Soil and water quality in relation to the abundance of nipa palm (Nypa fruticans) at Labac freshwater ecosystem, Naic, Cavite/ Irish John A. Avis and Olive Jane D. Carosino .--

Thesis (undergraduate)

College of Engineering .-- Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science: Technological University of the Philippines, 2019.

Includes bibliography:

The study was conducted to determine the anthropogenic activities, assessed the
soil and water quality, and the abundance of Nipa palm in Labac Freshwater Ecosystem
in Naic, Cavite, during the months of July to November2018. The physico-chemical and
biological properties of soil were determined in terms of soil pH, nitrogen, phosphorus,
potassium and organic matter, and for the water quality determination were the
temperature, turbidity, pH, salinity, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, nitrates, phosphates,
and total coliform. Composite sampling technique was used in the collection of soil and
water samples on two selected sites in the said riverine ecosystem; the first site was on
the downstream region, near the port of boats, while the second site was on the upstream
portion, near the Carcucia place. ACUR method was used to measure the abundance of
Nipa palm in the upstream region, since the said species no longer thrive on the
downstream part. Survey questionnaires were administered to the respondents to
determine the anthropogenic activities and the perception of the residents on the
protection and conservation measures of the river. Based on the findings, the most
common anthropogenic activities that affect the water quality of the Labac river are
fishing and aquaculture practices. The assessment of soil quality, experimental analyses
showed that the pH from soils in both sites ranges from 4.21-9.8. Soil in Naic in terms of
organic matter content ranges from 0.13 kg/ha-0.22 kg/ha in downstream, and 1.79-2.81
in upstream. The nitrogen level is considerably low (0.0065kg/ha-0.011kg/ha in
downstream, and 0.0895 kg/ha-0.1405kg/ha in upstream), phosphorus content is low in
downstream (4.21kg/ha-5.01kg/ha), and excessive in upstream (56.49kg/ha-190.23kg/ha),
potassium level is high in downstream (0.7kg/ha-0.89kg/ha), and excessive in upstream
(1.46kg/ha-3.49kg/ha). Assessing the water quality, all the parameters were within the
standard criterion set by DENR for Class C waters, except for the total coliform. Based
on the ACUR method, the Nipa palm count on the upstream region is abundant.