Assessment of Water Quality and Nutrient Uptake of Azolla in Different Fertilizers

Abstract

The improvement of water quality through aquatic plants’ nutrient uptake is one of the crucial elements in achieving a sustainable ecosystem. Water quality is affected by a variety of variables, including dissolved oxygen concentrations, nutrient overabundance, bacterial populations, salt content, and the number of suspended particles in the water. This experiment was performed to evaluate the biological and biochemical characteristics of azolla using various fertilizers (compost food waste, cow dung, liquid fertilizer, mushroom block fertilizer). It also examined the ability and effectiveness of aquatic macrophytes, Azolla pinnata to absorb amounts of nutrients including phosphate, potassium, and nitrogen ammonia in a nutrient-rich medium. The water quality during the cultivation period, including its turbidity, pH, and the temperature was monitored. The biological and biochemical characteristics of azolla have been assessed in a variety of fertilizers, including cow dung, liquid fertilizer, mushroom block fertilizer, and compost food waste, at various concentrations of 5g, 10g, and 15g. The study findings indicated that the most suitable fertilizer for azolla growth is cow dung fertilizer and the least suitable fertilizer is liquid fertilizer. The rapid growth of azolla between days 15 to 25 were observed for the cow dung fertilizer at all concentration as compared to control and other fertilizers. Water quality for each parameter increase over time. The ability of azolla to absorb nutrients shows great potential for the phosphorus element when compared to potassium and nitrogen uptake. To reduce the amount of excessive phosphorus and potassium in water, azolla is a great candidate for eco-friendly phytoremediation.