Estimation of primary productivity of aquaculture ponds with special reference to duration of desilting

The present study was taken to assess the impact of pond age and water quality on the primary productivity of an ecosystem. Three stocking ponds A, B and C were selected for a period of three months from September to November, 2016 from the Instructional Fish Farm of College of Fisheries, Pantnagar on the basis of their age and last renovation. The different physico-chemical parameters like temperature, pH, Dissolved Oxygen (DO) and Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) were analyzed and found in optimum range during the study period. Gross Primary Productivity (GPP), Net Primary Productivity (NPP) and Community Respiration (CR) were analyzed for the estimation of primary productivity. The value of GPP (mg C/m³/h), NPP (mg C/m³/h) and CR (mg C/m³/h) of pond A ranged between 67.12 to 81.17, 45.30 to 57.81 and 21.82 to 23.36 respectively. The value of GPP, NPP and CR of pond B ranged between 94.43 to 109.74, 69.98 to 80.88 and 24.45 to 28.86, respectively. The value of GPP, NPP and CR of pond C ranged between 64.89 to 67.60, 40.86 to 41.45 and 24.03 to 26.15 respectively. The results suggested that pond B had better primary productivity followed by pond A and pond C.