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Vegetative Propagation and Morphological Traits of Aquatic Weeds: Preliminary Assessment for Ecological Applications

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Author Affiliations

  • 1Department of Environmental Science, Baburaoji Gholap College, Pune 411027 (Affiliated to Savitribai Phule Pune University), India
  • 2Department of Botany, Anantrao Pawar College, Pirangut, Dist. Pune (Affiliated to Savitribai Phule Pune University), India

Int. Res. J. Environment Sci., Volume 15, Issue (2), Pages 26-31, April,22 (2026)

Abstract

Aquatic weeds are increasingly recognized for their ecological importance due to their rapid growth and biomass accumulation. However, limited information is available on their vegetative propagation and early growth performance under controlled conditions. The present study evaluated the propagation efficiency and morphological traits of four aquatic weed species, namely Alternanthera philoxeroides, Juncellus alopecuroides, Physalis minima, and Portulaca oleracea, collected from Pashan Lake, Pune, India. Stem cuttings (10 cm with 3–5 nodes) were propagated in coco-peat trays for 30 days under controlled conditions. Growth parameters including shoot length, root length, number of leaves, and fresh biomass were recorded and analysed using one-way ANOVA. Significant differences were observed among species for root length, leaf number, and biomass (p < 0.05), whereas shoot length did not differ significantly. Among the studied species, Physalis minima exhibited comparatively higher growth performance across most parameters, while Portulaca oleracea showed the lowest values. The results indicate species-specific variation in vegetative propagation efficiency and growth adaptability. These findings provide baseline information on morphological traits that may be relevant for ecological restoration and future phytoremediation studies. However, the absence of direct pollutant or heavy metal analysis limits the confirmation of phytoremediation potential, and further investigation is required.

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