Abstract
IDKU wetland is one of Egypt's Northern Delta Lakes, which is threatened by nutrients that are discharged from the neighborhood. Aquatic macrophytes may sequester large amounts of these nutrients. Therefore, this study aims to assess the common reed (Phragmitis australis) role in restoring the eutrophic Idku wetland. The lake water and sediments have high N, P, Ca and K contents, which increase the risk of eutrophication. The use of GIS technique reveals that the lake water and sediments exhibit high concentrations of inorganic nutrients in areas nearest to the drain discharge. The remote-sensing technique detects that the common reed covers 1840.5ha (14.6% of the total lake area). The plant shoots produce 31.62tons ha-1 dry biomass with net production of 116377.23tons per lake. The plant can sequester 4.76, 16.69, 261.59, 1168.08, and 903.46tons of P, N, Ca, K, and Mg, respectively. In addition, the shoots contain 10.2% crude protein, 8.3% lipids, and 43.0% carbohydrates, yielding 459.7 +/- 98.0Mcal kg-1 of gross energy. These results sufficiently demonstrate that the common reed shoots can be used as excellent fodder. Common reed shoots can potentially sequester 3.015t of carbon, whereas the rhizomes and roots store 0.838 and 0.216 tons of carbon per lake area. This study concludes that the remote-sensing technique is a good tool for estimating the coverage area of P. australis. Common reed plants offer high potential for treating eutrophication by improving the water and sediment quality through accumulation and translocation of inorganic nutrients in its tissues as excellent fodder. In addition, these plants help reduce global warming owing to their high potential to sequester carbon