Limnology of Kharland (saline) ponds of Ratnagiri, Maharashtra in relation to prawn culture potential

 

D.N. Saksena¹, D.M. Gaidhane¹ and H. Singh²

¹School of studies in Zoology, Jiwaji University, Gwalior-474 011, India

²Department of Aquaculture, College of Fisheries, Ratnagiri-415 629, India

 

(Received: 10 June, 2003 ; Accepted: 28 July, 2004)

 

Abstract: The coastal saline soils, Kharlands, have great potential for their use in aquacul ture. This study has been taken up to understand the limnology of the ponds in Kharland area for assessing their prawn culture potential. This study was carried out during September, 1999 to August, 2001. Each Kharland pond has an area of 0.045 hectare. During the study, depth of pond water was 47.7 to 120.0 cm, temperature varied from 25.7 to 34.5 ?C; transparency from nil to 65.0 cm; specific conductivity from1.78 to 94.5 μS.cm^-1; total dissolved solids from 0.89 to 27.55 ppt; pH 5.42 to 8.25; dissolved oxygen 1.6 to 8 mg.l^-1; free carbon dioxide 10.00 to 44.00 mg.l^-1; total alkalinity 5.00 to 142.00 mg.l^-1; salinity 0.45 to 39.55 ppt; total hardness 245.00 to 5945.00; calcium 56.05 to 1827.6; magnesium 110.74 to 4507.75 mg.l^-1; dissolved organic matter 1.45 to 9.68 mg.l^-1; ammonia 1.00-8.00 ?g.l^-1; nitrite nil to 20.00 ?g l^-1 and nitrate 7.5 to 17.5 ?g.l^-1. These Kharland ponds are unique in physio-chemical characteristics during their seasonal cycle.? From July to October, these ponds have nearly freshwater while from November to May pond water becomes saline. Thus, there is a great possibility of taking up monoculture of both the freshwater and brackish water prawns as well as polyculture of prawns and fishes in the Kharland ponds.

 

Key words: Limnology, Physico-chemical characters, Kharland ponds, Ratnagiri.

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