Assessing the effect of nutrient management on the plankton community: a substantial aquaculture approach

Abstract

Because of their impact on environmental variables, understanding plankton communities is crucial for aquaculture. This assay was performed with a view to examining the ecological effect of nutrient managements on plankton community in pond with four treatments having three replications; T0 was control without feed and fertilizer, T1 with only fertilizer, T2 with fertilizer and feed and T3 with only feed. Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) fry was stocked and fed initially at 50% of body weight in T3 and gradually reduced to 5%. Feed in T2 was half of treatment T3; fertilization was done weekly. In the study, four phytoplankton groups were identified: Chlorophyceae, Cyanophyceae, Bacillariophyceae, and Euglenophyceae, along with four zooplankton groups: Rotifera, Copepoda, Cladocera, and Crustacea. The most dominant phytoplankton and zooplankton groups were found as Chlorophyceae and Rotifera, respectively. The treatments showed significant difference (P <0.05) in plankton, notably between T2 and T0. The mean plankton abundance was highest in treatment T2. Findings indicated that application of both fertilizers and feed was better for plankton population growth than other treatments. So, the study could recommend that combined application of fertilizers and supplemental feed as the best option for semi-intensive fish farming.