Search

ABSTRACTSaudi Arabia is the largest country in the Middle East with huge solar energy resources but has achieved minimal adoption of photovoltaic energy systems (PV). This study investigates the potential of PV systems to address pressing challenges, including water scarcity and agricultural unemployment. This study addresses the deployment of PV in contemporary agriculture such as aquaponics and hydroponics to promote sustainable water, energy, and agricultural practices. Scrutinising national goals for PV energy against ground realities. The buyback tariff, interest rates of loans, and potential future power price increases are simulated to find suitable rates to encourage PV adoption. The current government grid purchase price is 1.87 cents USD/kWh, while the national grid selling price is 4.8 cents USD/kWh. Small-scale PV plants offer local investors passive income streams if financial institutes can offer these projects at lower interest rates. Investigating the country’s educational sector reveals the need for an overhaul in technical education for solar energy systems. The simulation shows that PV use in agriculture is economically feasible for large loads even with buyback rates as low as 1.87 cents USD/kWh. This research contributes by emphasising local involvement and proposing financial mechanisms, government reforms, and sustainable agricultural development in the region.

Abstract Although food is produced in aquaponics systems worldwide, no information is available on the occurrence of insect pests and natural enemies in aquaponic lettuce, Lactuca sativa L. In this study, a survey was carried out in an aquaponic system combining lettuce with lambari, Astyanax altiparanae (Garutti & Briski), aiming to determine the insect pests and natural enemies associated with this system. We also determined the predominant insect species and the effect of meteorological factors on their populations. Insect abundance was estimated by visual sampling during 13 cultivation cycles, totaling 27 sampling dates. The meteorological factors considered were air temperature and relative humidity, and their effects were determined using the Pearson correlation. The thrips Frankliniella schultzei (Trybom) and Caliothrips phaseoli (Hood) and the aphid Aphis spiraecola (Patch) predominated. Ambient temperature and relative humidity were essential factors affecting C. phaseoli and F. schultzei. The natural enemies found on the lettuce plants were the thrips Franklinothrips vespiformis (Crawford) and Stomatothrips angustipennis (Hood) and the ladybugs Cycloneda sanguinea L., Eriopis connexa (Germar), and Hippodamia convergens (Guérin-Méneville). These results constitute the first step for a lettuce-integrated pest-management program in aquaponics systems.

Climate change, population expansion, water shortages, soil erosion, and food security are some of the primary concerns facing the world today. Hydroponic, aquaponic, and aquaculture systems may help to address these difficulties. Hydroponics is a closed-loop system for growing plants in nutrient-rich water rather than soil. Aquaponic systems combine hydroponics and the growing of fish or other aquaculture species in addition to plants. This review aims to evaluate the challenges encountered by aquaponic and aquaculture farming operations and identify which issues still need to be addressed. The review is organized as follows: recent previous studies on hydroponics, aquaponics, and aquaculture were collected and investigated; water quality and energy issues were addressed; technologies to improve water quality in these systems were discussed; and challenges to the implementation of large-scale aquaponics were discussed. The study found that a commercial reverse osmosis filtering system that provides excellent water quality control is a good method for removing harmful contaminants from water in small-scale aquaponics and aquaculture. Recirculation systems are more sustainable and effective in managing the volume of effluent in aquaculture units because only 10% of the total volume of water is refilled daily. Constructed wetland systems are a low-cost, high-efficiency treatment solution for nitrogen-containing wastewater, with removal efficiencies of up to 98% for NH4-N and above 98% for NO2-N. The use of aquaponics in desert settings with water constraints constraint is viewed as a possible sustainable food production approach.

Societal Impact Statement Refining circular multitrophic food production methods, which integrate plant, fish, and insect outputs, is imperative for environmental sustainability. Our findings suggest that the right protein choices in fish feed, like black soldier fly meal and poultry meal, can notably enhance the nutrient profile of fish waste water. This, in turn, is conducive for hydroponic cultivation, enhancing the nutritional attributes of plants like basil and lettuce. As we reduce environmental impact and optimize resource use, it is evident that our food ecosystems are deeply intertwined. Harnessing these synergies could redefine our approach to food production, paving the way for a more sustainable global future. Summary Optimization of nutrient use efficiencies in circular multitrophic food production systems (i.e., plant, fish, and insect production) is crucial for sustainability. This study tested how protein ingredient choice in fish feed influences the plant nutritional value of the fish waste water when used for hydroponic crop production. Waste water samples were obtained from recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) in which Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) were fed different single protein source diets—black soldier fly meal (BSFM), poultry by‐product meal (PM), poultry blood meal (PBM), and fish meal. Water was analyzed for plant nutrients and used for lettuce and basil cultivation to evaluate their suitability for hydroponic crop production—viz. yield, mineral nutrient, and selected secondary metabolite levels. BSFM RAS water had the highest concentrations of K, Mg, and micronutrients (Cu, Mn, Mo, Zn) of the RAS waters, whereas PM RAS water contained the highest P concentration and had a mean pH of 6.5 closer to the optimum pH for hydroponic plants. These RAS waters consequently lead to the highest yields in basil and lettuce indicating the importance of the aforementioned factors. From a plant production perspective, BSFM appears promising as a protein source in fish feeds for aquaponics. Usage of RAS waters for plant production helps reduce (i) environmental impact of RAS water and (ii) resource input in plant production. Longer term RAS trials should be conducted to determine the maximum nutrient concentrations achievable during fish production with diets including BSFM as the main protein source.

Aquaponics is a sustainable food production technology combining the tripartite relationship between fish, plants, and microorganisms. This study discusses the diversity and characteristics of bacteria communities in different aquaponic system compartments. Samples from red onion hydroponic compartment and koi biological filters were collected and analyzed for their bacterial community structure. Gene sequencing with high throughput 16S rRNA is used to analyze bacterial communities. Hydroponic compartments had significantly more bacterial communities than koi biological filters. The most dominant phylum in the hydroponic compartment is Proteobacteria (α, β, γ), Bacteroidota, Firmicutes, Planctomycetota, Cyanobacteria, and Actinobacteria. While in the biological filter are Bacteroidota, β-Proteobacteria, and Actinobacteria. The bacterial community in the hydroponic compartment showed significant specificity compared to the bacterial community in the biological filter. We also systematically describe bacterial communities in hydroponic compartments and biological filters and estimate their relevant functions in biological filtration of water. These results provide new insights into bacterial communities’ role in the hydroponic compartment for red onion growth as well as bacterial communities in the biofilter that act as bioremediation agents on water quality that affect the growth and survival of koi. However, it would be required a deeper analysis to identify its specific roles in aquaponics.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of starvation and refeeding on the growth and food intake of gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata) and seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax) and on the growth and nitrogen uptake of glasswort (Salicornia europaea) in a polyculture aquaponic system under 12 ppt salinity for 75 days. Nine small-scale autonomous aquaponic systems were used, each containing 10 gilthead seabreams (average weight of 6.33 ± 0.73 g and average length of 5.73 ± 0.72 cm) and 10 seabasses (5.82 ± 0.77 g and 6.35 ± 0.45 cm), as well as five glasswort plants. Three fish feeding treatments were performed, a control (A), in which fish were fed daily until satiation, and two fasting treatments for 4 (B) and 7 days (C). Fish growth performance was significantly lower (p

