Effects of fertilizar on growth performance of tilapia and shing in rice cum-fish culture

Abstract
Field experiments demonstrated that rice-fish farming indeed increased the productivity of rice field and help to achieve ecological, economical, and social benefits. An experiment was accompanied in the rice field plots to ascertain the felicitous fertilization effects on the growth performance of Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) and Shing (Heteropneustes fossilis) cultured in the rice fish farming system. Each treatment of fish species cultured with different doses of fertilizer such as T1 control: without any fertilization; T2 with 10 kg/decimal compost and T3 with 100% recommended fertilizer: Urea 100g, TSP 100g, MOP 50g, MOK100g/decimal respectively for fish culture. Current study showed a direct relationship between nutrient supplies and yielding of rice; increasing nutrient supply highlighting an increase of yielding fish. These indicated significantly greater fish yield at treatment T3 followed by treatment T2 and T1 in Shing with rice culture. Concerning Tilapia with rice culture, the same occurrence was observed. The gross production of Tilapia were found 5.04 ± 2.66, 8.65 ± 2.42 and 12.02 ± 1.45 kg/decimal in T1, T2 and T3, respectively and gross production of Shing were found 3.06± 1.76, 6.17 ± 1.84 and 8.83 ± 2.88 kg/decimal in T1, T2 and T3, respectively. During the experimental period the ranges of water temperature were (27.26 to 31.22 °C), dissolved oxygen (5.66 to 7.20 mg/L), pH (7.25 to 7.65 mg/L), total alkalinity (148.00 to 176.00 mg/L), free CO2 were (1.40 to 3.00) mg/L and found within the productive limit and more or less similar in all the plots under the T1, T2 and T3. The outcome in T3 provided the maximum yields amongst all treatments, followed by treatments T2 and T1 representing that the fertilizer is the furthermost suitable nutrient input regime aimed at the rice- fish integrated culture scheme. The results of the study revealed that polyculture of tilapia and Shing could be practiced in rice field.