Azolla Unit

Azolla is a branched free-floating aquatic fern, and it rapidly grows on the water’s surface. Azolla is an ideal sustainable feed for cattle, fish, pigs, and poultry. Apart from this, it’s also used as a biofertilizer on the farm.

Azolla fixes nitrogen; it is an excellent source of nitrogen and has a high nutrient value. Azolla contains very high proteins, amino acids, vitamins (vitamin A, vitamin B12, Beta Carotene), and minerals, so it is an excellent nutrient feed for livestock.

Azolla has low lignin content, so animals can easily digest. It is observed that Feeding Azolla to poultry birds improves the weight of broiler chicken and increases the egg production of layers birds. In animals, it showed an overall increase of milk yield by 15–20% when 1.5–2 Kg of Azolla was combined with regular feed.

Cultivation

For a 2M X 2M size pond, addition of 10-15 kg soil & super phosphate along with cow dung slurry of 4-5 days old is added. Cow dung increases the available nutrients. Next, fill the pond with water to a level of about 10 cm. After 2-3 days Azolla culture is added to the pond by gently rubbing Azolla in hands. It helps break Azolla into smaller pieces for faster multiplication. After a 2wk period 1kg of azolla can be harvested.