High-Yielding Aquaponics for Vegetable Production

76 Pages·2012·5.72 MB·English

by  Information Technology

High-Yielding Aquaponics
for Vegetable Production
Mike Nichols Nick Savidov
Massey University Alberta Agriculture &
New Zealand Rural Development
Canada

For International Conference and
Exhibition on Soilless Culture
May 23 2012, Shanghai, China.
Challenges in Agriculture
• Limited resources
• Environmental impact and nutrient management
• High energy input
• Economic sustainability of greenhouse
operations
• Existing markets are near to saturation in
Europe and North America
How we can address those challenges? Is there
“magic bullet”, which will make greenhouse industry
more sustainable and environmentally friendly in 21st
century?
We need to continue looking for new ideas, “out-
of-the-box” solutions. In future, we may need to
completely change the agricultural paradigm, of
the way we produce food today.
The solution may already exist today, but we
are not fully aware of it.
Example: Integrated Production Systems, like
aquaponics, can be one of the answers
What is aquaponics?
Aquaculture + Hydroponics = Aquaponics
Clean water Cleaning Circuit
Nutrient Rich Water Aeration
Solids Removal
Common stereotypes about
aquaponics
• Aquaponics is a simple combination of conventional aquaculture
and hydroponic facilities connected to each other
• Aquaponics is a kind of hydroponics based on the same principles
just using fish water as a source of nutrients
• Aquaponics can only rely on a specific technique like rafting culture
or DFT
• It can only be used for a production of certain crops and fish like
basil and tilapia to be economically viable
• Aquaponics should be run at higher pH
• Aquaponics always depends on certain supplemental nutrients like
iron and calcium
• Aquaponics can only use liquid waste coming from fish tanks
The Basic Process:
Fish provide source of nutrients,
microorganisms convert organic
waste and toxic compounds like
ammonium into soluble nutrients
available for plants, plants utilize
soluble salts regenerating water
for fish production
Technically, aquaponics is an example of
Integrated Production System based on
recirculating technology integrating fish culture,
waste management and plant production
Biologically,
aquaponics is an
example of
an artificial
ecosystem or agro-
ecosystem designed
for the purpose of
food production
Can we make aquaponics more
competitive?
The answer is High-Yielding Aquaponics
– a commercial system using state-of-
the-art technologies in aquaculture,
waste treatment and soilless crop
production
The major goal of High-
Yielding Aquaponics is a
solution for commercial and
environmental sustainability
of greenhouse operations