Review on Aquatic Weeds and Their Management

Abstract

When aquatic weeds grow too much, they pose a threat to fish farming. An essential component of pond management is weed control. Out of approximately 160 aquatic weeds, the primary focus in India revolves around Eichhornia crrassipes, Ipomoea aquatica, Typha angustata, Ceratophyllum demersum, Salvinia molesta, Nelumbo nucifera, Alternanthera philoxeroides, Hydrilla verticillata, Vallisneria spiralis, Chara spp., Nitelia spp., and Potamogeton spp. Aquatic weeds are rapidly expanding in several irrigation and hydropower projects across the nation, including the Kakki and Idikki reservoirs in Kerala, the Tungabhadra project in Karnataka, the Nagarjuna Sagar project in Andhra Pradesh and the Powai Lake in Maharashtra. Biological, chemical, and physical strategies can all be used to control aquatic weeds. Aquatic weeds can be stopped from spreading or eliminated using a few common control methods. Physical remedies work best for small-scale infestations, but they are expensive and prone to regrowth when used on big water bodies. Herbicide control of tiny infestations has frequently been quite successful, but it significantly depends on trained operators who keep a close eye out for the appearance of regrowth or seedlings over a lengthy period. The amount of nutrients released into water in recent decades has significantly increased from home and industrial sources as well as from land where fertilizers are applied or where clearing has increased run off. This essay examines the problems associated with eight aquatic weeds in India and the efforts made so far to control them through a range of techniques.