farmers cannot have the advantage of foliar application as well as applying through drip or sprinkler irrigation systems. Therefore additional object is to provide a water soluble Spirulina fertilizer that can be applied through foliar as well as soil application and make it easier for the farmers to apply a comprehensive fertilizer through drip irrigation, spraying systems and sprinkler irrigation systems.
Spirulina is known to contain Proteins, Omega-3 fatty acids, Omega-6 fatty acids, Copper, Iron, Manganese, Magnesium, Potassium, Zinc, Phosphorus, Calcium, Selenium, Riboflavin, Thiamin, Niacin, Pantothenic Acid, Vitamin K, Vitamin E, Folate, Vitamin B6, Vitamin C and Vitamin A making it a comprehensive plant food. Therefore additional object of the invention is to use Spirulina as the main ingredient for making a fertilizer for increasing yields in agriculture.
Additional object of the invention is to provide an organic fertilizer that is not harmful to the soil and it increases the soils quality, aeration, water holding capacity and microbes beneficial for increasing plant root system, growth and nutrient uptake.
Additional object of the invention is to provide Spirulina, seaweed extract, amino acids, plant growth promoters, secondary nutrients, N-P-K macronutrients, micronutrients and humic acids at concentration of 1% -98% by weight in different combinations to offer Plant fertilizers to suit specific plant nutrient requirement of different crops.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description and the appended claims.

Summary of the Invention
Spirulina contains Proteins, Omega-3 fatty acids, Omega-6 fatty acids, Copper, Iron, Manganese, Magnesium, Potassium, Zinc, Phosphorus, Calcium, Selenium, Riboflavin, Thiamin, Niacin, Pantothenic Acid, Vitamin K, Vitamin E, Folate, Vitamin B6, Vitamin C and Vitamin A which are all essential elements for plant growth and obtaining higher yields. However to provide a comprehensive plant fertilizer other ingredients are also important.
The present invention meets the need by providing water soluble Spirulina Fertilizer that combines seaweed extract, amino acids, plant growth promoters, secondary nutrients, N-P-K macronutrients, micronutrients and humic acids along with Spirulina to make a complete plant fertilizer.
The said formulation consists of Spirulina powder as the main ingredient. At least one source for seaweed extract, amino acids, secondary nutrients, micronutrients, humic acids and N-P-K food grade macronutrient is provided for making the complete Spirulina fertilizer for plants.
The invention provides a water soluble powder base formulation as well as a liquid formulation to meet the requirements and acceptance of the farmers and offer the choice of formulation.
The overall Spirulina concentration in the Spirulina Fertilizer is 1% - 98% by weight in different combinations. Similarly the concentration of seaweed extract, amino acids, plant growth promoters, secondary nutrients, N-P-K macronutrients, micronutrients and humic acids are 1% -98% by weight in different combinations to offer Plant fertilizers to suit specific plant nutrient requirement of different crops.
It is also a part of the present invention to provide a food grade source of N-P-K fertilizer to make the Spirulina Fertilizer safe for environment, and farm ecology while being highly water soluble for application through foliar or drip irrigation.
In some embodiments, a liquid Spirulina fertilizer is provided wherein seaweed extract, amino acids, plant growth promoters, secondary nutrients, N-P-K macronutrients, micronutrients and humic acids are present interchangeably or all are present at various concentrations to make crop nutrition specific combinations. It also contains a biocide to prevent bacteria development in the solution and increase the shelf life of the inventive product. Other stabilizers and emulsifiers are all also present to make it easily soluble in water and maintaining the uniformity of the solution.
In other embodiments a water soluble powder Spirulina fertilizer is provided wherein seaweed extract, amino acids, plant growth promoters, secondary nutrients, N-P-K macronutrients, micronutrients and humic acids are present interchangeably or all are present at various concentrations to make crop nutrition specific combinations.
A process of providing Spirulina fertilizer to crops includes diluting the fertilizer liquid or powder with water to obtain a liquid fertilizer solution. The liquid fertilizer solution is then applied to the crops by foliar application or fertilizer application system. The Spirulina fertilizer provides nutrition to crop and promotes growth of the crop and increases yields.
Detailed Description of the Invention
As discussed earlier, Spirulina is the major ingredient of the Spirulina fertilizer. It contains Proteins, Vitamins and minerals important for plant growth. Spirulina on its own is very effective for plant growth but to gain higher yields and make it a complete nutrition fertilizer, other ingredients like seaweed extract, amino acids, plant growth promoters, secondary nutrients, N-P-K macronutrients, micronutrients and humic acids are also present interchangeable in the embodiments.
All the raw materials used are easily available. Spirulina powder, tween-80 and Xanthan gum was purchased from Laboratory chemicals supplies shop. I chose the ingredients of “Sunraysia” company, namely Crown - seaweed extract, Amino Gold - amino acid, Boss containing plant growth promoters, Calmag S - containing Calcium, magnesium and Sulphur for secondary nutrients, Agrigold for N-P-K 19-19-19 water soluble fertilizer from food grade ingredients, Yash for micronutrients, Black Jack for humic acid and Bacto-100 for Bactericide. I preferred these products as they were IFOAM and Biocert certified for use in organic farming and it will help the Spirulina fertilizer to be safe for environment and farm ecology.
The preferred embodiment of the present invention is to dissolve Spirulina in water and add seaweed extract, amino acids, plant growth promoters, secondary nutrients, N-P-K macronutrients, micronutrients, humic acids, xanthan gum, tween 80 and bacto-100 one by one while on continuous agitation on a high speed stirrer.
Another embodiment of the present invention is to mix Spirulina powder, seaweed extract, amino acids, plant growth promoters, secondary nutrients, N-P-K macronutrients, micronutrients and humic acid powder one by one in a ribbon blender.
The resultant Spirulina fertilizer with different concentration of nutrients can be prepared. The liquid Spirulina fertilizer of 1 Litre can be diluted in 200 litres of water and applied to 1 Acre of Vegetables and Fruit Crops. Similarly the Powder Spirulina fertilizer 1 Kg can be diluted in 200 litres of water and applied to 1 Acre of Vegetables and Fruit Crops. The composition may be stored in bottles and or pouches for a period of more than two years and can be diluted and used as required. The solution will not clog the spraying system or irrigation system as there are no suspended solids in solution and since precipitates are not formed. The Spirulina fertilizer offers a comprehensive nutritional product for increasing yields in agriculture while being safe to environment, farm ecology and improving the soil quality and providing the ease of application to the farmers from the present invention.
The following is an example of the preparation of a liquid Spirulina fertilizer having these advantageous features.
EXAMPLE 1
Water soluble Liquid Spirulina Fertilizer was prepared by weighing 50 grams Spirulina and dissolving it in 600 ml of water. The solution was placed on a stirrer for continuous agitation on a high speed stirrer. After 15 minutes of agitation 1 gram of Boss containing plant growth promoters was dissolved in the solution. After 10 minutes of agitation, 25 grams of Crown - seaweed extract was dissolved in this solution while on continuous agitation. This was followed by the addition of 25 grams of Amino Gold - amino acid powder. This was followed by addition of 25 grams of Calmag S - containing Calcium, magnesium and Sulphur for secondary nutrients. After about 15 minutes of agitation 200 grams of Agrigold N-P-K 19-19-19 water soluble fertilizer was added. This was followed by addition of 25 grams of Yash micronutrients. After 10 minutes of agitation 25 grams of Black Jack- humic acid was added to the solution. The level of solution was adjusted to 985 ml by addition of water. After this 1 gram of Xanthan gum was added and 10 ml of tween 80 was added to the solution. After 15 minutes of agitation 5 ml of Bacto-100 – bactericide was added to the solution. The agitation continued for another 30 minutes and it was left to stand still for 24 hours.
The Spirulina Fertilizer was ready after 24 hours and was packed in bottle for use in agriculture.
In addition, other liquid Spirulina fertilizers with different ratios have been prepared in a similar manner.

