POTENTIAL REMOVAL OF PARTICULATE MATTER AND NITROGEN THROUGH ROOTS OFWATER HYACINTH IN A TROPICAL NATURAL WETLAND

A natural shallow eutrophicated wetland receiving influx of domestic s ewage and agricultural run-off of the watershed, heavily infested with water hyacinth, located in Ujjain city, Madhya Pradesh State, was stu died to determine the role of dense growth of hyacinth in the removal of particulate matter attached to root system, and nitrogen as contain ed in the root attached particulate matter (RAPM) and in the plant tis sue. The recorded hyacinth density was 79 plants per square metre with 1.549 kg dry plant tissue and adsorbing 663 g RAPM (about 42% of dry plant tissue), thus potentially removing it upon the mechanical harves t of the plants on per metre square basis, In addition to the signific ant amount of RAPM, the hyacinth plant harvest also brought about remo val of 1.396 g of organic matter, 0.536 g of total nitrogen, 0.482 g o f ammoniacal nitrogen, and 0.338 g of nitrate nitrogen per m(2) waters cape basis, In other words, when the hyacinth plants are manually/mech anically removed from the wetland, potentiality of total nitrogen remo val is 37.32 kg through the plant tissue +5.36 kg nitrogen/hectare in the RAPM, besides 6630 kg/h of particulate matter through roots attach ment (RAPM). The extensive root systems of the hyacinth provide a huge surface area for attached particulate matter and microorganisms, acti ng as 'suspended sediment layer' and rich in nitrogen, Thus, for an eu trophicated wetland receiving waste-water rich in particulate matter, the hyacinth growth has substantial potential for the removal of parti culate matter and thus nitrogen through their attachment to roots, in addition to the nitrogen concentrated in the plant tissue.