Integrating fish into seasonally flooded rice fields: on-farm trials in Assam, India

In the State of Assam, floodplains cover 2.6 million ha of area that is traditionally rice growing. The ecosystem in the rice-growing areas has undergone major changes as a result of various developmental activities and adoption of modern farming technology. Rice fields were once the major source of fish for the rural farmers. There has been a sharp decline in fish population in rice field leading to a chronic shortage of fish in the State and a deterioration of the rice ecosystem. This paper describes two on-farm experiments for integrating rice cultivation and fish production with the intent of contributing to the understanding of how raising fish can improve rice yields, riceecosystems and farm incomes.

Stocking of eggs versus hatchlings in rice fields: a comparison of survival and growth of common carp (Cyprinus carpio) fingerlings

The study assesses the relative profitability of stocking eggs versus hatchlings of common carp (Cyprinus carpio) in the rice-fish systems in Bangladesh. Results showed that although stocking eggs-covered water hyacinths directly into rice fields is a simple low cost option, the yields and profits are much higher from incubating eggs in cloth hapas and nursing hatchlings before stocking them into rice fields.

SUNLIGHT: a computer program for calculation of daily solar radiation

This paper presents an algorithm and software (available from ICLARM) for estimating the possible amount of sunlight that may fall on any location of the earth, any day of the year, as might be required for ecological modelling.