Influence of nitrogen/phosphorus ratios on the productivity of Nile river phytoplankton

Abstract

Mixtures of different concentrations of both nitrogen and phosphorus were used at various N/P ratios to investigate the maximum growth of Nile River Phytoplankton using bioassay studies. A ratio 4:1 N/P gave a high algal mass production and high content of chl(a) of phytoplankton. A high diversity value 1.48 was obtained during the experimental run. Bacillanophyta was the dominant group followed by chlorophyta and cyanophyta in all treatments. The growth rate reached its maximum value (1.69) after 16 days of incubation. Positive correlation was established between phytoplankton and orthophosphate, nitrate, organic nitrogen and dissolved oxygen of the Nile River water.

Water quality of lake Qarun, Egypt

“…The River Nile's water is already high in nutrients (both nitrogen and phosphorus) resulting in high productivity of phytoplanktons in the river [2]. A comparison of the heavy metal content of the River Nile's water in Cairo before and after treatment at four drinking water treatment plants showed that the treatment removed only 33% of lead and 53% of cadmium [3].…”