See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

net/publication/315100323

Practical aspects of utilizing aquatic weeds in compost preparation

Research · March 2017

DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.22803.48162

CITATIONS READS

0 449

4 authors, including:

Ambreen Nabi Khursheed Hussain

Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir
16 PUBLICATIONS   21 CITATIONS    17 PUBLICATIONS   2 CITATIONS   

SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE

Dr FAROOQ Khan
Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir
122 PUBLICATIONS   121 CITATIONS   

SEE PROFILE

Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects:

Standardization and evaluation of seed priming techniques in certain vegetables View project

Physiological Disorders of Temperate Vegetables View project

All content following this page was uploaded by Dr FAROOQ Khan on 16 March 2017.

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

 Practical aspects of utilizing aquatic weeds in compost
preparation
S Narayan, Ambreen Nabi, K Hussain and F. A. Khan

Presence of plants in water bodies is essential for conversion of solar

energy into chemical energy for the development of aquatic fauna and for the
continuous addition of oxygen to water during photosynthesis. If water plants due
to overgrowth make such water bodies unfit and take the shape of noxious aquatic
vegetation, then may be called aquatic weeds. Aquatic weeds are those unwanted
plants growing in water and completing at least a part of their life cycle in water.
Aquatic weeds are also responsible for reducing the available water resources by
way of excess seepage or high evapo-transpiration through weeds in general and
water hyacinth in particular. The aquatic plants often interfere with human
utilization of water resources. Their excessive growth results in silting of rivers
canals, lakes and reservoirs, reduction in water flow and consequently results in
floods , bank erosion and hinders recreation. Masses of dead plants not only
reduce the aesthetic value of the water body but often deplete the oxygen in water
and therefore results in mortality of aquatic fauna like fishes. In India, the per
capita average annual fresh water availability has reduced from 5177 cubic waters
from 1951 to about 1868 cubic meters in 2001 and is estimated to further come
down to 1341 cubic meters by 2025 and 1140 cubic meters by 2050 (Sushil and
Babu 2015).

Types of Aquatic weeds

Aquatic weeds can be classified according to their habitat and

morphological characteristic (Gupta 1987). The major weeds can be categorized
as submerged weeds, dispersed weeds, emerged weeds, shore line and ditch
weeds, bank weeds, marsh land weeds etc. Emergent weeds grown in shallow
waters and situations existing near the water bodies where water recedes and rises
with the seasons or regular releases from a large water body or reservoir. These
weeds may be called as semi-aquatic but most appropriately emergent aquatic
weeds e.g., Typha angustata, Phragmites communis, Ipomoea cornea etc. There
are situations where vast areas of land remain inundated with water for long
periods of time and may only dry out in severe drought conditions. Such lands are
known as marshes or swampy and may be infested with amphibious species like
Alternanthera philoxeroides, Marsilea minuta, Morochoria vaginalis, Paspalum
fluitans etc. Some of the weeds in this ecosystem freely float and move long
distances e.g water hyacinth, water fern etc., while some of them do float on the
water surface but anchor down to be soil at the botton of the water body e.g.,
Sagittaria guayenensis, Nelumbo nucifera etc. Weed species which germinate,
grow and reproduce beneath the water surface are called submerged weeds. Their
roots and reproductive organs remain in the soil at the bottom of the water body.
These weeds may be further categorized as

a) Shallow water submerged weeds (e.g algae like Anabaena spp. Chera
zeylanica , higher plants like Najas Minora, Vallisneria spiralis etc and

b). Deep water submerged weeds (e.g., Myriophyllum spicatum L, Hydrilla

verticillata, Utricularia flexvosa)

Problems of Aquatic weeds in India

Out of about 160 aquatic weeds the following are of primary concern to
India

1. Eichhornia crassipes
2. Salvania molesta
3. Nymphaea stellata
4. Nelumbo nucifera
5. Hydrilla verticillala
6. Vallisneria spiralis
7. Typha angustata
8. Chara Spp.
9. Nitella Spp.
10. Ipomoea Spp.

Among these, Eichhornia crassipes, Salvania molesta, Hydrilla verticillata,

Alternanthera philoxeroides and Pistia stratiotes are five primary aquatic weeds
 of the world and qualify the status of worst weeds in India too. It is however
estimated that 20-25% of the total utilizable water in India is currently infested
with Water Hyacinth (Bhan and Kumar 1996) while in state of Assam, West
Bengal, Orissa and Bihar, it was 40%. Some of the important weeds in different
states of India are given in Table 1.

