Studies on the effect of some common insecticides and fungicides on some fish species in paddy cum fish ecosystem in west bengal

Abstract

Paddy, Oryza sativa L., is one of the most dominant crops and newlinemajor source of livelihood for many poor producers and consumers in newlineAsia (De la Cruz et al., 1992; Rothuis, 1998; Barker and Dawe, 2000). In newlinegeneral, rice require substantial amount of water for farming. Due to newlineabundant water, many fish species prefer the paddy fields for their newlinereproduction and growth (Li, 1988; Ali, 1992; Fernando, 1993; Little et newlineal., 1996; Halwart, 1998). The present status of fish culture in rice fields, newlineconsidered as part of integrated agriculture-aquaculture farming systems, newlineis flourishing day-by-day. Such natural aggregation of fish in paddy fields newlinemight have influenced the idea of paddy-cum-fish farming for enhancing newlineproductivity. Whenever water is stagnated within bunds as for rice newlineculture, fish which naturally occur in the irrigation water and nearby newlinetanks and pools enter the paddy-fields and grow there until harvest, along newlinewith the paddy. Thus fish production in rice fields dates from very early newlinedays, even though it was based on capture rather than culture. newline