Effect of Lime, Nitrogen, Aeration and Bottom Stirring on Organic Matter Degradation of Pond Sediment

Incubation studies on the effect of lime, nitrogen, aeration and bottom stirring on degradation of organic matter showed a significant reduction (p < 0.01) in the organic carbon content of the sediment between the various treatments after a period of 60 days and the percentage of degradation was in the order of lime (24.6%) > nitrogen (21.8%) > aeration > bottom stirring (10.6%) compared to an increase (2.8%) in the control. Moreover, both dissolved NH₄ + NO₃-N and PO₄-P also showed a significant variation (P < 0.01) between the treatments and the period of observations; the increase in dissolved NH₄ + NO₃-N was comparatively higher than dissolved PO₄-P.