Performance of mangrove seedling (Rhizophora sp.) planted on super-intensive shrimp pond solid waste as media

Abstract

Super-intensive shrimp culture has been proven to increase shrimp production in ponds, but it has consequences for the waste generated, which is quite large, up to 10–20 tons/cycle. This great potential is expected to benefit the growth of mangroves as coastal ecosystem plants. This study evaluated mangrove growth performance using the ratio between super-intensive pond (SIP) solid waste and coastal soil. The study was set using a completely randomized design using four treatments, each with three replications, namely treatment, A = 25% SIP solid waste + 75% coastal soil, B = 50% SIP solid waste + 50% coastal soil, C = 75% SIP solid waste + 25% coastal soil, and D = 100% SIP solid waste. Each treatment planted mangrove seeds with a spacing of 50 × 60 cm², and 30 trees were obtained per experimental unit. The results obtained showed that the treatments tested had a significant effect (P < 0.05) on plant height growth, while stem diameter, number of leaves, plant sturdiness, and survival rate of mangrove did not significantly different results (P > 0.05) for all treatments. The 100% SIP solid waste treatment produced the highest plant height of 16.2 cm, good plant sturdiness, and achieved 100% survival of mangrove seedlings across all treatments. The use of shrimp pond solid waste as mangrove seedling media has an impact on reducing waste in coastal areas, maintaining the aquaculture environment, developing sustainable aquaculture, and supporting the enhancement of mangrove restoration.