Abstract:
Rice and fish are globally essential staple foods. Given the common challenge of land
scarcity faced by both fish farming and agriculture, integrating these practices can provide a
viable solution. This study evaluated the integration of rice (Oryza sativa AT362) with tilapia
(Oreochromis niloticus, T) and common carp (Cyprinus carpio, C) through four treatments:
T, C, T+C (1:1 ratio) and a control (no fish), each treatment with three replicates. The stocking
density was 3.75 individuals m-2. Tilapia integration significantly increased the number of
leaves, panicles and tillers, resulting in a high yield of 6.7 t ha-¹ (approximately 1.6 times
higher than that of control). In contrast, carp integration showed no significant improvements
in these parameters. Rice growth was positively correlated with root area diameter, primarily
influenced by tilapia activity. Tilapia demonstrated better growth performance compared to
carp, with average survival rates of 74 and 64%, respectively. These findings highlight the
potential of rice-fish integration in Sri Lanka, particularly the effectiveness of combining
O. sativa (AT362) with O. niloticus.
