Aquaculture has evolved as the fastest growing food producing sector and developed as an important component in food security. Recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) offer the great advantage of controlled culture conditions to optimize productivity, therewith to obtain high quality market products. Unfortunately, sometimes it has been demonstrated that RAS need an upgrade for increasing their profitability.
Therefore, to face the latest world requirements for sustainability, both industrial activities, intensive aquaculture and hydroponics, joined together as aquaponics.
Ammonia concentrations at elevated levels can inhibit nutrient uptake in plants by altering the ionic capacity of the water medium. The main part of the existing nitrogen is absorbed by the plant roots and serves as a starting material for synthesis of proteins and other nitrogen compounds.
Ammonia concentrations at elevated levels can inhibit nutrient uptake in plants by altering the ionic capacity of the water medium. The main part of the existing nitrogen is absorbed by the plant roots and serves as a starting material for synthesis of proteins and other nitrogen compounds.
Advantages :
One of the benefits of using an aquaponic system is that it can potentially reduce the amount of water used per kilogram of food produced up to 20-27%, compared to conventional agriculture systems. So, it can be said that in case of recirculating aquaculture systems, a method of improving effluent water quality characterized by high nutrient concentrations, especially nitrate, is to use hydroponic culture.
The second advantage is that greenhouse hydroponics production can produce from five to ten times more output compared to conventional agriculture.
Little to no chemical usage. Aquaponics requires no synthetic fertilizers and few pesticides.
Low susceptibility to pests and diseases.
Multiple crops and fish can be grown from the same system