An Introduction to the Characteristics of Hydrilla verticillata and Its Aquaculture Application Value

Hydrilla verticillata is a perennial submerged herbaceous plant of the genus Hydrilla in the family Hydrocharitaceae, commonly found in freshwater bodies such as lakes, ponds and ditches. Its stems are slender and tender, and its leaves are arranged in whorls, usually with four to eight leaves per node, and the leaf margins bear fine serrations; this is where the name Hydrilla verticillata comes from. In some areas, people also habitually call it wensicao or black grass.

This aquatic plant is highly adaptable and prefers warm water and a clear, nutrient-poor environment. It grows quickly, most vigorously in spring and summer. Its regenerative capacity is outstanding: broken branches that fall into the mud can take root and sprout again, so it often grows in continuous patches in natural water bodies. In winter it forms winter buds that sink into the bottom mud to overwinter, and then germinates again when the water temperature rises the following year.

In aquaculture, Hydrilla verticillata is recognized as one of the high-quality aquatic plant species. Its stems and leaves are tender and palatable, making it a green feed favored by herbivorous fish such as grass carp and bream, and it is also a commonly planted species in river crab culture ponds, where it can provide places for crabs to inhabit, molt and hide. At the same time, it can absorb excess nutrients in the water, helping to purify water quality and increase dissolved oxygen, which is very helpful for maintaining the ecological balance of ponds.

Planting Hydrilla verticillata is mostly done by cuttings of broken branches or by sowing buds, generally after the water temperature rises in spring. After planting, a certain transparency of the water body should be maintained to avoid overly fertile water blocking light, and the amount of the plant should also be controlled in time to prevent it from growing wildly, then rotting and spoiling the water quality. With reasonable management, Hydrilla verticillata is both an ideal feed resource and a good helper for improving the culture environment, and it is very widely used in ecological aquaculture.