An Effective Eichhornia Crassipes Growth Rate Detection and Segmentation Using Adaptive swinResUnet++

<i>Eichhornia crassipes</i>

The aquatic plant species Eichhornia crassipes, commonly known as water hyacinth, is indigenous to South America and is considered an invasive species. The invasive water hyacinth has caused significant economic and ecological damage by preventing sunlight from penetrating the surface of the water, resulting in the loss of aquatic life. To quantify the invasiveness and address the issue of accurately identifying plant species, water hyacinths have prompted numerous researchers to propose approaches to detect regions occupied by water hyacinths. One such solution involves the utilization of multispectral imaging which obtain detailed information about plant species based on the surface reflectance index. This is achieved by analyzing the intensity of light spectra at different wavelengths emitted by each plant. However, the use of multispectral imagery presents a potential challenge since there are various spectral indices that can be used to capture different information. Despite the high accuracy of these multispectral images, there remains a possibility that plants similar to water hyacinths may be misclassified if the right spectral index is not chosen. Considering this challenge, the objective of this research is to develop a low-cost multispectral camera capable of capturing multispectral images. The camera will be equipped with two infrared light spectrum filters with wavelengths of 720 and 850 nanometers, respectively, as well as red, blue, and green light spectrum filters. Additionally, the implementation of the U-Net architecture is proposed for semantic segmentation to accurately identify water hyacinths, as well as other classes such as lakes and land. An accuracy rate of 96% was obtained for the identification of water hyacinths using data captured by an autonomous drone constructed in the laboratory flying at an altitude of 10 m. We also analyzed the contribution each of the infrared layers to the camera’s spectrum setup.

A feeding laboratorial trial in glass aquaria for 12 weeks, to replace graded levels of water hyacinth (WH) meal protein from two (polluted and not polluted) water sources instead of 0, 10, 20, 30 and 40% of soybean meal protein in Nile tilapia diets. Ten experimental diets were formulated to be isocaloric and isonitrogenous (26% crude protein) and offered daily at 2 meals, 6 days a week at 3% of fish biomass daily. Results indicated that rearing water did not influence fish by the tested treatments. Most tested heavy metals had higher levels in WH and diets especially those of polluted source. Iron levels of the WH and experimental diets were > those of Mn > Zn > Cu > Pb > Cd. The highest ether extract (EE) and nitrogen free extract (NFE) and the lowest ash contents were realized in diet contained 30% replacement with WH leaves protein from non-polluted source. Growth performance parameters differed significantly as affected by WH source and level, so the final body weights (FBW) in treatments contained 10, 20 and 30% replacement with WH levels meal protein from the polluted source were significantly lower than those of WH from the non-polluted source. Also, the pollution source for WH led to significantly lower other growth performance parameters than those of the unpolluted source for WH, whether for the bodyweight gain (BWG), survival rate (SR), or specific growth rate (SGR). Increasing level of WH leaves meal protein in the experimental diets led to significantly lower FBW, BWG, SR, SGR and condition factor. The pollution source of WH led to increases in the undeniable parts from the experimental fish (tissues' indices, hepato-somatic and female and male gonado-somatic indices), also more than 30% replacement negatively affected these indices. Contaminated source of WH decreased the feed conversion ratio (FCR) for the very low feed intake as well as for the low fish growth which led to apparent improvements in FCR, protein efficiency ratio (PER) and protein productive value (PPV). Increasing the substitution levels led to increased FCR and PPV but led to lower PER. All blood hematological and biochemical parameters of the tested fish significantly and negative influenced by source and level of WH in the experimental diets, except hemoglobin and total proteins' concentrations. Increasing level of WH leaves meal protein lowered blood total proteins in the fish as a result of lower quality of protein in such diets containing WH. Source and level of WH in the experimental diets significantly affected the chemical analysis of the whole fish body including CP, EE and ash contents. The CP decreased and both of EE and ash were increased by elevating the substation level or for dietary contaminated WH increased by elevating the substation level or for dietary contaminated WH inclusion. The increase in WH level in fish diets reduced the feed intake sharply particularly from the diets contained WH from the polluted source comparing with those contained WH from its non-polluted source. Although the low price of WH – included diets, particularly by increasing dietary WH levels; yet, the return from fish weight gain decreased, especially when WH was coming from its polluted source, which starkly reduced feed intake.