IntroductionAquaponics provide multiple benefits due to the simultaneous yield of vegetables and fish, however they are characterized by increased greenhouse gas emissions owing to intensive production system. The most appropriate method for quantifying the environmental effects of these systems is Life Cycle Assessment with which the identification of hotspots and the suggestion of improved production plans can be achieved. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the environmental impact of a pilot high-tech aquaponic system utilized for the simultaneous production of baby lettuce and rocket as well as rainbow trout, in indicators such as Global Warming Potential.Materials and methodsTo achieve this goal, data on inputs and outputs were collected from 12 case studies that were implemented, combining different fertilizer treatments, substrate choices, plant species cultivated and water source provision. Life Cycle Assessment was performed using SimaPro v.9.4.0.2 software.ResultsThe results showcase that the optimal case studies include the cultivation of baby lettuce and rocket in perlite substrate using wastewater from fish and partial use of synthetic fertilizers. Indicatively, Global Warming Potential of these cases was calculated at 21.18 and 40.59 kg CO2-eq/kg of vegetable respectively. The parameter with the greatest impact on most of the environmental indicators was electricity consumption for the operation of the oxygen supply pump for the fish tanks, while greenhouse infrastructure had the greatest impact in Abiotic Depletion and Human Toxicity impact categories. In an alternative production scenario tested where renewable energy sources were used, system impacts were reduced by up to 50% for Global Warming Potential and 86% for Eutrophication impact. The results of this study aspire to constitute a significant milestone in environmental impact assessments of aquaponic production systems and the adoption of more sustainable farming practices.

Indoor farming technologies, such as aquaponics and hydroponics, are crucial for advancing sustainable agriculture, especially in urban areas with limited land for conventional agriculture. As studies comparing these two systems are limited, this study explored the cultivation of five leafy vegetables—white leaf beets (Beta vulgaris var. cicla), hooker chives (Allium hookeri), basil (Ocimum basilicum), lemon balm (Melissa officinalis), and spearmint (Mentha spicata)—in an indoor greenhouse facility using two different food production platforms: an aquaponic system (AS) with catfish (Silurus asotus) and a conventional hydroponic system (HS). The results showed that the plant growth in AS outperformed that in HS, while the general growth patterns in AS were significantly affected by the different light sources. In addition, the leaf yield of the herbal plants (basil and lemon balm) in AS was 60%–70% more than that in HS. The leaf growth of hooker chives in AS also showed significant improvement (200%) compared with that in HS. It appears that the nutrient sources provided by fish were remarkable, as the average concentration of NO3–N (64 mg/L) was easily achieved in AS. The proposed AS, therefore, would be a promising alternative to the production and supply of supplement organic food, ultimately contributing to promoting sustainable agriculture in a changing climate.

Urban farming and community gardening are gaining popularity as strategies to address food insecurity and inequities in city life. Urban agriculture has been proposed as a way to enhance a city’s resilience. This concept is not new, as Ludwig Hilberseimer and Alfred Caldwell demonstrated in the 1940s when they envisioned a more resilient city for the industrialized world utilizing a decentralized, linear development model within a productive living landscape. In asserting that “small farms could solve mass poverty, mass unemployment and inflation– our great national disasters,” Caldwell presented a vision of small-scale farming as an act of resistance and empowerment for individuals, with the goal of initiating large-scale social and environmental transformation. This study takes Caldwell’s assertion as a starting point to investigate what we can learn from existing examples of urban agriculture in order to enhance urban resilience. The research examines three distinct approaches to urban farming currently implemented in Chicago, aiming to extrapolate their scalability and impact on broader societal and environmental change. The selected cases represent a range of farming practices and organizational types, encompassing conventional raised bed farming, aquaponics, hydroponics, and permaculture. Organizational diversity is reflected in the inclusion of a large non-profit organization, a local community group, and a private entrepreneur. Each case is analyzed based on a) The specific approach to farming technologies and practices, b) The corresponding development and implementation process leading to fruition, c) Evaluation of its transformative effects on individuals and its broader societal and environmental impact, d) Identification of perceived opportunities or barriers to growth and long-term success. The study identifies numerous opportunities for scaling up and emphasizes the varied objectives in urban agriculture. To support the growth of urban agriculture within resilient cities, a comprehensive multi-faceted, multi-scalar framework is necessary.

Environment changes, water scarcity, soil depletion, and urbanisation are making it harder to produce food using traditional methods in various regions and countries. Aquaponics is emerging as a sustainable food production system that produces fish and plants in a closed-loop system. Aquaponics is not dependent on soil or external environmental factors. It uses fish waste to fertilise plants and can save up to 90–95% water. Aquaponics is an innovative system for growing food and is expected to be very promising, but it has its challenges. It is a complex ecosystem that requires multidisciplinary knowledge, proper monitoring of all crucial parameters, and high maintenance and initial investment costs to build the system. Artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT) are key technologies that can overcome these challenges. Numerous recent studies focus on the use of AI and the IoT to automate the process, improve efficiency and reliability, provide better management, and reduce operating costs. However, these studies often focus on limited aspects of the system, each considering different domains and parameters of the aquaponics system. This paper aims to consolidate the existing work, identify the state-of-the-art use of the IoT and AI, explore the key parameters affecting growth, analyse the sensing and communication technologies employed, highlight the research gaps in this field, and suggest future research directions. Based on the reviewed research, energy efficiency and economic viability were found to be a major bottleneck of current systems. Moreover, inconsistencies in sensor selection, lack of publicly available data, and the reproducibility of existing work were common issues among the studies.

Abstract The recycling processes of aquaponic waste into fertilizers are highly dependent on the type and activity of nitrifying bacteria in the system. This study aims to find indigenous nitrifiers to enhance nutrient recovery in an aquaponics system. Twelve indigenous nitrifiers consisting of ammonia and nitrite‐degrading bacteria were isolated from a local earthen pond of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), and two isolates (AQ4 and AQ12) were selected due to their highest capacity to degrade either ammonia or nitrate respectively. Based on the 16S rRNA gene sequences, these isolates were identified as Marinobacter nauticus (AQ4) with 98.64% similarity, and Bacillus sp. (AQ12) with 99.89% similarity. When these bacterial isolates were applied in aquaponics systems with bacterial enhancement (aquaponicsBE), the nutrient recovery was significantly higher compared to the control (aquaponicsctrl), indicated by a 500 g higher total harvested biomass. With a significance value of p

Crops grown on aquaponics farms are susceptible to various diseases or biotic stresses during their growth cycle, just like traditional agriculture. The early detection of diseases is crucial to witnessing the efficiency and progress of the aquaponics system. Aquaponics combines recirculating aquaculture and soilless hydroponics methods and promises to ensure food security, reduce water scarcity, and eliminate carbon footprint. For the large-scale implementation of this farming technique, a unified system is needed that can detect crop diseases and support researchers and farmers in identifying potential causes and treatments at early stages. This study proposes an automatic crop diagnostic system for detecting biotic stresses and managing diseases in four leafy green crops, lettuce, basil, spinach, and parsley, grown in an aquaponics facility. First, a dataset comprising 2640 images is constructed. Then, a disease detection system is developed that works in three phases. The first phase is a crop classification system that identifies the type of crop. The second phase is a disease identification system that determines the crop's health status. The final phase is a disease detection system that localizes and detects the diseased and healthy spots in leaves and categorizes the disease. The proposed approach has shown promising results with accuracy in each of the three phases, reaching 95.83%, 94.13%, and 82.13%, respectively. The final disease detection system is then integrated with an ontology model through a cloud-based application. This ontology model contains domain knowledge related to crop pathology, particularly causes and treatments of different diseases of the studied leafy green crops, which can be automatically extracted upon disease detection allowing agricultural practitioners to take precautionary measures. The proposed application finds its significance as a decision support system that can automate aquaponics facility health monitoring and assist agricultural practitioners in decision-making processes regarding crop and disease management.