Name of State Weed Species Type of Water Bodies

Assam, Orissa and Azolla Pinnata, Chara spp, Fisheries, ponds and tanks,
West Bengal E.crassipes, Ceratophullum Spp, H. water works, deep water rice
verticillata, Ipomoea aquatic, and lakes
Lemna minor, Monochoria
vaginalis, Marsilia quadrifolia,
Nymphaea Spp, Nelumbo spp,
Nitella spp, Pistia spp, Najas spp,
Ipomoea carnae, Salvinia molesta
Andhra Pradesh, E. crassipes, Cyperus spp., Chara Lakes and tanks, growing
kerala, Karnataka spp, Ipomoea aqatica, H. fisheries system
and Tamil Nadu vertivillata, Nymphaea spp,
Nelumbo lutea, Nymphoides spp,
Potomogeton spp.,Najas spp.,
Salvinia molesta, Typha latifolia
and Vallisnaria americana
Punjab, Bihar, Cyperus aquatic, E.crassipes, Irrigation Canals and
Haryana, Uttar Hydrilla verticilla, Ipomoea carnea, drainage system, ponds,
Pradesh NajasSpp, Nelumbo nucifera, lakes, fisheries areas and
Nymphaea spp, Phragmites karka, rivers
Potomegeton spp, Chara spp,
Ceratophyllum spp, Myriophyllum
spicatum, Spirogyra spp, Typha
angustata, T.latifolia, Vallisnaria
americana, V. spirallis
Gujarat, Madhya Chara spp, Hydilla verticillata, Water storage reservoirs for
Pradesh, Rajasthan Ipomoea carnae, I. aquatic, city water supply system,
 Nymphoides spp, Phragmites karka, fisheries tanks, irrigation
Potamogeton crispus, P. nodosus, canals and drainage system
Typha latifolia, Vallisnaria
americana, V. spirallis
Jammu and Nymphoides peltata, Polygonum Natural water bodies for
Kashmir amphibium, Nelumbo nucifera, storage, aquatic sports and
Nymphaea ssp, Trapa natans, lakes
Lemna gibba, L. minor, L. trisulca,
Spirodela polyrhiza and Salnania
natans

Aquatic weeds in lakes

Most of the fresh water fishes rely on aquatic plants at some point and
prefer specific habitats based in their growth stage. Of the 8 lakh ha of freshwater
available in India for pisiculture, about 40% is rendered unsuitable for fish
production because of invasion by aquatic weeds. Some of the well known fishery
lakes like Barwa, Ramgrah and Guiar lake in UP, Ansupa lake in Odisha,
Ootacumund lake in Tamil Nadu, Kallern Lake in Andhra Pradesh, Loktak Lake
in Manipur and the world famous Dal, Nigeen and Wular lakes in J&K have been
largely invaded by the aquatic weeds. Dal lake has witnessed frequent algal
blooms. The aquatic weed flora in these Kashmiri lakes varies with altitude. The
union Government made massive investments of around Rs 1,100 Crore to restore
the lake to its orginal shape. The major environmental problem facing the lake is
eutrophication, which requires immediate remedial measures. The size of the lake
has shrunk from its original area of 22 square kilometers to the present area of 18
square Kilometers, and there is a concerning rate of sediment deposition due to
catchment area degradation. The water quality has also deteriorated due to intense
pollution caused by various factors. A recent report said thousands of tonnes of
weeds are produced in Dal and other lakes of the state and there is a need of
befitting scientific technology to convert this produce into useful products to
achieve twin goals of weed disposal and generation of economy. Among the
floating weeds the common species are Nymphoides peltata, Polygonum
amphibium, Nelumbo nucifera, Nymphaea ssp, Trapa natans, Lemna gibba, L.
minor, L. trisulca, Spirodela polyrhiza and Salnania natans. The most dominant
submerged weeds in the lakes are M. spicatum, Ceratophyllum demersum and
Potamogeton ssp. C. demersum infests largely the deeper portions of the lakes. Of
the several aquatic weeds, S. natans has been so far reported weedy in India only
from Kashmir. It covers 2.5-6% water surface of most lakes there though in Gilsar
Lake, the fern coverage exceeds 30% [Varshney et al., 2007]. The fern is now
heading fast into the rice fields.

Aquatic weed management in India

Considering the losses caused by aquatic weeds, their management is of

almost importance there is rarely a situation when weeds can be eradicated but
often can be prevented from infesting other areas. Once prevention fails, the next
step is treating them in a way that they do not emerge again. Management of
aquatic weeds can be done by a variety of methods i.e.

1) Preventive Management
2) Manual and Mechanical Management
3) Ecological Aquatic weed Management
4) Chemical Management
5) Biological Management
6) Use of fish
7) Aquatic weed Management through utilization.

Although in aquatic weeds, water is a main component in spite of this, researchers

have demonstrated various use of aquatic weeds for making paper, fiber board,
file, bags, methane gas formation, mulching and composting. Use in mulching and
compost making is most easiest way to utilize this noxious weed.

INITIATIVE BY SKUAST-K

Keeping in view the fragile ecology of Kashmir Division, there was a need
of befitting scientific technologies to improve soil, water as well as health of crops
and humans. This could be achieved through organic crop production. However
the main constraint in organic crop production is availability of suitable
technologies for production of valuable compost. So an initiative was taken by
scientists of SKUAST-K under the project Kashmir Valley Composting Mission
to standardize relevant scientific technologies for the production of nutrient rich
compost using locally available raw material such as aquatic weeds from Dal i.e
Dal weed and farmyard manure. Dal weed compost can be fruitfully utilized as an
organic input thereby increasing production and productivity of crops. It can
emerge as an efficient means for disposal of huge organic wastes available in the
form of Dal weed. It can prove to be useful in saving economy by way of lesser
import of fertilizers. Under Kashmir valley compositing Mission two technologies
of Dal weed composting were standardized viz., Biodynamic composting using
biodynamic sets (BD compost) and microbe-mediated Dal weed compost (MM
compost)

Method for preparation of Biodynamic fortified Dal weed compost (BD

compost)

Raw materials required: Dal weed, bricks and pebbles, sand, molasses,
biofertilizers, biodynamic sets, fresh cowdung, lime and Black polythene.