EXAMPLE 2
Water soluble Liquid Spirulina Fertilizer was prepared by weighing 60 grams Spirulina and dissolving it in 600 ml of water. The solution was placed on a stirrer for continuous agitation on a high speed stirrer. After 15 minutes of agitation 1 gram of Boss containing plant growth promoters was dissolved in the solution. After 10 minutes of agitation, 250 grams of Agrigold N-P-K 19-19-19 water soluble fertilizer was added. The level of solution was adjusted to 985 ml by addition of water. After this 1 gram of Xanthan gum was added and 10 ml of tween 80 was added to the solution. After 15 minutes of agitation 5 ml of Bacto-100 – bactericide was added to the solution. The agitation continued for another 30 minutes and it was left to stand still for 24 hours.
The Spirulina Fertilizer was ready after 24 hours and was packed in bottle for use in agriculture.
Here Spirulina Fertilizer was made only combining N-P-K and growth promoters. Similarly many such combinations can be made to suit the specific requirement of the farmers or the crops nutrition requirement.

In example 3 a water soluble Powder Spirulina fertilizer is prepared.
EXAMPLE 3
The inventive Water soluble Spirulina Fertilizer was prepared by weighing 250 grams of Spirulina and adding it to a Ribbon blender. Crown - Seaweed extract powder 50 grams and Black Jack –Humic Acid Powder 100 grams were added to a grinder and grinding was done until a fine powder is obtained. These 50 grams of seaweed and 100 grams of humic acid was added to the ribbon blender and mixed with Spirulina powder. To the ribbon blender 400 grams of Agrigold N-P-K powder was added and 200 grams of Amino balance- Amino Acid powder was added. All the Powders were mixed in the ribbon blender for 30 minutes till a uniform looking powder was obtained. The powder thus obtained was dried in a dryer to remove moisture and packed in 1 Kg pouch for use in agriculture.