The spatial and temporal knowledge on spread of invasive aquatic plants helps to determine their extent, abundance, and propagation rates in invaded water systems. Water hyacinth Eichhornia crassipes (Liliales: Pontederiaceae) appeared in Rwandan water bodies in 1957, and it was legislated and accepted as a problematic invasive species in Rwanda in 1999. Water hyacinth has led to a reduction in water quantity and threatened the livelihood of local communities that live off fishing. To comprehend the status of the water hyacinth invasion and assist management strategies, it is important to have detailed and consistent information on its spatio-temporal spread, magnitude, and rate of change dynamics in water systems. This was investigated using time series Landsat satellite images for the years 1989, 2002, and 2017. Image classifications using the nonparametric classifier random forest as well as change detection analysis were carried out to process the satellite data. The results revealed a fluctuation in the extent of water hyacinth over the time series of 1989, 2002, and 2017 with estimated percentage cover of 17.7%, 22.4%, and 20.8%, respectively. An annual increase of 1.9% in water hyacinth invasion was observed from 1989 to 2002; while, a decline of 1.7% per annum was observed from 2002 to 2017. The decline observed in 2017 could be due to manual control undertaken by the government since 2002. This study confirms the potential of using remotely sensed imagery as a valuable method for determining the change in the extent and distribution of invasive alien weeds over time.

The water hyacinth is categorized among the world’s top ten worst invasive plant species of aquatic ecosystems. This study assessed changes in the spatiotemporal distributions of the water hyacinth in Lake Koka and Ziway of the Upper Awash River basin during the peak growth season of the plant. Household questionnaires and key informant interviews along with Landsat images for 2013, 2017, and 2021 were collected to identify the past, present, and future potential distributions of the invasive plant in the two lakes. Household surveys and key informant interviews were prepared using the Kobo Toolbox which monitors data collection online. A total number of 413 households were sampled and the data were analyzed through descriptive statistics. For Landsat images, a supervised classification technique was applied to classify the land use classes using the maximum likelihood algorithm. The survey results showed increased water hyacinth expansion in the area since the year 2011. The water hyacinth expansion affected 285 households’ livelihoods by invading 69.0% of their farmlands which caused 97.6% food scarcity in the study districts. The results of the Landsat image indicated that the water hyacinth invasion in Lake Koka occupied 1.48% in 2013, and this increased to 7.13% in 2021, while the water body decreased from 75.94 to 69.90%, respectively. However, the area of the other vegetation is nearly identical between the years 2013–2021. Likewise, water hyacinth covered 4.66% of Lake Ziway in 2013, and this was raised to 8.42% in 2021. At Lake Ziway water hyacinth invasion affected the area of other vegetation coverage as it decreased from 16.19 to 10.67% but the area of the water body remained almost the same during the years. Between 2013 and 2025, the amount of water hyacinths increased in both Lake Koka and Lake Ziway. According to LULC data, the water hyacinth's rate of spread was 0.56% in Lake Koka and 0.95% in Lake Ziway. The results of this study revealed the signals of LULC change due to water hyacinth invasion in the Upper Awash Basin which is considered an important aspect for future water resources planning and management.

Water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) has been extensively used for heavy metal phytoremediation and stimulating microorganism growth in the effort to break down organic pollutants by the exudate secreted by the plant. This study aims to figure out the growth of the ammonia-degrading bacteria population and figure out the physical changes occurring in water hyacinth during the Pb phytoremediation process. The phytoremediation method was performed under the batch system with the treatments: P1 with water hyacinth for groundwater with 2 ppm of Pb; P2 with water hyacinth for groundwater with 4 ppm Pb; and P0 with no water hyacinth and Pb addition. Observations include the growth of ammonia-degrading bacteria, ammonia concentration, Pb analysis, observation of physical changes, and measurement of biomass of the water hyacinth. Results show that the nitrifying bacteria population growth rate was higher in the 2 ppm Pb treatment than in the 4 ppm Pb treatment. The implication was that there occurred a higher ammonia concentration decrease in P1 by 0.43 mg/L from the initial concentration of 1.21 mg/L. As for the water hyacinth's physical changes, a lower growth rate happened to the 4 ppm Pb treatment, resulted in lower biomass of 75.46 g in the said treatment than in the 2 ppm Pb (79.00 g). The use of water hyacinth in phytoremediation also prompted the bacterial growth to break down organic waste, but high concentrations of heavy metals will influence the growth of the aquatic plant, water hyacinth.

