Use of fishpond sediment for sustainable aquaculture-agriculture farming

Abstract

An experiment was carried out in triplicate, in 1 1 m2 plots using six treatments, viz. zero input control S0N0P0K0, fertilizer control (S0NPK), sediment 60kg without fertilizer (S60N0P0K0), sediment 60kg with N and K (S60NP0K), sediment 120kg without fertilizer (S120N0P0K0) and sediment 120kg with N and K (S120NP0K) to determine the potential of tilapia pond sediment to supply P to morning glory, and the effects on the soil aggregate stability and the bulk density. The application of 60 and 120kg sediment plot-1 corresponds to 30% and 60% of the plot soil by weight, respectively. The study confirmed that the application of tilapia pond sediment at 30% to farm soils with supplementation of N and K, i.e. the treatment S60NP0K, provided the required amount of P to morning glory and gave fresh and dry matter yields of morning glory equal to the fertilizer control plot. Furthermore, the application of 30% sediment significantly improved the soil aggregate stability and decreased the bulk density of farm soils to favorable levels. This kind of integration would ensure long-term sustainability of both aquaculture and agriculture farming.