TITLE:
Ecology and Diversity of Cyanobacteria in Kuttanadu Paddy Wetlands, Kerala, India
AUTHORS:
Dhanya Vijayan, Joseph George Ray
KEYWORDS:
Blue Green-Algae, Paddy-Wetland, Seasons, Soil-Regions, Growth-Stages
JOURNAL NAME:
American Journal of Plant Sciences,
Vol.6 No.18,
November
24,
2015
ABSTRACT: Algae are one of the major groups of soil microflora in agricultural lands. Among algae, the bluegreens
are considered to be very valuable in agriculture. The role of them in soil fertility enhancement
has been extensively studied worldwide. Sustainable utilization of an organism for any
human purpose depends on how successfully the ecology of the same is thoroughly understood. Kuttanadu is a unique tropical paddy-wetland. Ecology of blue-green-algae and the exact diversity
of the same in the zone remained unexplored. This is the first report of the blue-green-algal community
of Kuttanadu in relation to different soil-regions, seasons, and crop-growth-stages. A rich
blue-green-algal diversity of 64 species, with Oscillatoriales as the dominants (38%), is observed
in these paddy-fields. The highest values for all the ecological parameters analyzed were found in
the Lower Kuttanadu soil region, during Virippu season, at panicle stage of the crop whereas the
lowest values for most of the parameters were observed in Upper Kuttanadu soils during puncha
season at the seedling and panicle stages. The species richness and diversity index showed positive
correlation to crop seasons. Apart from the specific soil and climatic factors, the total number of
blue green algal isolates showed positive correlation to total nitrogen and phosphorus in the soils.