Determination of critical limits of soil nutrients for use in optimizing fertilizer rates for fish ponds in red, lateritic soil zones

Mesocosms containing lateritic soil from West Bengal, India and de-ionized water were treated with different amounts of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) fertilizers. Concentrations of available N, P, and K in soils and gross primary productivity were measured for the mesocosms. Critical concentrations of the three nutrients were estimated by the graphical method of Cate and Nelson that has been used widely for establishing critical soil nutrient concentrations in fertilization research on terrestrial crop plants. Critical concentrations of the three nutrients were: available N, 200 mg kg⁻¹; available P, 13 mg kg⁻¹; available K, 80 mg kg⁻¹. Ponds sited in red, lateritic soil in West Bengal were treated monthly with 20, 15, and 3 kg ha⁻¹ application⁻¹ of N, P, and K, respectively. There was an increase in gross primary productivity when the critical concentrations of available N, P, and K established in the mesocosm study were attained in the pond soils. Fish production in fertilized ponds is positively correlated with gross primary productivity. Thus, the concept of critical nutrient concentrations in soils could be a valuable tool in pond fertilization research.