Abstract. Maulidyna A, Alicia F, Agustin HN, Dewi IR, Nurhidayah I, Dewangga A, Kusumaningrum L, Nugroho GD, Jumari, Setyawan AD. 2019. Review: Economic impacts of the invasive species water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes): Case study of Rawapening Lake, Central Java, Indonesia. Intl J Bonorowo Wetlands 11: 18-31. Introduced species is defined as a conscious or unconscious effort to present a species of animal or plant into a new habitat. Introduced species have two pathways on their biogeographical distribution, namely becoming an invasive species or not becoming an invasive species. An introduced species which does not have a negative impact on the new habitat is not classified as an invasive species, while a species that is introduced and does have a negative impact on the new habitat is considered as invasive species. One of the problems that threaten freshwater ecosystems in Indonesia is the invasion of water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes). This introduced plant species can reproduce rapidly, both generatively and vegetatively, and form very dense masses in water bodies, such as swamps, lakes, rivers, and channels including in Rawapening Lake in Semarang District, Central Java, Indonesia. This study is aimed to review the economic impacts of the invasive water hyacinth species in Rawapening Lake from two perspectives: the negative and the positive impacts, so that feasible solutions can be developed. There are several negative impacts caused by water hyacinth in Rawapening Lake. The overgrown water hyacinth in the lake hinders the fishermen in maneuvering the boats and fishing gears, reducing the fish catches. The extensive coverage of water hyacinth causes the reduction in soluble oxygen and blocks sunlight into the water, leading to the decline of fish population. The rotten water hyacinth can obstruct the irrigation channels of the fields so that farmers cannot produce maximum rice harvests and eradicating them would incur financial costs. On the other hand, there are also positive impacts of water hyacinth in Rawapening Lake. This plant can be used as raw materials to produce a variety of handicrafts in the form of bags, sandals, baskets, wallets, and furniture such as chairs and tables. Water hyacinth can also be processed in biogas production and organic fertilizers. With careful management, water hyacinth can remediate polluted water caused by heavy metals contamination. In short, economically, the presence of water hyacinth in Rawapening can be both beneficial and detrimental. Proper management of this species is necessary to maintain the sustainability of this aquatic environment. r

Over the last century, water hyacinth, Eichhornia crassipes (Mart.) Solms, has invaded freshwater systems in more than 50 countries, causing changes in biodiversity and widespread ecological damage. It also disrupts fisheries, navigation routes, power generation, and water supply. Although water hyacinth has invaded all tropical and subtropical countries and some parts of the Mediterranean basin, recent climate change models suggest that its distribution may soon expand into higher latitudes as temperatures rise within Europe, unless effective preventative management measures are put in place. In this paper, we explore the potential ecological and socioeconomic impacts of water hyacinth invasion using well-documented case studies from Lake Victoria. We also consider the relative effectiveness of biological, chemical, and mechanical control measures on established populations. We conclude that water hyacinth is almost impossible to remove once established, and that controlling its spread into new areas is probably the most cost-effective way of reducing its impact. We propose a framework for the preventative management of this weed by combining the use of environmental DNA as an early warning system with heightened biosecurity to prevent accidental introductions and the physical removal of invasive plants before they become established. We also recommend that nutrient concentrations be lowered in waterbodies to reduce their susceptibility to water hyacinth invasion and reduce its growth rate if introduced accidentally.

Water hyacinth is a fast growing and floating aquatic plant native to South America. Water hyacinth is extremely invasive and its high reproduction rate causes water pollution, waterway closure, and death of aquatic organisms. Based on past studies linked to water hyacinth invasion, this paper first analyzes the features of water hyacinth and the effects of excessive growth. Then, they synthesize and assess the effective and efficient solutions to the ecological hazard of water hyacinth invasion from the domains of technology, government, human, and enterprises. In terms of technology, they recommend the authorities adopt water hyacinth removal machines that may also be utilized for animal feed production. The adoption of anaerobic methods to convert water hyacinth leaves into biogas for power generation is also appropriate, as is replacing existing traditional herbicide types with novel herbicide structures. The government should strengthen legal restrictions, prohibit commercial water hyacinth trafficking, and minimize industrial wastewater discharge. Finally, the research revealed that these methods may effectively decrease the environmental destruction caused by the water hyacinth invasion. Therefore, people should enhance the treatment of water hyacinth invasion hazards in order to control the ecology of the watershed and minimize wastewater discharge.