Developing models to assess the nutrient status of plants at various growth stages is challenging due to the dynamic nature of plant development. Hence, this study encoded spatiotemporal information of plants within a single time-series model to precisely assess the nutrient status of aquaponically cultivated lettuce. In particular, the long short-term memory (LSTM) and deep autoencoder (DAE) approaches were combined to classify aquaponically grown lettuce plants according to their nutrient status. The proposed approach was validated using extensive sequential hyperspectral reflectance measurements acquired from lettuce leaves at different growth stages across the growing season. A DAE was used to extract distinct features from each sequential spectral dataset time step. These features were used as input to an LSTM model to classify lettuce grown across a gradient of nutrient levels. The results demonstrated that the LSTM outperformed the convolutional neural network (CNN) and multi-class support vector machine (MCSVM) approaches. Also, features selected by the DAE showed better performance compared to features extracted using both genetic algorithms (GAs) and sequential forward selection (SFS). The hybridization of deep autoencoder and long short-term memory (DAE-LSTM) obtained the highest overall classification accuracy of 94%. The suggested methodology presents a pathway to automating the process of nutrient status diagnosis throughout the entire plant life cycle, with the LSTM technique poised to assume a pivotal role in forthcoming time-series analyses for precision agriculture.

Controlled environment agriculture is a promising alternative to conventional production methods, as it is less affected by climate change and is often more sustainable, especially in circular and recycling frameworks such as aquaponics. A major cost factor in such facilities, however, is the need for skilled labor. Depending on available resources, there are endless possibilities on how to choose ingredients to realize a desired nutrient solution. At the same time, the composition of the desired solution is subject to fluctuations in fish water quality, fertilizer availability, weather, and plant development. In high-evaporation scenarios, e.g., summer, nutrient solutions might be mixed multiple times per day. This results in a complex, multi-variable task that is time-consuming to solve manually, yet requires frequent resolution. This work aims to help solve this challenge by providing methods to automate the nutrient mixing procedure. A simple mass-balance-based model of a nutrient mixing tank with connections to different water sources, drains, and fertilizers is provided. Using methods of static optimization, a program was developed which, in consideration of various process constraints and optimization variables, is able to calculate the necessary steps to mix the desired solution. The program code is provided in an open-source repository. The flexibility of the method is demonstrated in simulation scenarios. The program is easy to use and to adapt, and all necessary steps are explained in this paper. This work contributes to a higher automation level in CEA.

Aquaponics offers a simple conclusive solution to the food and environmental crisis around the world. This paper presents a comparative analysis of standard aquaponics with vermiponics (aquaponics with earthworms) before and after applying an optimal freshwater replenishment. Fish and plants were grown on a standard aquaponics testbed and a vermiponics testbed for 3 months each, initially without water replenishment, and then with 19% replenishment based on the fishtank volume. Water quality and environmental data were monitored, collected and processed using sensors and internet of things (IoT) devices. Daily growth analysis, the mean productivity of both testbeds before and after replenishment, the percentage of productivity difference and the general productivity comparison between standard and vermiponics testbeds were determined. Results showed an enhanced productivity of 2.83% and 5.54% for the standard testbed and the vermiponics testbed, respectively, when replenishment was applied. The yield improvement after replenishment was proven to be statistically significant, with p < 0.05 reassuring the impact of water replenishment. This research contributes to the understanding of the impact of water replenishment in aquaponics and vermiponics systems. Moreover, it provides insights into the effect of earthworms on both systems’ yield productivity.

As nutrient-rich water in aquaponic systems cannot supply growing plants with all the required trace elements, supplementation with specific fertilizers is performed to make up for this deficit. While chelated fertilizers such as ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid–zinc disodium complex (Zn-EDTA) are becoming more popular in this context for improving plant growth in aquaponic systems, little is known about their effects on fish. During two experiments, a total of 576 individuals of catfish fry (0.19 g) and fingerlings (220.01 g) of the African catfish (Clarias gariepinus; Burchell, 1822) were kept separately for 32 days under experimental aquarium conditions. The fry was exposed to 0.125 and 0.5 mg/L, while the fingerlings were exposed to 0.5 and 2.0 mg/L Zn-EDTA in a plantless aquaponic system. The third treatment group consisted of a control group without Zn-EDTA. The growth, mortality, and ethological indicators were assessed for all growth stages, while the leukocyte distribution and histopathological changes were additionally determined for the fingerlings. As the feed intake in the experiment was limited, the investigations were focused on the effects of Zn-EDTA and not on the growth process of a respective fish growth stage. While the growth, mortality, and behavior were not significantly different in both growing stages, the number of mature neutrophils changed significantly in all treatments in fingerlings. Zn was not detected in the histologically investigated organs at the tested concentrations using the staining method. However, morphological alterations of the gill epithelium were found on the secondary lamellae. Quantitative multiplex PCR was used to simultaneously evaluate the expression of 17 genes related to Zn metabolism and stress physiology in head kidney samples. The transcripts of several selected genes changed by up to 70-fold. Due to high individual variances, only the copy numbers of the KMT2A (lysine-specific methyltransferase 2a) gene were significantly different across treatment groups and sampling points. However, the present results indicate that the addition of Zn-EDTA at the tested concentrations can be considered relatively benign for the health and welfare of C. gariepinus, as no toxic effects of Zn-EDTA were observed in moderately hard to hard water.

Abstract This research aimed to standardize the growth of two commonly cultivated herbs in the United Arab Emirates, basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) and coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.), within an aquaponic system. The study compared a recirculatory aquaponic system (RAS) with static aquaculture systems (for fish performance) and irrigated greenhouse cultivation systems (for herb performance). The project assessed growth, element composition, and aquaponic efficacy to determine the viability of aquaponics for these herbs. In the soilless (aquaponic) system, both herbs exhibited significantly enhanced growth parameters, including plant height, root length, leaf count, and fresh and dry weights, compared to conventional soil‐based cultivation. This growth enhancement was attributed to the additional nutrients derived from fish waste in the aquaponic system. Furthermore, plants displayed significantly higher element levels, highlighting the effectiveness of aquaponics in nutrient delivery. Notably, the aquaponic system demonstrated superior antioxidant activity in both herbs. The study also revealed remarkable water use efficiency in the aquaponic system, with water savings exceeding 90% compared to conventional methods. These findings establish the efficiency and sustainability of aquaponic systems over traditional food production approaches, particularly in arid regions such as the United Arab Emirates. Utilizing an aquaponic system for these commonly cultivated herbs resulted in improved growth and resource efficiency, affirming its viability as an environmentally sustainable and efficient method of food production in desert climates.

