Azolla a key component in integrated agriculture
2001
Mohanty, R.K. | Brahmanand, P.S. (Water Technology Centre for Eastern Region, Chandrasekharpur (India))
Azolla, a free-floating aquatic fern belonging to the family Azollaceae (Salviniaceae) with 7 living species, distributed widely throughout warm-temperate and tropical zones. It showed significant symbiotic reltionship with the nitrogen-fixing blue-green algae Anabaena azollae within its dorsal leaf cavities. Azolla has been used for centuries in Asia as a green manure, fertilizer for rice fields, a supplement to diets for pigs, poultry and fish. Some strains of Azolla can fix as much as 2-3 kg of nitrogen/ha/day and contain suitable range of nutrients (Table 1) on a dry weight basis. Azolla doubles its biomass in 3-10 days depending on environmental conditions. Its high nitrogen-fixing capacity, rapid multiplication and also decomposition rate, resulting in quick nutrient release have made it an ideal nutrient input in farming system.
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