Investigating the effects of fish effluents as organic fertilisers on onion (Allium cepa) yield, soil nutrients, and soil microbiome

Fruscella, Lorenzo; Kotzen, Benz; Paradelo, Marcos; Milliken, Sarah

doi:10.1016/j.scienta.2023.112297

Cited by 7 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…The principal of self-reliance is thus crucial to long-term settlement on Mars and one of the ways of providing healthy nutritious produce which could be selfsustaining is using aquaponic systems to provide vegetables, herbs and indeed flowers, but also animal protein. Studies at the University of Greenwich (Fruscella et al, 2023) indicates that using fish effluents is an effective way of providing the required fertilizer for plants in soils and in addition to this the residues from the plants and the fish that have been eaten, can also be an important additive to the regoliths which will help to produce healthy soils which are capable of growing plants.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The research investigates the potential benefits for including soil in aquaponic systems and also in using fish water and fish sludge as a manure in horticultural and agricultural scenarios as discussed in Palm et al 2018 andPalm et al, 2023 under the heading of "aquaponics farming". Results of research growing onions using aquaponic derived effluents indicate the all-round better performance of onions grown in soil with these added effluents compared to onions grown with added manure (Fruscella et al, 2023).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Feeding Mars: A pilot study growing vegetables using aquaponic effluent fertiliser in simulant and analogue Martian regoliths

Kotzen,

Paradelo,

Fruscella

2024

Ecocycles

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The Feeding Mars study was devised as a small, pilot proof of concept study to research the potential for using aquaponic effluents as an additive to regoliths which on Mars and the Moon are devoid of organic material and thus lacking microbes which assist in the delivery of water and nutrients to the plants via their roots. This research investigates aquaponics as a way to potentially produce fish and vegetal products in regoliths on Mars and the Moon as well as in extreme environments on Earth. In order to settle on Mars, settlers will have to grow their own food in systems that are self-perpetuating, with little or no inputs being brought from Earth once these systems have been established. This means that nutrients from the fish water can be used to grow plants in the hydroponic parts of the aquaponic system but also potentially in the Martian regoliths which are treated with effluents taken from aquaponic systems. Once production is established additional nutrients can be sourced from the arisings and waste, both from the fish (that are processed and eaten) and the plants, which can be used as compost to turn the regoliths into soil. In order to have fish in space, there is also the need for the systems to be self-sustaining in the production of fish feed. The key outcomes of the project were that all the species grown (potatoes, tomatoes, dwarf beans, carrots, lettuce, spring onions, chives and basil) indicate the potential to be grown in regoliths with the addition of aquaponic effluents. A significant result was that on the whole the plants that were grown with the addition of aquaponic effluents were greener than those grown in the horticultural soil, indicating that the nutrient supply was adequate. However, a key lesson learned is that germination and thus development of the plants grown in the Mars simulant and analogue was slower than those grown in the horticultural soil. Thus, developing nutrients in the soil before planting is necessary as it is with agriculture and horticulture practices on Earth, where manuring/fertilization occurs before planting. The consequence of this research, and the envisaged research to follow is not only for extra-terrestrial environments. The Earth has its own hostile environments, characterised with regoliths and other unproductive soils, and aquaponic water and aquaponic wastes can readily be envisaged as providing solutions to growing nutritious food in areas where agriculture is not currently viable. The research was undertaken in an exhibition gallery setting at the University of Greenwich in order to encourage public interest and dialogue, which it did.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Feeding Mars: A pilot study growing vegetables using aquaponic effluent fertiliser in simulant and analogue Martian regoliths

Kotzen,

Paradelo,

Fruscella

2024

Ecocycles

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“…For example, an early analysis of nutrient flow in traditional integrated systems followed in Jiangsu Province, China, showed that fish waste, from seven different species, provided over 25% of the crop N inputs, while pig waste supplied an additional 13% of the N input for crops and forage production, in addition to contributing to the soil organic matter content [227]. Aquaponic systems utilizing fish effluent as a nutrient source have been shown to improve crop growth and NUE, compared to other nutrient sources [228]. However, research in Alabama, USA, showed a greater NUE with the conventional fertilizer treatment, attributed to possible greater nitrification rates from the fish effluent, which indicated a need to better fine-tune their system [137].…”

