Monoculture of giant freshwater prawn, Macrobrachium rosenbergii ininland saline ecosystem

摘要

India abounds about 6.5 million hectare land as salt-affected in nature and approximately 33.7 million hectare in the from of waterlogged. Such land are becoming unfit for a sustainable commercial agriculture produce due to poor productivity and the farmers are gradually abandoning them as barren fields. The monoculture of freshwater prawn, Mcrobrachium rosenbergiihas been successfully tried on saline land at CIFE, Rohtak Centre, Rohtak (Haryana State) in India by tapping low-saline inland groundwater aquifer. The results have indicated a production of 1,000 kg/ha in six months with an average growth of length 15.0 plus or minus 2.07 cm and weight 40.66 plus or minus 19.60 gm respectively. The month-wise growth revealed a positive correlation coefficient and regression equation were found matching to the predicted values. The soil quality of the production saline pond was measured - pH 8.34, electrical conductivity 1.55 mmhos/cm, organic carbon 0.44 mg L super(-1), available nitrogen 7.42 mg/100 gm soil, available phosphorus 0.918 mg/100 gm soil, sodium 48.00 mg/100 gm soil, potassium 22.2 mg/100 gm soil, calcium and magnesium 27.4 mg/100 gm soil. The water quality revealed a range of temperature 19.0-31.0 degree C, pH 8.0-8.4, DO 6.0 plus or minus 2-7.0 plus or minus 1 mg L super(-1), free CO sub(2) nil-6.0 plus or minus 2 mg L super(-1), carbonate nil-10.0 plus or minus 2 mg L super(-1), bicarbonates 190 plus or minus 10-276 plus or minus 8, chlorides 1610 plus or minus 20 mg L super(-1), total hardness 1210 plus or minus 8-1320 plus or minus 20 mg L super(-1) and salinity 4.0 g L super(-1). The study indicated a great potential from such lands by adopting freshwater prawn farming.