Evaluation of the fertilizer values of stored and fresh human urine in experimental mixed culture of fish and prawn

Abstract

With a view to closing the nutrient loop between sanitation and fish culture, advanced fry of different species of fish (rohu, bata, mrigal, common carp, tilapia, punti) and larvae of freshwater prawn were reared in twelve experimental tanks in a mixed culture system for 120 days using three treatments (fresh urine, stored urine and mix of fresh and stored human urine) and control in triplicate. The total weight for all the species of fish and prawn in the stored urine (420.0 g) was 18 and 27% higher compared to fresh (356.0 g) and mixed urine (332.0 g) treatments, respectively. Likewise, primary productivity of phytoplankton and heterotrophic bacterial load related to phosphate level of water were also highest and lowest in the stored urine (GPP—508 ± 39.87 mg C m^–2 h^–1; heterotrophic bacteria—38.38 cfu × 10³ mL^–1) and control system (GPP—214 ± 38.09 mg C m^–2 h^–1; heterotrophic bacteria—13.53 cfu × 103 mL^–1), respectively. The mean count of E. coli, on the other hand, did not differ between urine fed treatment and control. As a possible mechanism, it is suggested that stored urine upon transfer to aquaculture pond underwent degradation and mineralization that induced the autotrophic and heterotrophic food webs conducive to fish growth.