National Facility for Blue Green Algal Collections Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi-110012
The present communication describes the algicidal activity of metal copper against three freshwater algae commonly occuring in aquatic reservoirs- Anacystis nidulans, Oscillatoria obscura and Chlorella vulgaris; the lethal doses of metal copper being 2.0, 6.0 and 8.0 mg ml−1, respectively. Augmentation of the medium with metal copper resulted in the inhibition of growth from the fifth day of incubation and led to complete bleaching of the culture within ten days. Intracellular copper was relatively higher in green alga than in the cyanobacteria. Possibility of inclusion of metal copper strips in the lining of swimming pools and recreational fountains at the time of construction to maintain such water reservoir free of undesired algal flora is discussed.
