Role of Iron Fertilization on the Changes of Chlorophyll Concentration and Fish Production in the Brackish Water Ponds of Indian Sundarbans

In the present study, chlorophyll-a and nutrients were studied in the pond water collected from three brackish water ponds of Namkhana, Indian Sundarbans. Within these three ponds, one pond is treated with iron fertilizer and another one is with mangrove litter. The third pond acted as a control pond. The maximum value of chlorophyll concentration in the iron fertilized pond indicates the higher concentration of phytoplankton due to iron enhancement. Moreover, low nutrient concentrations accorded with the maximum chl-a concentration in the iron-fertilized pond. This observation indicated that the nutrients were used by phytoplankton during the higher rate of photosynthesis in the presence of higher iron value. The present study can be used to enhance the fish production of aquaculture ponds of Indian Sundarbans as well as link up with the future adaptation policies related to increasing the income of the vulnerable communities of Indian Sundarban.