COMPARISON OF AZOLLA GROWTH IN SOIL FROM FIELDS OF DIFFERENT CROPPING SYSTEMS
AMARJEET SINGH *
Department of Botany, Punjabi University, Patiala-147 002, India
RAMANDEEP KAUR *
Department of Botany, Punjabi University, Patiala-147 002, India
BHUSHAN KUMAR *
Department of Botany, Punjabi University, Patiala-147 002, India
SUNIL PABBI *
Centre for Conservation and Utilisation of Blue Green Algae, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi-110 012
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Growth of Azolla microphylla Kaulfuss was studied and compared in soil samples from fields under three different cropping systems, viz. Rice-Wheat; Rice-Wheat-Fodder and Rice-Wheat-Fodder-Vegetable taken from different localities. The freshmass, drymass, moisture content, doubling time, relative growth rate, chlorophyll content and heterocyst frequency (of symbiont) have been studied. This is suggested that Azolla can grow quite well in soils with less number of crops in rotation.
Keywords: Biomass, Azola,, Soils, Cropping systems.