Biomass production of the aquatic macrophyte Ceratopteris pteridoides (Hook.) Hieron (Pteridaceae) in nutrient addition treatments

ABSTRACT Aquatic macrophytes are a key group in flooded areas due to their high primary productivity, and several species present in the Amazonian floodplains have potential for human food use. This study evaluated biomass production and nutrient levels in fronds of Ceratopteris pteridoides (Pteridaceae), under the following nutritional treatments: (T1) artesian well water, (T2) natural lake water, and (T3) artesian well water with a nutritive solution. Each replicate had 25 plants of 25 g total fresh biomass each. The experiment lasted for 35 days and total fresh biomass weight, root system length, leaf dry biomass weight, root dry biomass weight and sprout number were assessed. The plants from T3 had the greatest increase in total fresh biomass with an average of 430.02 g, showing that the nutritive solution used in the experiment provided the best conditions for plant growth. The daily ingestion of C. pteridoides could contribute to mineral supplementation, in addition to diversifying existing crops and contributing to sustainable agriculture.