Effects of fermentation methods on the nutritive value of water hyacinth for Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus (L.) fingerlings

A man-made system that mimics the function and structures of natural wetlands is called constructed wetlands. It is able to treat sewage water with low technology, low energy requirements, affordable and easy to maintain. However, how it works in tropical climates is still unknown and there is a need to figure out the sustainability of floating plants in treating domestic sewage. This study aims to investigate the pollutant removal efficiency of two selected floating plant species, water hyacinth and water lettuce, in treating domestic sewage. The growth rate of both plants will be examined for the best-recommended plants in the constructed wetland systems for domestic sewage treatment. The data was collected through a pilot-constructed wetland in the USM, Engineering Campus that is integrated with two species of floating plants: water hyacinth and water lettuce. The parameters studied were chemical oxygen demand (COD), total suspended solids (TSS), and ammoniacal nitrogen (AN). The findings reveal that the removal efficiency of water hyacinth is higher for COD and TSS at 40.96 % and 43.94 % respectively compared to Water Lettuce with 26.86 % for COD and 17.79 % for TSS. However, Water Lettuce has a slightly higher removal efficiency of NH3-N at 26.52 % compared to Water Hyacinth at 24.35 %. In terms of growth rate, Water Hyacinth is lost to water lettuce, but they have higher biomass to uptake nutrients with just a small increment of area coverage. Therefore, water hyacinth is favourable to implement in floating plant-constructed wetlands as it needs less maintenance than water lettuce to achieve discharge with standard A for TSS and COD and standard B for NH3-N based on Malaysia Wastewater Effluent Discharge Standards.

Sustainable removal of formaldehyde using controllable water hyacinth

Growth limiting effects on various terrestrial plant species by an allelopathic substance, loliolide, from water hyacinth

Mycelium-based composites are a promising avenue for innovating sustainable materials from the hyphae of fungi. This study focuses on the use of fibers from four local fungal species, namely, Pleurotus ostreatus, Pleurotus sajor-caju (Fr. Singer), Auricularia auricula-judae, and Schizophyllum commune Fr., to produce mycelium-based composites from water hyacinth. An inoculum of each of the mushroom species was cultivated on PDA medium at 25 and 30 °C to determine the optimal temperature based on the growth rate. The obtained optimal condition was used to grow the fungi on water hyacinth (WH) mixed with rice bran in different proportions (100% WH, 70% WH, and 50% WH) with various numbers of fungal inocula (10, 20, and 30 plugs). The obtained composites were coated with a solution of either starch, chitosan, or epoxy resin. Schizophyllum commune Fr. exhibited the highest growth rate and fiber density, with a growth rate of 1.45 ± 1.92 mm/day at 30 °C. Ten inocula of Schizophyllum commune Fr. incubated at 30 °C for seven days on a mixture of 50% WH and 50% rice bran gave the optimal composite. Coating the obtained composite with chitosan improved its mechanical properties, but coating it with epoxy resin improved its water absorbency. Buried in soil, the composite coated with a chitosan solution decomposed within 30 days. The results indicate that Schizophyllum commune Fr. can be used as a binder to produce mycelial composites on a substrate of WH mixed with rice bran. The implications of these results will enable the further development and tuning of mushroom-based materials, especially for the production of sustainable bio-construction materials derived from local mushrooms and bio-waste.

Degradation of water quality due to the presence of pollutants in water is an emerging issue in many countries, including Malaysia. Phytoremediation is one of the environmentally friendly, cost-effective conventional technologies that are still used in modern times. However, the selection of plant species is the most important aspect for the application of phytoremediation in wastewater treatment. Nevertheless, there are species of floating aquatic macrophytes that are capable of coping with various pollutants present in wastewater. Among the various floating aquatic macrophyte species, water hyacinth (WH) and water lettuce (WL) have been described as effective phytoremediators in reducing water pollution through bioaccumulation in their body tissues. Hence, WH and WL were chosen in this study as it is easily found, propagated, and cultivated. This paper aims to determine the biosorption capacity of these species in eliminating various pollutants present in wastewater as well as to define the optimum harvesting time for each species. Although these floating aquatic macrophytes are considered the most problematic plants due to their uncontrollable growth in water bodies worldwide, their ability to remove pollutants from wastewater has created a sustainable approach for their use in phytoremediation. In this sense, the use of phytoremediation by implementing the invasive floating aquatic macrophytes can certainly support the sustainable management of wastewater treatment in the future. Based on the results, it was found that WH efficiently removed higher PO43-, NO3- and NO2- concentrations compared to WL from the wastewater. Both WH and WL showed the same trend of correlation between the growth rate and sugar content, where the sugar content increased when the plants reached the highest growth rate. The maximum nutrient uptake occurred in 14-17 days, proving that nutrient availability is critical for plant growth. This study concludes that the sugar content of WH and WL are increased with the biomass growth rate, and both plants species are competent in eradicating the nutrient pollution in wastewater. On top of that, this study infers that the maximum harvesting period for WH biomass is on day 18, while WL biomass is on day 21; based on the highest sugar content and biomass weight of each species.