Background: Aquaponics and hydroponics are potential alternative techniques for sustainable cultivating of medicinal plants. Setting: The experiments were carried out on the Bellville campus of the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Cape Town, South Africa. Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate crop yield, secondary metabolite contents, and the antifungal activities of extracts from Helichrysum cymosum (H. cymosum) grown in aquaponic and hydroponic systems compared with field-collected plants. Methods: Helichrysum cymosum seedlings were cultivated in hydroponic and aquaponic systems for 6 weeks under greenhouse conditions. The data on plant growth parameters, phytochemical analyses of the leaves, anti-Fusarium oxysporum (F. oxysporum) activity of ethanolic extracts, and antioxidant capacities were recorded. Results: The results showed that the heights of plants grown in aquaponics and hydroponics did not differ substantially (p 0.05). The total polyphenol contents varied significantly (p 0.01) among the three cultivation techniques, with the field-collected plants yielding the highest contents (452.10 mg GAE/g ± 53.37 mg GAE/g). The flavonol contents differed significantly among the three cultivation techniques (p 0.05), with the highest flavonol contents in the field-collected plants (250.62 mg QE/g ± 58.12 mg QE/g). The plants grown in aquaponics had the highest number of compounds (104). The microdilution bioassay showed that the ethanolic extracts of field-harvested H. cymosum had higher fungistatic activity against F. oxysporum. The highest antioxidant capacity was recorded in 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay for plants cultivated in hydroponics (p 0.05), while field-collected plants showed a significantly higher value of 2719.42 µmol ± 278.72 µmol AAE/g (p 0.05) in the ferric ion reducing antioxidant parameter (FRAP) assay. Conclusion: The field-collected plants performed better in phytochemical contents. However, cultivation of H. cymosum using a hydroponic system may be feasible based on the antioxidant results. Contributions: The study contributes to developing an alternative strategy for cultivating plants and promoting sustainable farming.

The depletion of natural resources such as freshwater and cropland makes it necessary to find a new solution for sustainable food production. Aquaponic systems seem to be a great alternative to traditional agriculture, however, there are still many unknowns that need to be explored. It is already known how fish stocking affects water quality in aquaponic systems, but not how it affects the plants’ growth, and especially on chlorophyll fluorescence. In this study, we examined how the density of 0, 2, 4, 8, and 16 stocking fish in five aquaria affects lettuce growth. The first tank was only a hydroponic system with plants but without fish (control). In the remaining four aquaria – 2, 4, 8 and 12 specimens of common carp fry with an average weight of 20 grams (average 8.5–33.2 g) were placed in the aquaponic growing system. Physicochemical analysis of water was conducted to determine the levels of pH, electrical conductivity ( EC), N-NO 3, N-NO 2, N-NH 4, P-PO 4, O 2 and physiological parameters of plants (nitrogen balance index – NBI, chlorophyll content index – CCI, quantum yield – QY, flavonoid content – Flv) were analysed. The results showed that fish stocking density has different effects on plant physiological parameters, but in most cases, was insignificant. It seems that the greater number of fishes and higher density indirectly causes growth inhibition (lower photosynthetic efficiency) due to the increase of N-NO 3 and a decrease of O 2 in the water.

Deep learning and computer vision techniques have gained significant attention in the agriculture sector due to their non-destructive and contactless features. These techniques are also being integrated into modern farming systems, such as aquaponics, to address the challenges hindering its commercialization and large-scale implementation. Aquaponics is a farming technology that combines a recirculating aquaculture system and soilless hydroponics agriculture, that promises to address food security issues. To complement the current research efforts, a methodology is proposed to automatically measure the morphological traits of crops such as width, length and area and estimate the effective plant spacing between grow channels. Plant spacing is one of the key design parameters that are dependent on crop type and its morphological traits and hence needs to be monitored to ensure high crop yield and quality which can be impacted due to foliage occlusion or overlapping as the crop grows. The proposed approach uses Mask-RCNN to estimate the size of the crops and a mathematical model to determine plant spacing for a self-adaptive aquaponics farm. For common little gem romaine lettuce, the growth is estimated within 2 cm of error for both length and width. The final model is deployed on a cloud-based application and integrated with an ontology model containing domain knowledge of the aquaponics system. The relevant knowledge about crop characteristics and optimal plant spacing is extracted from ontology and compared with results obtained from the final model to suggest further actions. The proposed application finds its significance as a decision support system that can pave the way for intelligent system monitoring and control.

In aquaponic farming, there is a potential risk that heavy metals will contaminate the water, which can lead to heavy metal accumulation in the plants. Our research investigated the accumulation of mercury (Hg) and lead (Pb) under aquaponic conditions and the effect of their increased presence on the uptake of other macro- and micronutrients using watercress (Nasturtium officinale) as a model plant. The potential modifying effect of humic acid on heavy metal accumulation was also investigated. Adding Hg and Pb increased the mercury and lead levels of the watercress plants to over 300 µg kg−1, while the addition of humic acid significantly reduced the concentration of both mercury and lead in the plants compared to plants treated with heavy metals alone, from 310.647 µg kg−1 to 196.320 µg kg−1 for Hg and from 313.962 µg kg−1 to 203.508 µg kg−1 for Pb. For Fe and Mn, higher values were obtained for the Hg + humic acid treatments (188.13 mg kg−1 and 6423.92 µg kg−1, respectively) and for the Pb + humic acid treatments (198.26 mg kg−1 and 6454.31 µg kg−1, respectively). Conversely, the Na, K, Cu levels were lower compared to those in plants treated with heavy metals alone. Our results demonstrated that watercress can accumulate mercury, leading to high levels, even above food safety standards, highlighting the importance of water quality control in aquaponic systems. Furthermore, these results suggest that watercress could be used as a natural filter in recirculation systems. The addition of humic acid significantly reduced the accumulation of heavy metals and altered the element content in the plant.

The increasing population, its requirements for food, and the environmental impact of the excessive use of inputs make crop production a pressing challenge. Integrated nutrient management (INM) has emerged as a critical solution by maximizing nutrient availability and utilization for crops and vegetables. This review paper highlights the potential benefits of INM for various vegetables and field crops and explores the conceptual strategies, components, and principles underlying this approach. Studies have shown that a wide range of vegetables and field crops benefit from INM, in terms of increased yield and improvements in yield attributes, nutrient contents and uptake, growth parameters, and various physiological and biochemical characteristics. This paper discusses biostimulants, their categories, and their impact on plant propagation, growth, photosynthesis, seed germination, fruit set, and quality. Additionally, this review explores modern sustainable soilless production techniques such as hydroponics, aeroponics, and aquaponics. These cultivation methods highlight the advancements of controlled-environment agriculture (CEA) and its contribution to nutrient management, food security and minimizing the environmental footprint. The review concludes by proposing methods and fostering discussions on INM’s future development, while acknowledging the challenges associated with its adoption. Finally, this review emphasizes the substantial evidence supporting INM as a novel and ecologically sound strategy for achieving sustainable agricultural production worldwide.

The increase in the unemployment rate in Bojong Pandan Village after the Covid-19 pandemic has threatened the stability of family food security. This condition threatens to make families in Bojong Pandan Village experience difficulties in meeting their basic needs through food. Budikdamber innovation is a solution to maintain family food security stability. However, the community still needs to gain knowledge and skills regarding Budikdamber, so there is a need for synergy between the village government and universities through community service activities. This service aims to increase the participant's knowledge and skills regarding Budikdamber. Implementation methods to support the achievement of the goals of this service include surveys, preparation, implementation, and evaluation. The results obtained from this community service activity were an increase in the participants' knowledge of 47.47%, and all participants could practice the tutorial activities for making Budikdamber. Follow-up of this activity will be routine monitoring at least once a month and innovating variations on fish and plant species other than catfish and water spinach.

