The Through Method of Algal Production

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Nitrogen Fixation by Free Living Blue Green Algae General Aspects Heterocysts Algal Nitrogenase Ammonia Assimilation

The Through Method of Algal Production

The Trough Method of Algal Production

1. Prepare shallow troughs (2 m x 1 m x 23 cm) of galvanized iron sheet or permanent tanks. The size can be increased if more material is to be produced.

2. Spread 8-10 kg of soil (4 kg/m²) and mix well with 200 g of superphosphate.

3. Add water (5-15 cm) to the troughs and adjust p to neutral (pH 7).

4. To prevent insects, add carbofuron (3% granules, 20 g. per tray) or malathion or BHC or any other suitable insecticide.

5, Add the starter culture of BGA (can be obtained from nearby University of Agriculture or Research Centre) to the trough. Within 10 days, a mat of BGA appears which when dried results in flakes.

6. The trough can be used again by using the flakes from the previous batch.

Increase in the yield of rice crop (kg/ha) grown without chemical N fertilizer to algal inoculation at the rate of 10 kg/ha of dried soil-based BGA under field conditions in different parts of India (from Venkataraman, 1979)

Chemical Nitrogen	Orissa	Bihar	Madhya Pradesh	Maharashtra	Uttar Pradesh	Andhra Pradesh	Average
O Nitrogen	2979	2305	2416	2066	3525	3636	2079
ON + BGA	3710	3062	2820	2555	4356	4434	2541

The Pit Method of Algal Production

Polythene lined shallow pits can serve as containers instead of troughs, which makes it less expensive.

The Field Method of Algal Production

Near the rice cultivation area, 40 m² plots are bunded and flooded with water (2.5 cm) with application of superphosphate at 12 kg/4O m². Car bofuran, BHC or any other insecticide is used to avoid insect predators and mosquitoes. A starter culture of BGA is sprinkled over the body of water. Mats of BGA growth appears under hot humid sunny surroundings. When the plot dries up, the flakes of BGA are collected and used as inoculum at the rate of 10 kg/ha.

Limitations

The entire procedure is labour intensive and frequent monitoring is required to find out if the selected strains of nitrogen fixing blue-green algae have really established in the field without admixture of other unwanted microorganisms.

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Genetics Importance in Rice Cultivation The Through Method of Algal Production

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