Product ID BN BG BS Product name Bio-N® BioGroe® BioSpark® Active ingredient Azospirillum lipoferum, A.brasilense Plant growth-promotingrhizobacteria (not defined) Trichoderma parceramosum,T. pseudokoningii, andUV-irradiated strain ofT. harzianum Active organism Bacteria Bacteria Fungi Product type Dry powder in200-g pack Dry powder in100-g pack Dry powder in250-g pack Carrier medium Sterile charcoal/soilmixture Sterile charcoal/soilmixture Dry organic medium (ricehull) Producer declared cell number 108 cfu g−1 - 109 cfu g−1 Shelf life 3 months 6 months 24 months Product amount 1000 g 40 kg−1  seed 400 g 40 kg−1 seed 200 g 40 kg−1 seed recommended and used       (for 1 ha) 2011 biofertilizer costs US$6.82 US$3.64 US$6.36 needed for 40 kg seed       Elemental contents*       N % 0.13 0.34 1.27 P % 0.091 0.063 0.687 K % 0.22 0.24 0.72 Supplier BioTech UPLB BioTech UPLB BioSpark Corp. *Source: Analytical Service Laboratory, GQNPC, IRRI.

Table 3: Characteristics of the three biofertilizer used and tested.