The effects of prolonged photoperiod (additional night lighting) were investigated on the production of Ocimum basilicum (lemon basil) and fish/crayfish raised in a nutrient film technique aquaponic system. Hybrid lemon fin barb and red claw crayfish juveniles were co-cultured with O. basilicum and subjected to 12 h of ambient natural daylight and additional 0, 4, 8, and 12 h of night lighting for 14 weeks (two batches of 7 weeks each). The water quality parameters and the performance characteristics of the fish/crayfish/plant were evaluated, and the nutrient uptake (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium) in the system by the three organisms was also measured. The fish growth performance showed no significant differences (p > 0.05) in all the growth parameters measured across the treatments. The body proximate and nitrogen, phosphate, and potassium (NPK) composition of the fish and crayfish were not significantly (p > 0.05) different across the treatments. Similarly, there was no significant difference (p > 0.05) in the NPK uptake by the fish and crayfish across the treatments. The plant growth performance showed that there were no significant (p > 0.05) differences in the plant growth parameters measured, except for % plant height gained in the 12 h-light treatment (403.2 ± 26.0%) which was significantly (p < 0.05) higher than other treatments and cycles. Hence, this study demonstrated that varying supplementary night lighting has no significant effect on the growth performance of O. basilicum, hybrid lemon fin barb, and red claw crayfish. This study, therefore, suggests that supplementary night lighting should not be considered for O. basilicum production as it does not significantly improve the performance characteristics of the plant nor the fish co-cultured with it in a polyculture aquaponic system.

The paper discusses the current prognoses of aquaculture development worldwide putting an emphasis on its effect on the environment and the issue of the protection of water reservoirs in different countries. Water consumption in diversified aquaculture systems is presented herein as well as the characteristics of the mechanical and biological water treatment methods in fish farms, with particular attention paid to the recirculating water systems. New aquaculture technologies using post-production waters are presented. The paper provides a discussion on the contribution of aquaculture to the global greenhouse gas emissions and the means of limiting this emission. The effect of climate change on aquatic ecosystems is presented in the context of the changes of the aquaculture production profile. The paper includes a brief presentation of the methods of mitigating the changes with respect to contamination of aquatic ecosystems as well as climate change. Reducing the water footprint can be achieved through selective breeding, species diversification and implementation of more technologically advanced aquaculture systems such as: integrated multi-trophic aquaculture, aquaponics and recirculation systems in aquaculture. The need for certification of fish farms with water recirculation systems is justified in the paper. The issues addressed herein are summarised and the main areas for extending the research promoting preservation of aquatic ecosystems in aquaculture are presented.

Aquaponics is an integrated form of multi-commodity production system that combines a recirculating aquaculture system with the hydroponic cultivation of crops using the same water via recirculation using pumps. However, the ideal density of cultured aquatic species and the suitable fish/plants/fish feed combinations applicable under aquaponics must be established to determine its impact on the system's performance, including the local growing conditions that could affect its productivity. Eighteen aquaponic systems following a closed-loop water recirculation method were established for the production of red tilapia, giant river prawns, lettuce, and duckweed. The study aimed to establish the local growing conditions, water quality, and productivity of the system subjected to different stocking densities of fish (RT24 - 24 fish/m3, and RT48 - 48 fish/m3) and prawn (P0 – zero prawn, P12 - 12 prawns/m2, and P25 - 25 prawns/m2. Results show that with an ambient air temperature and humidity ranging from 30 – 35°C and 52 – 71% during the production, the obtained water quality conditions in the system were: water temperature 27 – 30°C; dissolved oxygen (DO) 2.8 – 3.3 mg/L; pH – 8.3; total ammonia nitrogen (TAN) close to 0, Nitrite – 0; Nitrate – 40 to 160 mg/L; total dissolved solids (TDS) – 580 mg/L; and a daily water loss of 1.47% which were within the tolerable growth conditions of the different species. The stocking density of 24 fish/m3 and 12 prawns/m2 resulted in better growth and yield performance of the cultured aquatic species. However, the stocking densities had no significant effect on the growth and yield of lettuce and duckweed.

Purpose Aquaponics combine aquaculture with crop production in a mutual system. In this experiment, the growth of Amaranthus in aquaponics with tilapia fish was investigated. Method 500-liter water tanks containing tilapia fish at four initial stocking densities of 100, 150, 200, and 250 fish/m3 were used in triplicates, with a view to evaluate vegetable yields as influenced by fish biomass to water ratio. 1 g of Amaranthus seeds were sown in a 1 m2 planting trough, which contained gravel with a top layer of sandy soil. The pots were flooded with water from fish holdings by an aquarium pump. Results The germination rate of Amaranthus was not significantly different across the experimental setup (Pâ>â0.05). The growth rate of Amaranthus was significantly higher with increasing fish density (Pâ

Abstract The fish-flower symbiosis model is an eco-friendly sustainable farming technology combining plants, fish and microorganisms in a recirculating aquaculture system. However, there are few studies on the structure and diversity of microbial communities in fish intestines, culture water and plant roots during fish-flower symbiosis. Here, we cultured carp (Cyprinus carpio), crucian carp (Carassius auratus) and grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) with mint (Mentha spicala L.) and extracted total genomic DNA from intestinal microorganisms, culture-water microorganisms and root microorganisms for each fish species for high-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA genes. Analysis of microbial community structure and diversity revealed changes in abundance of microbial genera in the intestines and culture water of each fish species, including changes in the dominant taxa. Pirellula, Truepera, Aquincola, Cetobacterium and Luteolibacter were widespread in the fish intestine, culture water and mint root system. This study revealed the effects of mint feeding on the structure and diversity of microbial communities of fish, water bodies and the mint root system during fish-flower symbiosis, providing a theoretical reference for the promotion and application of fish-flower (mint) symbiosis technology and healthy fish culture technology.

Interest in aquaponics (AP) is increasing due to its ability to minimize sewage and maximize feed efficiency in fish farming. However, owing to limitations of intensive cultures and a lack of nutrients such as NO3 for growing crops, AP requires the use of artificial nutrients. Therefore, novel approaches are required to develop AP-intensive culturing methods. An AP system based on biofloc technology (BFT) called FLOCponics (FP) has been recommended. Here, the productivity of the weather loach (Misgurnus anguillicaudatus) in the FP system, BFT system, and flow-through systems (FTSs), as well as these systems’ effect on Caipira lettuce (Lactuca sativa) growth, was analyzed. To compare crop productivity, a hydroponic (HP) bed was installed. The growth rate of M. anguillicaudatus showed significant differences, at 51.1 ± 3.69% in the FP system, followed by 24.0 ± 4.16% in the BFT system and −14.3 ± 1.4% in the FTS. Its survival rates were better in the FP system (91.1 ± 2.64%) than in the BFT system (82.1 ± 10.98%) or the FTS (66.8 ± 2.75%) (p < 0.05). Total ammonia nitrogen and NO2−-N concentrations were stabilized in every plot during the experimental period. However, the NO3−-N concentration continuously increased in the BFT system but decreased in the FP system and was maintained. The shoot weight of the Caipira lettuce was 163.6 ± 8.65 g in the FP system and 149.6 ± 9.05 g in the HP system. In conclusion, FP system can provide a large amount of nutrients and improve the growth performance of both fish and crops in the FP system.

