Aquaponics

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Aquaponics

• Dr. Todd P. West
• Davis College of Agriculture
• Dr. Karen Buzby
• College of Engineering
• and Mineral Resources

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Aquaponics What is it?

• Aquaponics is a bio-integrated system that links
  recirculating aquaculture with hydroponic
  vegetable, flower, and/or herb production.
• Recent advances by researchers and growers alike
  have turned aquaponics into a working model of
  sustainable food production.

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Aquaponics Sustainable Food Production Model

• The waste products of one biological system serve
  as nutrients for a second biological system.
• The integration of fish and plants results in a
  polyculture that increases diversity and yields
  multiple products.
• Water can be re-used through biological
  filtration and recirculation.
• Local food production provides access to healthy
  foods and enhances the local economy.

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Aquaponics Why is it important?

• Potential to increase farm income through
  production diversification.
• Production of organic hydroponic produce or
  ornamental plants into the marketplace.
• Potential to assist aquaculture producers in
  managing fish effluent.

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Aquaponics Goals

• To evaluate both plant production and nutrient
  removal capabilities of prospective crops.
• To determine if plants can be grown for
  value-added production.
• Need to identify operational conditions that
  maximize plant production, nutrient removal and
  marketability.

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Plant Growing Box Design

• Each box is constructed of plywood lined with
  EPDM.
• 3 channels per box.
• Each channel is 15 wide x 8 long. Depth is 6.
• Influent to each channel is independently
  controlled by a ball valve.

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Greenhouse Experiments

• Fish Effluent Velocity (High Low) vs. Plant
  Density (High and Low)
• Evaluation of cool and warm season food crops
  during winter, spring and summer
• Cool season crops were watercress and lettuce
• Warm season crops were basil and dill
• All were grown at low velocity and high density
  to maximize nutrient uptake

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Fish Culture System Comparison
Flow-through System

• Collaborative experiment with UMD DSU using
  ornamental plants.

WVU
Recirculating Fish Culture
Bait Fish Pond
UMD
DSU
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• Iris and hibiscus grown at WVU and DSU, Spartina
  and hibiscus grown at UMD.
• Higher nutrient concentrations and warmer
  temperatures in the recirculating system promoted
  higher growth.

Flow-through System
Bait Fish Pond
Recirculating Fish Culture
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• Plants grown outside at UMD and DSU suffered
  extensive insect damage rendering them unsalable
  for ornamental sales.
• Plants grown at the WVU Aquaponics Facility
  suffered no insect damage increasing salability.

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Plant Growth 6 week period WVU Aquaponic
Facility
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• Growth comparison of iris and hibiscus grown in
  the WVU Greenhouse and the WVU Aquaponics
  Facility
• Greenhouse grown plants are much larger but
  required daily watering and received fertilizer.
• Aquaponics grown plants received no inputs.

Aquaculture Facility
Greenhouse
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Current Work

• Extensive germination trials of ornamentals and
  food crops

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Lessons Learned

• Crops may be grown all year.
• Unlike conventional greenhouse production
  systems, aquaponics requires little to no
  maintenance.
• Light limitation within the fish building reduced
  production.

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• Yield was better at higher water velocities.
• Yield was unaffected by plant density at the
  densities we used.
• Warm season crops such as tomato, basil or
  cucumber are not productive within this system.

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Aquaponics Inputs

• Protected growing facility
• Plant source (typically seed or small plants from
  other growers)
• Water source from fish production
• Limited labor and plant production training

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Aquaponics Outcomes

• Potential to increase farm income through
  production diversification.
• Local food production providing access to healthy
  foods to enhance local economy.
• Potential to assist aquaculture producers in
  managing fish effluent.

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