Section: System Diversification To Improve Nuementioning

confidence: 99%

Optimizing the Nitrogen Use Efficiency in Vegetable Crops

Valenzuela

2024

Nitrogen

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Nitrogen (N) is the most limiting nutrient for the production of vegetable crops, but anthropogenic sources pose risks due to its transformation into several reactive forms and movement throughout the environment. The bulk of the N research to date to improve Nitrogen Use Efficiency (NUE) has followed a reductionist factorial approach focused on synthetic N application rates and crop growth response, under monocultures. The increased adoption of diversified cropping systems, organic N sources, and alternative management practices makes it more challenging to unravel N form transformation, movement, and crop uptake dynamics, in time and space. Here, based on a selected review of the recent literature, we propose a holistic approach of nutrient management to highlight key management and production variables as well as multilevel cropping system, genetic, environmental, ecological, and socioeconomic interactions to improve the N cycle and NUE. The best management strategies to improve NUE include both organic and inorganic N rate calibration studies, germplasm selection, crop rotations, identification of nutrient x nutrient interactions, and pest and water management. Agroecological practices that may improve NUE include vegetational diversification in time and space, integrated crop–livestock systems, conservation tillage, organic amendment inputs, legume-based cropping systems, as well as a landscape approach to nutrient management.

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“…Several studies have shown that organic fertilization and amendment have a positive impact on vegetable growth [3][4][5][6][7]. One of the options is the use of organic matter with a controlled process of fermentation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using Bokashi and Cow Urine as Organic Low-Cost Amendments Can Enhance Arugula (Eruca sativa L.) Agronomic Traits but Not Always Total Polyphenols and Antioxidant Activity

Hata,

da Silva,

Yassunaka Hata

et al. 2024

Horticulturae

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Productive traits, total polyphenols (TPC), and antioxidant activity (DPPH) of arugula submitted to the combination (or not) of cow urine and doses of bokashi were evaluated in two experimental areas. Arugula was planted in cultivation bags with 55 dm3 of capacity in protected cultivation. The treatments were bokashi doses (0, 10, 20, and 30 g) and use (or not) of cow urine diluted 1% in water. The variables evaluated were fresh leaf biomass (FLB), dry leaf biomass (DLM), plant height (PH), chlorophyll index, TPC, and DPPH. In area 1, all agronomic variables were increased at 30 g and 20 g bokashi doses. FLB was increased by 87 and 76% with 30 g of bokashi. Cow urine only increased PH. In area 2, the use of bokashi + cow urine increased FLB, DLB, and PH with a positive quadratic response. At the maximum point, the FLB was increased by 159% with 28.92 g of bokashi. Bokashi increased FLB and DLB in the two areas in all evaluated doses. For TPC, with the use of cow urine, 10 g of bokashi increased TPC by 14%. Without the use of cow urine, increases of 17 and 33% with 10 and 30 g of bokashi were observed. The 30 g of bokashi is recommended because of increased productive traits and TPC.

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Investigating the effects of fish effluents as organic fertilisers on onion (Allium cepa) yield, soil nutrients, and soil microbiome

Cited by 7 publications

References 47 publications

Feeding Mars: A pilot study growing vegetables using aquaponic effluent fertiliser in simulant and analogue Martian regoliths

Feeding Mars: A pilot study growing vegetables using aquaponic effluent fertiliser in simulant and analogue Martian regoliths

Optimizing the Nitrogen Use Efficiency in Vegetable Crops

Using Bokashi and Cow Urine as Organic Low-Cost Amendments Can Enhance Arugula (Eruca sativa L.) Agronomic Traits but Not Always Total Polyphenols and Antioxidant Activity

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