Biological Control of Salvinia Molesta in Satpura Water Reservoir at Sarni, Madhya Pradesh
24 July 2024, New Delhi: The invasive aquatic weed, Water fern (Salvinia molesta), is significantly disrupting the use of crucial water resources in India. During 2019-20 Satpura Thermal Power Station’s 2900-acre water reservoir in Sarni, Madhya Pradesh was found to be completely infested with Salvinia.
ICAR-Directorate of Weed Research, Jabalpur, funded by Madhya Pradesh Power Generation Company Limited, launched a consultancy project in June 2022 to control the spread of Cyrtobagous salviniae, restore ecological balance, and mitigate socioeconomic impacts on local fishermen.
In this technology, initially, the adult bioagents @22,500 numbers/ha area basis were released during October 2022, and further 3-4 augmentations were made at monthly intervals to spread the insect population on the entire area. The adult bioagent feeds on growing points of weed, while grubs feed inside the rhizomes resulting in complete mortality of the weed within 18 months.
The project improved the livelihoods of local fishermen by addressing weed cover, highlighting the importance of integrating biological control methods with socioeconomic factors for sustainable aquatic ecosystem management.
Compared to the cost of Rs. 15.0 Crores for removal of this weed from Satpura water reservoir in five years as estimated by STPS authorities, this technology proved cost-effective (Rs. 49 lakhs), time-saving, sustainable, and eco-friendly.
In view of this successful endeavor, the STPS, Sarni, authorities organized a programme on 3rd July 2024 to honour the scientists of the ICAR-Directorate of Weed Research, Jabalpur for their commendable work on the complete elimination of the invasive aquatic weed Salvinia molesta in Satpura water reservoir.
This technology has also been successfully demonstrated in Chandrapur (Ghodapet-110 acre, Junona lake -750 acre, Erai dam -250 acre) and Gadchiroli (Lanzad pond-40 acre, Hatti lake-150 acre) districts in Maharashtra; Durg district (Talpuri Lake-80 acre) in Chattisgarh, and Katni district (Padua village pond-50 acre) in Madhya Pradesh.
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