Fenced cultivation of water hyacinth for cyanobacterial bloom control.

To achieve the goals of harmful cyanobacterial bloom control and nutrient removal, an eco-engineering project with water hyacinth planted in large-scale enclosures was conducted based on meteorological and hydrographical conditions in Lake Dianchi. Water quality, cyanobacteria distribution, and nutrient (TN, TP) bioaccumulation were investigated. Elevated concentrations of N and P and low Secchi depth (SD) were relevant to large amount of cyanobacteria trapped in regions with water hyacinth, where biomass of the dominant cyanobacteria Microcystis (4.95 × 10(10) cells L(-1)) was more than 30-fold compared with values of the control. A dramatic increase of TN and TP contents in the plants was found throughout the sampling period. Results from the present study confirmed the great potential to use water hyacinth for cyanobacterial bloom control and nutrient removal in algal lakes such as Lake Dianchi.