The step wise process unreached in Biodynamic Dal weeds composting

are as follows:-

1. Collect a heap of Dal weed that can be accommodated in a pile measuring

15x5x51/2 ft at a site under shade with elevated level, to prevent water
stagnation in heaps during rain.
2. Prepare a basal layer of heap compiring of bricks and pebbles followed by
a layer of coarse sand with a thickness of 6-7.5 cm to ensure proper
drainage.
3. Spread 30cm thick layer of Dal weed over this base.
4. Spread 10-15 liter of water mixed with fresh cow dung on this layer along
with 1000ml of molasses,
 5. Again spread 30 cm thick layer of Dal weed and sprinkle 10-15 litre of
water mixed with cow dung over it.
6. This process is repeated to obtain a height of around 5.5ft
7. Lime is also added between the layers of Dal weed to enrich the compost
8. Incorporate biodynamic sets (502-507) in the heap and plaster with
mixture of fresh cow dung and soil, cover the heap with black polythene.
9. Turning of the material must be done every month and bio-fertilizers
should be added doing last turning.
10. Sprinkle water over the heap frequently to maintain moisture
11. Compost gets ready in 3-4 months depending upon the temperature and
moisture
12. It is advisable to prepare this compost from July to October when plenty of
Dal weeds are available.

Method for preparation of Microbe Mediated Dal weed Compost (MM

Compost)

Raw Materials Required

Dal weeds, cowdung, bricks and pebbles, molasses, biofertilizer, Shalimar

Microbes, Lime and Black polythene

1. Prepare a base layer of heap comprising of bricks and pebbles followed by

a layer of coarse sand to a thickness of 6-7.5 cm to ensure proper drainage.
2. Spread 20cm thick layer of Dal weed over this base.
3. Prepare a mixture of 1 liter of microbial consortium (Shalimar microbes)
in 75L of water and 1 liter of molasses, biofertilizers (1L) and
Trichoderma (1L).
4. Spray a portion of this mixture on 20cm thick Dal weed layer.
5. Spread 20 cm thick layer of cow dung over the previous layer and spray
the mixture containing microbes over it.
6. Repeat this process until a heap of height 6-6.5 ft is obtained.
7. Lime is also added between the layers of cow dung to enrich compost.
 8. Plaster the heap with the mixture of fresh cow dung and soil cover the
heap with black polythene.
9. Turning of material must be done every month and bio fertilizers should
be added during last turning.
10. Compost gets ready in 2-3 months depending upon the temperature and
moisture.
11. It is advisable to prepare this compost from July to October when plenty of
Dal weeds are available.

Chemical Analysis of Dal weed compost

Dal weed
Parameters MM compost BD compost
(control)

pH 7.14 7.05 7.90

 EC(dsm-1) 0.28 0.41 0.15

OC (%) 9.22 5.84 1.55

OM (%) 15.89 9.36 2.65

N (%) 1.20 1.18 0.35

P (%) 1.04 0.64 0.23

K (%) 2.50 3.50 0.40

Ca (ppm) 14924 14972 11440

Mg (ppm) 837.86 820.13 365.0

Zn (ppm) 16.35 22.00 10.5

Cu (ppm) 8.80 Traces Traces

Fe (ppm) 6878.66 8076.00 250.6

Mn(ppm) 919.86 1456.73 268.4

Besides enhancing the nutrient value of the compost, Bothe MM and BD compost
contains lesser amount of heavy metals.

Dal weed
Parameters MM compost BD compost
(control)

Pb (ppm) 89.06 89.06 133.85

Cd (ppm) 4.86 4.83 13.50

Cr (ppm) 48.40 48.13 126.40

Ni (ppm) 30.80 30.80 80.20

In addition to these two composts, Dal weed can also be used as raw material for
the preparation of Vermicompost. Half Decomposed Dalweed is used. The
procedure is shown in the flow chart below:
 Reference

Bhan, V.M R Sushilkumar. 1996. Ecofriendly approaches in aquatic weed

management. In: Proceedings of workshop on “Aquatic weeds-problems
and management” held at Bangalore Karnataka 5-7 June (1996) [Ed Verma
(VJ.) ] 191-201.

Varshney., J.G., Sushil kumar and J.S. Misra. 2007. Current status of Aquatic
weeds and their management in India. In: Proceedings of taal. The 12th
world lake conference [Ed.] Sengupta M and Dalwani R 1039-1045.

Gupta O.P. 1987. Aquatic weed management a text book and manual. Today and
tomorrow printers and publishers, New Delhi.

Sushil Kumar and Ramesh Babe. 2015. Aquatic weeds and their management in
India. Indian Farming 65(7):56-62

View publication stats