Summary
A dry season field experiment conducted for two consecutive years highlighted problems of achieving increased populations of N2-fixing blue-green algae (BGA) in wetland rice fields. Inoculation of non-indigenous BGA strains, either dried or as fresh viable inocula even at high levels of application, was unsuccessful. A limiting effect of grazing invertebrate populations on BGA establishment was evident, but other factors were involved. Reducing grazer pressure did not permit establishment of inoculated BGA; interspecific competition and environmental factors may explain the inoculation failure. Grazer regulation permitted the establishment of a fast-growing indigenous N2-fixing Anabaena and the doubling of N2-fixing activity over a control. Neither inoculation nor grazer control affected grain yields significantly.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Agricultural Economics Research Center (1982) Blue-green algae as a source of bio-fertilizer in Thanjavur district Tamil Nadu. Research Study No. 74, p 79, University of Madras, India
Alimagno BV, Yoshida T (1975) Growth and yield of rice in Maahas soil inoculated with nitrogen-fixing blue-green algae. Philipp Agric 59:80–90
All India Coordinated Project on Algae (1979) Algal biofertilizers for rice. Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi. p 61
Chi Ying Huang (1978) Effects of nitrogen fixing activity of blue-green algae on, the yield of rice plants (in Chinese with English summary). Bot Bull Acad Sin 19:41–52
Grant IF, Alexander M (1981) Grazin blue-green algae (Cyanobacteria) in flooded soils by Cypris sp. (Ostracoda). Soil Sci See Am J 45:773–777
Grant IF, Egan EA, Alexander M (1983a) Pesticides to control ostracods grazing on blue-green algae (Cyanobacteria). Soil Biol Biochem 15:193–197
Grant IF, Tirol A, Aziz T, Watanabe I (1983b) Regulation of invertebrate grazers as a means to enhance biomass and nitrogen fixation of Cyanophyceae in wetland rice fields. Soil Sci Soc Am J 47:669–675
Grant IF, Seegers R, Watanabe I (1984) Increasing biological nitrogen fixation in flooded rice using neem. In: Schmutterer, H, Ascher KRS (eds) Natural Pesticides from the neem tree and other tropical plants. GTZ Eschborn, FRG, pp 493–505
Ketkar CM (1974) Neem cake blended urea for nitrogen economy. Fertiliser News 19:25–26
Misra KC, Chhonkar PK (1978) Possible utilization of Neem cake for inhibiting nitrification in soil. J Indian Soc Soil Sci 26:90–92
NIAB (Nuclear Institute for Agriculture and Biology, Pakistan) (1977) Studies on biological nitrogen fixation. In: Five years of NIAB. Lyallpur, Pakistan, pp 43–45
Osa-Afiana LO, Alexander M (1981) Factors affecting predation by a microcustacean (Cypris sp.) on nitrogen fixing blue-green algae. Soil Biol Biochem 13:27–32
Rippka R, Neilson A, Kunisawa R, Cohen-Bazire G (1971) Nitrogen fixation by unicellular blue-green algae. Arch Mikrobiol 76:341–348
Roger PA, Kulasooriya SA (1980) Blue;green algae and rice. The International Rice Research Institute. Los Baños, Philippines, p 12
Roger PA, Reynaud PA, Ducerf P, Traore T, Rinaudo G (1977) Log-normal distribution of acetylene reducing activity in situ. Cah ORSTOM Ser Biol 12:133–139
Saxena RC, Liquido J, Justo HD (1981) Neem seed oil, a potential antifeedant for the control of rice brown planthopper. In: Schmutterer H, Ascher KRS, Rembold H (eds) Natural pesticides from the neem tree (Azadirachta indica A. Juss), German Agency for Technical Cooperation, FRG, pp 171–178
Schmutterer RH, Zebitz CPW (1984) In: Schmutterer H, Ascher KRS (eds) Effect of methanolic extracts from seeds of single neem trees of African and Asian origin, on Epilachna varivestis and Aedes aegypti. GTZ Eschborn, FRG, pp 83–90
Taylor RL (1961) Aggregation, variance and mean. Nature 189:732–735
Venkataraman GS (1981) Blue-green algae for rice production —a manual for its promotion. FAO Soils Bulletin No., 46, 102 pp
Watanabe A (1973) On the inoculation of paddy fields in the Pacific area with nitrogen fixing blue-green algae. Soil Biol Biochem 5:161–162
Wilson IT, Green S, Alexander M (1980) Effect of microcrustaceans on blue-green algae in flooded soil. Soil Biol Biochem 12:237–240
Yamaguchi M (1980) Biological nitrogen fixation in flooded rice fields. In: International Rice Research Institute. Nitrogen and rice. Los Baños, Philippines, pp 193–204
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Grant, I.F., Roger, P.A. & Watanabe, I. Effect of grazer regulation and algal inoculation on photodependent nitrogen fixation in a wetland rice field. Biol Fert Soils 1, 61–72 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00255132
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00255132