Sedayu Village, Tulung District, Klaten Regency is a rural area, where there is still a lot of vacant land that is not used. In fact, almost every resident in Sedayu has a large and productive yard or vacant land to use. In order to optimize the vacant land, it is necessary to carry out an aquaponics program, namely for the cultivation of catfish and kale. This program is expected to strengthen food and open up business opportunities for the community, so that the level of welfare in Sedayu can increase. This research contains how to optimize land and create new business opportunities by cultivating catfish and water spinach plants using the aquaponics method

Energy efficiency and economic viability are the often-quoted issues in aquaponic farming. This work aims to (i) identify process technologies and technical measures which would enhance the profitability of aquaponics business while conserving energy and other resources, and (ii) to validate the determined optimal measures on the testing aquaponics farm. The process network synthesis technique was used to search for an optimal process pathway while the image processing technique was applied to automatically monitor the growth rate of produce since it is the main revenue stream in aquaponics. With the aid of P-graph method, the optimal feasible structure has 9 times higher annual net income than that of the existing process. This optimal solution includes the integration of electrical heat pump, biogas system, and utilizes black solider fly (BSF) facility to produce fish feed. Additional light energy savings were achieved by practical installation of reflective foils which improved 16.88% of Photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) on growth beds. These measures can help the aquaponics farms to become more competitive and to decrease their ecological footprint.

AbstractAquaponics is a specific ecosystem that combines aquaculture, hydroponics and beneficial bacteria in a symbiotic relationship. This integrated approach is emerging as a sustainable method of organic food production. This review analyzes the biological and technological parameters of aquaponic systems based on a survey of over 200 scientific papers from 1974 to 2021. The biological parameters include the characteristics of the species in the aquaponic system, their relationship with nutrition and environmental conditions, the content of nutrients and their impact on productivity. The technological parameters focus on the structural and functional components of the aquaponic system, environmental management techniques and economic feasibility. The advances in aquaponics technology contribute to more sustainable food systems. This calls for further research on the biological and technological characteristics of aquaponic systems, as well as on the environmental, operational and socio-economic aspects and their interrelationship, of interest to both researchers and stakeholders.

IntroductionHumanity is suffering from huge and severe difficulties, including changes in climate, soil degradation, scarcity of water and the security of food and medicines, among others. The aquaponics system acts as a closed loop consisting of aquaculture elements and hydroponics, which may contribute to addressing these problems. The aquaponics method is quickly expanding as the requirement to increase the production of sustainable herbal products, including medicinal compounds and foods, in freshwater systems and replenish phosphorous reserves shrinks.MethodsThe current work is designed to increase the production of the antioxidants withaferin A and withanolide A in two varieties (Jawahar-20 and Poshita) of W. somnifera using the aquaponics technique. Total 100 seedlings (one month old) grown in soil initially were taken to be grown in aquaponics for a time period of 6 months.And 100 seedlings were placed in pots containing soil as control for study after six months.ResultsIt was observed that the higher content of withaferin A was analyzed in the root and stem samples of Jawahar-20 and Poshita from the six-month-old plant of W. somnifera. The maximum content of withanolide A was examined in the root samples of the six month-old plants of Poshita (1.879 mg/g) and Jawahar-20 (1.221 mg/g). While the 6 month old Poshita seedling grown in soil recorded less withaferin A (0.115 ± 0.009b) and withanolide A (0.138 ± 0.008d).DiscussionIt is concluded that Poshita was found to be more promising for the enhanced production of withaferin A and withanolide A in the aquaponics system. Moreover, the root was observed as the best source for the production of withaferin A and withanolide A and the best age of the plant is 2 years for the production compounds in medicinal plants with futuristic perspective to hill agriculture integrated farming. compounds. Thus aquaponics can be an effective approach with enhanced yield of bioactive compounds in medicinal plants with futuristic perspective to hill agriculture and integrated farming.

The nutrient recovery potentials of the plants Ocimum basilicum and Corchorus olitorius in a polyculture aquaponic system were evaluated. Two treatments of polyculture aquaponics (fish + crayfish + O. basilicum; and fish + crayfish + C. olitorius) and a conventional recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) as the control (fish + crayfish) were set up in triplicates, randomly. The fish and crayfish were stocked at 75 fish:50 crayfish per treatment while three seedlings of each plant were placed in each planting cup. There were five plant throughs with each having 14 planting holes, making a total of 70 planting holes per treatment. The water quality parameters, growth performance and nutrients uptake of the fish, crayfish and plants were determined after 14 weeks observation. The results showed that the dissolved oxygen, electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids and nitrates in the culture tanks of both plant treatments were significantly higher than recirculating aquaculture system treatment, especially from eight weeks and above. The fish and crayfish in the O. basilicum-polyculture aquaponic system had higher final weight gain, 53.6 g and 14.8 g respectively, while higher survival rate (97.33 ± 0.77 and 82.67 ± 2.9, respectively), and lower feed conversion ratio (2.46 ± 0.06 and 2.68 ± 0.04, respectively) were observed in the RAS treatment, although there were no significant differences (P > 0.05) across treatments. The yield of O. basilicum (274 g m−2) was significantly higher than C. olitorius (213 g m−2), while the N-uptake by O. basilicum (128.4 g culture unit−1) was significantly higher than C. olitorius (102.2 g culture unit−1). However, there were about 37–41% of N, 38–41% of P and 44–48% of K after harvest which is an indication that aquaponics polyculture system can either accommodate more plant troughs (increase plant densities) or more planting cycle of the herbs.

This review comprehensively examines the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT) in revolutionizing agricultural practices. It highlights how these technologies are pivotal in enhancing crop productivity, optimizing resource use, and ensuring sustainability in response to the challenges of a growing global population and environmental concerns. The article synthesizes key studies to showcase advancements in smart aquaponics and marine farming, emphasizing the the importance of implementation of AI and IoT in agriculture faces significant challenges, including high costs, a digital skills gap among farmers, data management issues, and the need for robust technology. The review also addresses the socio-economic impacts, such as potential job displacement due to automation. Looking ahead, the article suggests that overcoming these challenges will require concerted efforts in technological innovation, policy-making, and education. The future of AI and IoT in agriculture is seen as promising, with potential for further advancements and wider adoption. The integration of these technologies with emerging fields like blockchain could lead to more secure, efficient, and transparent agricultural practices, contributing significantly to global food security and environmental sustainability.

