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Rajasthan state has a water spread area of 3 lac hactares including large reservoirs, medium
reservoirs, tanks in villages, canals, seasonal water, rivers and water logged areas. Water supports
a variety of plants and animals.
The study of Phytoplankton are the subject of great interest because of their role as primary
producers in an aquatic ecosystem. Phytoplankton are assemblages of heterogeneous microscopic
algae forms whose movement is more or less dependent upon water currents. The present study was
undertaken to explore the diversity and ecology of phytoplankton in Sadul branch of Sirhind Feeder
in Hanumangarh (29º5’ to 30º6’ north latitude and 74 º3’ to 75 º3’ east longitudes). The present
observations were made for a period of six months. Physical-Chemical limnology revealed that
canal was shallow with turbid, alkaline, hard saline and well oxygenated water.
The flora was collected with plankton net. The study revealed the occurrence of 27 species of
phytoplankton, among these 12 species of Bacillariophyceae, 9 species of chlorophyceae, 3 species
of cyanophyceae and 1-1 species of zygnemataceae, myxophyceae and chaetophoraceae were
recorded. The flora was identified following Edmanson6 , Round11, Chapman & Chapman5 and
Needham & Needham10.
Keywords: Phytoplankton, Diversity, Ecology, Canal