Intoduction to Aguaponics
Dear farmers change in times comes with improved technology and the agriculture sector has not been left behind. Aquaponics is a soil-free, sustainable food production method which combines aquaculture (growing fish) and hydroponics (growing plants in water using chemical nutrients).
Water from an aquaculture system is fed to a hydroponic system where the by-products are broken down by nitrifying bacteria initially into nitrites and then into nitrates that are utilized by the plants as nutrients. The water is then recirculated back to the aquaculture system. In the Hydroponic system plant roots are directly suspended in water, as a result all the water is directly available for plant consumption and not lost via natural ground seepage or evaporation.
Since the plants are suspended in water, they grow significantly smaller root structures. This allows plants to be “packed” closely together and drastically increase the overall production productivity by 150%-200% per unit of area.
Plants that have had some of the greatest success in aquaponics, including cucumbers, shallots, tomatoes, lettuce, chilies, capsicum, red salad onions and snow peas, Chinese cabbage, lettuce, basil, roses, tomatoes, okra, cantaloupe and bell peppers, watercress, basil, coriander, parsley, lemongrass, sage, beans, peas, kohlrabi, taro, radishes, strawberries, melons, onions, turnips, parsnips, sweet potato, cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli, eggplant, pak choys.
Use of pesticides threatens the fish ecosystem. In order to maintain the symbiotic relationship between the plants and the fish, non-chemical methods such as traps, physical barriers and biological control (such as parasitic wasps/ladybugs to control white flies/aphids) or organic pesticide like Magneto® 10 EC, Biochance® 150SL should be used to control pests.
Benefits of Aquaponics
- Farmers can enjoy two sources of income from growing of vegetables and rising.
- The method is environmental friendly.
- Water, oxygen and nutrients are readily available to the plants
- Plant population in an area is higher since plants can be grown closely together.
