Lettuce growth in aquaponic system and in soil fertilized with fish sludge

Lenz, Guilherme Luis; Loss, Arcângelo; Lourenzi, Cledimar Rogério; Lopes, Diogo Luiz de Alcantara; Siebeneichler, Lucas de Matos; Brunetto, Gustavo

doi:10.1111/are.15372

Cited by 8 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…All three CAP treatments exhibited a similarly deteriorated nutritional state compared to all the DCAP and HP plants. The total N content did not seem to act as the major limiting nutrient for crop growth, since it did not differ among treatment until D38 and in all cases fell within the range of concentrations usually found in healthy hydroponically grown lettuce (30-60 mg g −1 ) [29]. Similar values of total N have been reported for hydroponically grown lettuce at a pH between 5.8 and 7 [30].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 75%

Exploring the Potential of Biostimulants to Optimize Lettuce Cultivation in Coupled and Decoupled Aquaponics Systems: Growth Performance, Functional Characteristics and Metabolomic Analysis

Chandrou,

Faliagka,

Mourantian

et al. 2024

Horticulturae

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Zero-discharge and low-input aquaponics systems are a promising alternative to the intensive agricultural and aquacultural production systems currently used, ensuring high environmental sustainability. However, new approaches and management practices are needed to increase their productivity to reach the yields of classic production systems. In this context, the present study investigated for the first time the potential of two biostimulants to improve lettuce performance in aquaponics, whether coupled or decoupled, with hydroponics serving as a control. A comprehensive evaluation was conducted to assess the plant functional (focusing on the photosynthetic process evaluation) and growth responses at the whole-plant level. In addition, the nutritional state of the leaves was determined and metabolomic analysis was performed at the cellular level, the latter also for the first time in aquaponics research. The results demonstrated the limitations that coupled aquaponics poses in relation to lettuce growth, function and metabolism, which were already obvious from the 12th day of the experiment. Indicatively, the plants grown under coupled aquaponics exhibited a notable decrease in the leaf fresh weight, potassium content and nitrogen content, with reductions of 80%, 60%, and 30%, respectively, in comparison to the hydroponics control. However, the combined physiological and metabolomic data indicate that these plants down-regulate processes and metabolism to acclimate to low nutrient levels in lettuce leaves rather than experiencing damage. The application of biostimulants did not significantly optimize the plants’ performance, though one of them appeared to be effective in improving some aspects of the photochemical efficiency. The decoupled and hydroponics systems resulted in similarly high yields and efficiency in terms of plant function, without any marked contribution from the biostimulants. We conclude that the decoupled aquaponics system has been successful in achieving yields comparable to those of hydroponics, with lower chemical inputs. Future studies should focus on examining other biostimulants in this system to further improve its performance while maintaining its environmental benefits within a circular economy framework.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 75%

Exploring the Potential of Biostimulants to Optimize Lettuce Cultivation in Coupled and Decoupled Aquaponics Systems: Growth Performance, Functional Characteristics and Metabolomic Analysis

Chandrou,

Faliagka,

Mourantian

et al. 2024

Horticulturae

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“…Most studies do not address waste streams that stem from aquaponic systems. Also, management alternatives for fish excreta are not addressed; the exceptions are Lenz et al (2021a) and Lenz (2021b), where sludge removed from an aquaponic system was applied to soil to compare vegetable growth in this medium with aquaponic cultivation.…”

Section: Review Of Brazilian Productionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Aquaponics in Brazil: Review and Survey on Waste Management Practices

Bizon,

Castro

2023

Rev. AIDIS ing. cienc. ambient.

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Aquaponics is a food production technique that may be applied in the context of urban agriculture to help achieve food security and promote sustainable agriculture and production patterns, among other Sustainable Development Goals. Brazilian population is large and highly concentrated in urban areas and might benefit from this technique. Similar to any other production activity, aquaponic systems generate wastes that must be properly managed, but until now no study focused on waste generated on such systems or on management practices adopted by Brazilian producers; the goal of this article was to address both of these gaps. A systematic review identified waste streams generated on aquaponics, while management practices were seldom mentioned and addressed. A survey on producers located in 17 of the 27 Brazilian federal units helped confirm sludge, packaging waste, dead fish and unusable plant fractions as typical waste streams. It also identified a lack of concern for a more in-depth assessment of such streams to improve management practices, which tended to gravitate toward adequate and inadequate disposal. Finally, the article proposes management practices for each waste stream, drawing from strategies foreseen in Brazilian National Solid Waste Policy.

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“…The experiment reported here set out to test the efficacy of aquaculture effluent as a fertiliser in a Martian simulant and a Martian analogue. The viability of freshwater aquaculture effluent as fertiliser has been demonstrated for a wide variety of food crops grown in terrestrial soils, including wheat (Al-Jaloud et al,, 1993), barley (Hussain and Al-Jaloud, 1998;Stevenson et al, 2010), maize (Abdul-Rahman et al, 2011;Osaigbovo et al, 2010), sorghum (Kolozsvári et al, 2022), soybean (Abdelraouf, 2017), amaranth (Ojobor and Tobih, 2015), potato (Abdelraouf, 2017), common bean (Meso et al, 2014), tomato (Castro et al, 2006;Pattillo et al, 2020), pepper (Omotade et al, 2019;Palada et al, 2019), chicory (Lenz et al, 2021a), cabbage (Elsbaay and Darwesh, 2022), lettuce (Lenz et al, 2021b), radish (Abdul-Rahman et al, 2011, cucumber (Ndubuisi, 2019), onion (Abdelraouf et al, 2016;Abdelraouf, 2017), basil (Omeir et al, 2020), marjoram (Kimera et al, 2021a) and oregano (Kimera et al, 2021b). This paper discusses a small pilot/proof of concept study, to ascertain whether aquaponic fish effluent could be used in sterile regoliths to produce vegetables.…”

mentioning

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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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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Lettuce growth in aquaponic system and in soil fertilized with fish sludge

Cited by 8 publications

References 38 publications

Exploring the Potential of Biostimulants to Optimize Lettuce Cultivation in Coupled and Decoupled Aquaponics Systems: Growth Performance, Functional Characteristics and Metabolomic Analysis

Exploring the Potential of Biostimulants to Optimize Lettuce Cultivation in Coupled and Decoupled Aquaponics Systems: Growth Performance, Functional Characteristics and Metabolomic Analysis

Aquaponics in Brazil: Review and Survey on Waste Management Practices

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

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