Influence of Weather and Water Quality Parameters on Aquatic Plant Production in Different Freshwater Ponds: Understanding Through Multiple Linear Regression Analysis

Bangladesh is endowed with rich water resources and favorable climate conditions and ranks among the leading global countries of fish production. Despite this, the aquaculture industry of the country focuses mainly on finfish and shellfish, overlooking the potential of aquatic plants. Integrating aquatic plants into aquaculture in Bangladesh could promote sustainability, innovation, and ecological balance. To explore this potential, a six-month study was conducted using a 1m² standard quadrat sampling method across aquaculture, non-aquaculture, and derelict ponds to assess aquatic plant diversity and abundance. Employing a multiple linear regression (MLR) model, the study examined the relationship between plant abundance and environmental variables, including weather and water quality parameters. Thirteen aquatic plant species from ten taxonomic families were identified, with Pistia stratiotes (50%) being the most dominant, followed by Lemna minor (20%) and Spirodela polyrrhiza (7%). Free-floating species accounted for 78.2% of all plants observed, with the highest abundance found in derelict ponds. The MLR model had R2 values of 0.670, 0.780, and 0.922 for aquaculture, non-aquaculture, and derelict pond, respectively. The independent variable (Number of plants/quadrat) showed a significant relationship with dependent variables, including rainfall, air temperature, water temperature, water depth, pH, dissolved oxygen, transparency, and for non-aquaculture and the derelict ponds, excluding the aquaculture pond. These findings indicate that aquatic plant diversity and abundance vary across water body types and are influenced by both climatic and physicochemical factors. Moreover, the results suggest that aquatic weeds hold considerable potential for integration into aquaculture systems through Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA) approaches.