Chlorophyll content reflects plants’ photosynthetic capacity, growth stage, and nitrogen status and is, therefore, of significant importance in precision agriculture. This study aims to develop a spectral and color vegetation indices-based model to estimate the chlorophyll content in aquaponically grown lettuce. A completely open-source automated machine learning (AutoML) framework (EvalML) was employed to develop the prediction models. The performance of AutoML along with four other standard machine learning models (back-propagation neural network (BPNN), partial least squares regression (PLSR), random forest (RF), and support vector machine (SVM) was compared. The most sensitive spectral (SVIs) and color vegetation indices (CVIs) for chlorophyll content were extracted and evaluated as reliable estimators of chlorophyll content. Using an ASD FieldSpec 4 Hi-Res spectroradiometer and a portable red, green, and blue (RGB) camera, 3600 hyperspectral reflectance measurements and 800 RGB images were acquired from lettuce grown across a gradient of nutrient levels. Ground measurements of leaf chlorophyll were acquired using an SPAD-502 m calibrated via laboratory chemical analyses. The results revealed a strong relationship between chlorophyll content and SPAD-502 readings, with an R2 of 0.95 and a correlation coefficient (r) of 0.975. The developed AutoML models outperformed all traditional models, yielding the highest values of the coefficient of determination in prediction (Rp2) for all vegetation indices (VIs). The combination of SVIs and CVIs achieved the best prediction accuracy with the highest Rp2 values ranging from 0.89 to 0.98, respectively. This study demonstrated the feasibility of spectral and color vegetation indices as estimators of chlorophyll content. Furthermore, the developed AutoML models can be integrated into embedded devices to control nutrient cycles in aquaponics systems.

This comprehensive review explores aquaponics as an environmentally friendly solution aligned with SDGs and food sovereignty, assessing various aspects from system design to automation, and weighing social, economic, and environmental benefits through literature and case studies. However, challenges persist in obtaining organic certification and legislative recognition, hindering its growth. Achieving remarkable water use efficiency, up to 90%, relies on adaptable fish species like Nile tilapia and carp. Nutrient-rich fish feeds notably benefit low-nutrient-demanding greens. Ensuring water quality and efficient nitrification are pivotal, supported by IoT systems. Despite its efficiency, integrating Industry 4.0 involves complexity and cost barriers, necessitating ongoing innovation. Economies of scale and supportive horticultural policies can bolster its viability. Aquaponics, known for its efficiency in enhancing crop yields while minimizing water use and waste, is expanding globally, especially in water-scarce regions. Aquaponics, pioneered by the University of the Virgin Islands, is expanding in Europe, notably in Spain, Denmark, Italy, and Germany. Asia and Africa also recognize its potential for sustainable food production, especially in water-limited areas. While it offers fresh produce and cost savings, challenges arise in scaling up, managing water quality, and meeting energy demands, particularly for indoor systems. Egypt’s interest in desert and coastal regions highlights aquaponics’ eco-friendly food production potential. Despite the associated high costs, there is a quest for practical and affordable designs for everyday integration. Research in arid regions and industry advancements are crucial for aquaponics’ global food production potential. Deeper exploration of intelligent systems and automation, particularly in large-scale setups, is essential, highlighting the industry’s promise. Practical application, driven by ongoing research and local adaptations, is a key to fully harnessing aquaponics for sustainable food production worldwide.

The government Program Pemanfaatan Lahan (P2L) aims to appeal communities to utilize yards intensively with local resources ensuring household food security. The problem occurring in Dompyong Village, Trenggalek Regency is the lack of community activity in utilizing their yards due to the lack of knowledge and skills. Furthermore, as a highland area, the Dompyong Village community also experiences a problem with the availability of water sources. Therefore, this community service activity was held to introduce and provide training and assistance to the community in fishery and agricultural sectors, namely the aquaponics system in the buckets. This simple aquaponics system required minimal resources and costs but produces fishery as well as agriculture products for household consumption. This aquaponics system in the bucket was expected to support the household food security program in Dompyong Village, increase community participation in the fishery sector, and increase the fulfilment of household nutrition needs.

Modern agriculture, such as aquaponics, has become a well-known solution nowadays for farming, especially in Asia countries. It provides an alternative to support food demands and maintain environmental sustainability. However, it requires manpower and time to maintain and monitor the system. This research proposes a smart automation aquaponic monitoring system that helps users maintain and monitor the system through smartphone applications. The system uses DHT11 to record temperature and humidity, HC-SR04 for water level, and FC-28 to maintain soil moisture. The sensors are integrated with WeMos D1 Wi-Fi Uno based ESP8266 microcontroller to process the data. The data collected is stored in the cloud and retrieved via the Blynk application, which also performs as an actuator and allows users to control the parameters involved. The application helps to monitor the humidity, temperature, and water level in the fish tank and control the actuator for feeding fish. The system also sends a notification to the user for any activities performed, such as watering plants, feeding fish, and abnormality of temperature in the surroundings. The performance of the system was evaluated using regression modeling. The result indicates positive growth for both plants and fish during the monitoring duration, suggesting the proposed system's effectiveness. Overall, this solution helps to reduce manpower and operation costs as well as alternatives for food demand and stabilize environmental sustainability, especially in the urban residency.

Aquaponics is a fish-plant recirculating system where nutrients received from the fish culture are absorbed by the plants for growth. The technology is relatively new for fish culture in Kenya, and the principles and operations remain largely untested for many fish species. This study determined how stocking density affects the growth performance and water quality in a Nile tilapia-lettuce (Lactuca sativa) aquaponics system. The experimental design included five replicates for each of the aquaponic systems stocked at densities of 150, 300, and 450 fish/m3 for a rearing period of 56 days. Each treatment had a planting density of 16 lettuce/m2. The water quality parameters ranges during the rearing period were 3.83–5.35 mg/L for dissolved oxygen, 7.44 to 7.6 for pH, 0.014 mg/L to 0.032 mg/L for total ammonium nitrate (TAN), 1.11–1.34 mg/L for nitrate, and 0.01–0.08 mg/L for nitrite, and all decreased with increasing stocking density. The final weight of fingerlings was 25.2 ± 4.2 g, 32.0 ± 3.8 g and 42.6 ± 3.1 g for 450, 300, and 150 fish/m3 respectively. Specific growth rate (SGR) was reduced with increasing stocking density whereas food conversion ratio (FCR) increased with stocking density. Aquaponic systems with the lowest stocking densities performed better than 300 and 450 fish/m3 respectively.

The union of aquaculture and hydroponics is named aquaponics—a system where microorganisms, fish and plants coexist in a water environment. Bacteria are essential in processes which are fundamental for the functioning and equilibrium of aquaponic systems. Such processes are nitrification, extraction of various macro- and micronutrients from the feed leftovers and feces, etc. However, in aquaponics there are not only beneficial, but also potentially hazardous microorganisms of fish, human, and plant origin. It is important to establish the presence of human pathogens, their way of entering the aforementioned systems, and their control in order to assess the risk to human health when consuming plants and fish grown in aquaponics. Literature analysis shows that aquaponic bacteria and yeasts are mainly pathogenic to fish and humans but rarely to plants, while most of the molds are pathogenic to humans, plants, and fish. Since the various human pathogenic bacteria and fungi found in aquaponics enter the water when proper hygiene practices are not applied and followed, if these requirements are met, aquaponic systems are a good choice for growing healthy fish and plants safe for human consumption. However, many of the aquaponic pathogens are listed in the WHO list of drug-resistant bacteria for which new antibiotics are urgently needed, making disease control by antibiotics a real challenge. Because pathogen control by conventional physical methods, chemical methods, and antibiotic treatment is potentially harmful to humans, fish, plants, and beneficial microorganisms, a biological control with antagonistic microorganisms, phytotherapy, bacteriophage therapy, and nanomedicine are potential alternatives to these methods.