Best Method: While formulating the Spirulina fertilizer various combinations can be prepared to obtain the desired ratios as described in the examples. However it should be noted that when preparing a Liquid formulation the sequence of adding the ingredients should be in the following manner. In desired quantity of water first plant growth promoters should be dissolved, followed by Spirulina, secondary nutrients, amino acids, seaweed extract, N-P-K macronutrients, micronutrients, humic acids, xanthan gum, tween 80 and bacto-100.
All the ingredients are water soluble however adding them in the sequence offers faster and complete solubility. It is also important to ascertain the rise in the level of solution after addition of the ingredients. It is therefore recommended to use 600 ml of water and add ingredients. After all the ingredients are added the final level of solution should be ascertained and then the water level should be increased to make a 1 Litre solution.
For making a water soluble powder Spirulina fertilizer, the sequence of ingredients is not important, but it is crucial to grind the powders and sew it to obtain the powder of similar particle size to have a uniform powder.

Example 4 for Best method of liquid Spirulina Fertilizer:
Water soluble Liquid Spirulina Fertilizer was prepared by measuring 600 ml of water in a beaker. The beaker containing water was put on a stirrer mixer. In this 600 ml water 1 gram of Boss powder containing DA-6 90% was added and completely dissolved through continuous agitation of the stirrer. To this 60 grams of Spirulina was added and dissolved, followed by addition of 40 grams of Calmag S secondary nutrients. Once completely dissolved 15 grams of Amino balance amino acids, 15 grams of Crown seaweed extract, 30 grams of Agrigold N-P-K macronutrients, 20 grams of Yash micronutrients, 20 grams of Black jack humic acids was added one by one, while on high speed agitation of the stirrer. Before adding each ingredient it is important to ascertain that every ingredient is completely dissolved and no particle is left over. The level of the solution rises to about 780 ml at this point 200 ml of water should be added to make the level of the solution to 980 ml. To this 1 gram xanthan gum should be added gradually and the stirring should continue on high speed for atleast 15 minutes. Following this 15 ml of tween 80 and 5 ml of bacto-100 should be added to the solution and stirring should continue for 30 minutes and the fertilizer solution should be left to stand still for 24 hours.
The Spirulina Fertilizer was ready after 24 hours and was packed in bottle for use in agriculture.
Example 5 for Best method of Powder Spirulina Fertilizer:
The inventive Water soluble Spirulina Fertilizer was prepared in the following manner.
1) Weighing of the ingredients in the desired proportions to suit the specific requirements of the crops. Spirulina 250 grams, Crown - Seaweed extract powder 150 grams, Black Jack –Humic Acid Powder 150 grams, Agrigold N-P-K powder 250 grams, Amino balance- Amino Acid 100 grams, CalMag S – Secondary nutrients 50 grams, Yash Micronutrients 48 grams and Boss plant growth promoter 2 grams were weighed to make 1 Kg powder mixture.
2) Grinding the powders to obtain uniform particle size. All the weighed powders totalling to 1 Kg, were added to the grinder to obtain fine powder of uniform size. The powders were sewed from a strainer of 300 mesh to get a fine powder. The left over powder was grinded again and filtered through the 300 mesh to obtain fine powder. The procedure was repeated again until all the particles passed through the strainer.
3) Adding the powder to a ribbon blender. The fine powder obtained after straining was added to a ribbon blender and mixed for about 30 minutes to obtain a uniform powder.
4) After mixing the powder in the ribbon blender it was removed and added to a powder dryer and dried for about 15 minutes or alternatively it can be heated in microwave for about 30 seconds to remove any moisture if present in the powder.
5) Once the dried powder was obtained it was packed in aluminium pouches and sealed to have a water soluble Spirulina fertilizer ready for use in agriculture.
Similarly many other combinations can be prepared by changing the percentage of the ingredients to suit the requirements of the farmers or the crops.
Spirulina naturally contains high amounts of proteins, vitamins and minerals. If only Spirulina is to be applied on the crops, then only Spirulina fertilizer without any other ingredients can be prepared as described in Example 6.
Example 6
An individual Water soluble Liquid Spirulina Fertilizer was prepared by measuring 600 ml of water in a beaker. The beaker containing water was put on a stirrer mixer. In this 600 ml water 150 grams of Spirulina was added and dissolved. The stirring process continued for about 30 minutes until no big particles were left over. To this water was added to make the level of the solution to 980 ml. To this 1 gram xanthan gum was added gradually and the stirring was continued on high speed for at least 15 minutes. Following this 15 ml of tween 80 and 5 ml of bacto-100 was added to the solution and stirring was continued for 30 minutes and the fertilizer solution was left to stand still for 24 hours.
The individual Spirulina Fertilizer was ready after 24 hours and was packed in bottle for use in agriculture.
While the compositions and methods described herein constitute preferred embodiments of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to these precise compositions and methods, and that changes may be made in either without departing from the scope of the invention, which is defined in the appended claims.

Cited Patent Filing date Publication date Applicant Title
CN104355785A 14 OCT 2014 18 FEB 2015 Chinese Name Long-acting slow release organic fertilizer and preparation method thereof
CN104193555A 29 Aug 2014 10 Dec 2014 Chinese Name Organic fertilizer for enhancing activity of microorganisms of soil