BIOMASS INCREASE AND PRELIMINARY PHYTOCHEMICAL SCREENING OF AZOLLA MICROPHYLLA KAULF GROWN UNDER FOUR SOIL NUTRIENT MEDIUM

Abstract

The Pteridophytic aquatic macrophyte, Azolla microphylla Kaulf collected from Tamilnadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore was made to acclimatize for a week before the commencement of the study. The aquatic fern was then grown under four different nutrient mediums consisting of soil and diluted fresh Cow dung. The four nutrient medium were similar except for the soil type which differed in each medium. The soil type chosen for the four nutrient mediums were garden, clay, red and black soil. Fresh cow dung was diluted in fresh water before adding them to the medium. No other additional fertilizers were added to the medium. The study was carried out for a period of one month to identify the best soil nutrient medium for the growth of Azolla microphylla Kaulf. The preliminary phytochemical analysis was conducted to determine whether the difference in soil types affected the presence and absence of phytochemicals. The biomass increase was calculated every seventh day, which proved that the medium containing clay soil suited the best, followed by the garden, black and red soil respectively. There was no considerable difference in the presence or absence of phytochemicals in Azolla microphylla Kaulf grown under four soil nutrient medium.