This review focuses on increasing economical efficiency and sustainability of indoor fish farming. Aspects like sustainability and economical efficiency were reviewed. In order to improve man`s health we must reconsider the agricultural sciences, by this we understand that we must develop technologies friendly for the environment. Sustainable indoor fish farming is the farming of the new millennium. Combining aquaculture with hydroponics we obtain a new innovation named aquaponics which respects principles of sustainable agriculture (wastewater biofiltration by plants) and gives us the possibility to increase economical efficiency with an additional production (organic vegetables).

Aquaponics are modern production systems, which integrate the aquaculture technology with hydroponic systems (vegetable production without soil) with a goal of fructification of residual nutrients resulted from metabolic activity of fish biomass as high quality vegetable biomass sealable as ecological products. In the present study, as a first step in aquaponic recirculating systems evaluation, the authors aim to compare two types of recirculating systems: classical (hereby noted with RAS) and integrated/aquaponic (RAS_A) regarding water quality parameters generally, and TAN (total ammonia nitrogen) production and transformation, particularly.

Aquaculture waters can be associated with the modification of the phytochemical profile in plants when they are used for irrigation; thus, Integrated Agri-Aquaculture Systems such as aquaponics represent a strategy to improve the bioactive content of medicinal plants. This study aimed to analyze the effect caused by cultivation using aquaponics on the modification of the content of bioactive compounds such as phenols, flavonoids, and apigenin in Cuphea hyssopifolia and Cuphea cyanea irrigated with Cyprinus carpio waters. The results of each culture method showed unique differences (p ≤ 0.05) in the concentrations of bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity in Cuphea spp. For C. hyssopifolia in aquaponics, 76% (61.08 ± 7.2 mg g−1 GAEq) of phenols and 50% (5.62 ± 0.5 mg g−1 CAEq) of flavonoids were maintained compared to 20% (16.99 ± 0.4 mg g−1 GAEq) of phenols and 76.5% (8.19 ± 1.6 mg g−1 CAEq) of flavonoids in conventional culture. For C. cyanea in aquaponics, 91% (15.36 ± 0.8 mg g−1 GAEq) of phenols and 47% (3.52 ± 0.6 mg g−1 CAEq) of flavonoids were maintained compared to 24% (14.11 ± 1.3 mg g−1 GAEq) of phenols and 82% (1.79 ± 0.1 mg g−1 CAEq) of flavonoids in conventional culture. An increase of more than 60% in the apigenin content of C. hyssopifolia in aquaponics confirms a eustress effect related to the use of organically enriched waters. The results indicate that aquaponics can promote the biostimulation/elicitation of medicinal plants and increase their bioactive compounds, but this effect does not occur in the same way between species.

Aquaponics is currently undergoing a transformation into an intensive food production system. The initially applied systems focused on small-scale, fish-centric coupled (CAP, the aquaculture, and the hydroponic units are arranged in a single loop, and the water flows continuously from the fish tanks to the plant unit and back) aquaponics. More recently, the primary area of research interest has shifted toward larger-scale, plant-centric decoupled (aquaculture and hydroponics units are arranged in a multi-loop setup as separate functional units that can be controlled independently) systems, aiming to achieve greater economic benefits and employ more environmentally friendly practices. The objective of this study was to address gaps in the expansion of decoupled larger-scale aquaponics and to provide a comprehensive understanding of the water and nutrient flow in the system. For this purpose, experiments were performed in a greenhouse on CAP and DCAP systems, while this study also included measurements in a pure hydroponic system (HP). This study presents an assessment of the water and nutrient flow in four different crops: basil; cucumber; parsley; and tomato, all co-cultivated with a tilapia aquaculture system. Significant nutrient deficiencies and imbalances were identified in the CAP solution, leading to pronounced impacts on nutrient assimilation, particularly for fruiting vegetables. However, the average nutrient use efficiency (NUE) for nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, and calcium was found to be 42% higher in the CAP treatment compared to HP and DCAP treatments. The nutrient solution in the DCAP treatment did not exhibit differences in water quality parameters and nutrient efficiency when compared to HP, resulting in similar effects on nutrient assimilation. Nonetheless, it was observed that DCAP plants exhibited superior NUE compared to HP plants.

The invasive golden apple snail Pomacea canaliculata has a strong reproductive capacity and has rapidly spread in Asian countries. Current control methods include physical, chemical, and biological approaches, but there has been limited research on the control of P. canaliculata in its different life stages. This study assessed the effectiveness of using giant river prawns Macrobrachium rosenbergii in controlling juveniles of P. canaliculata through a controlled indoor experiment. The density, size, and dispersal range of recently hatched juvenile snails were significantly lower among those kept with prawns than those kept without prawns, indicating a control effect of M. rosenbergii at least on P. canaliculata juveniles. Furthermore, the study speculates on the potential application of M. rosenbergii in the context of a rice–prawn symbiotic system of ecological farming to control invasive P. canaliculata. In terms of effectiveness and safety, its application might lead to a win-win situation for both rice-farm profits and the ecological benefits of invasive species control.

We surveyed Agriculture and Natural Resources Extension staff across the USDA North-Central Region about aquaculture programming. Overall, 47%, 35%, and 15% of respondents indicated that stakeholders had contacted them about aquaponics, finfish aquaculture, and shrimp aquaculture, respectively. Approximately 8% of respondents indicated that they offered aquaculture or aquaponics programming; 45% and 55% indicated that they did not offer aquaculture and aquaponics programming, respectively, but were interested in offering it. These results indicate that there is interest in increasing Extension capacity in fish farming either by hiring new staff or through train-the-trainer models.

The topographical conditions in Bulo-Bulo Village, Jeneponto Regency, South Sulawesi, tend to be bumpy and rocky, which is the main problem in farming. Locals exclusively use growing methods because there is little public awareness about cultivation technologies. The community employs a number of different fish farming systems. Additionally, the cost of fish feed has a tendency to change, making it harder for people to satisfy their needs for the primary protein source. The community can be counseled on land use by using aquaponic and aeroponic systems as a possible solution to the issue. Regardless of climatic conditions or current land characteristics, aquaponic technology is recognized as a substitute for integrated farming systems. By providing counseling, instruction, and hands-on support to the residents of Bulo-Bulo Village, the strategy is put into action. The results of this action take the shape of autonomous aquaponic and aeroponic installations that grow food crops and fish in the same space to reduce production costs and increase earnings. Every family in the community is intended to be able to benefit from this activity and use the farming technology in order to reinforce and encourage long-term improvements in the nation of Indonesia's food security.

The merging of fish farming and crop husbandry in a mutual system forms aquaponics. In this system, the nature of the planting substrate plays a significant role in the germination, establishment, and growth of the plant. In the current experiment, the germination and growth of the Jute plant (Corchorus olitorius L.) in an aquaponics system with tilapia fish was investigated using three different substrate types: gravel, rice husk, and palm kernel shell. Five hundred-liter plastic tanks containing tilapia fingerlings at initial stocking densities of 250 fish m−3 were used. One gram of Jute seed was sown in a 1 m2 planting trough, which contained the three substrates separately in triplicates. The troughs were flooded with water from fish holdings by an aquarium pump. The germination percentage of the jute plant on gravel substrate (84%) and rice husk (72%) was significantly higher (P

More eco-friendly aquaculture technology is required to reduce environmental pollution which has become a major issue in aquaculture industries in the last few decades. Aquaponics system is a culture technology to solve this waste issue. Thus, this study aimed at comparing growth performances, feed utilization efficiency, and nutrient recovery in aquaponics and conventional aquaculture system.