<p><a>Facing challenges for increasing demands for agricultural land,
water, and energy, aquaponics has emerged as a sustainable solution that can
contribute to global food production while minimizing environmental impacts. In
a recirculating aquaponic system, the waste produced by aquatic animals is
processed through microbes and breaks down into compounds for plant uptake. By
recycling nutrients and water between hydroponics and aquaculture systems,
aquaponics can reduce the waste of fish feeds and the use of chemical
fertilizers and use 90-99% less water than conventional aquaculture. However, a
few studies reported that nutrient use efficiency is still low in aquaponics,
and only 10-37% and 20-30% of nitrogen (N) is typically assimilated by plants
and fish, respectively. Yield reduction is commonly reported for plants in
aquaponics. Due to the unique water physical and chemical environment, the
microbiomes are more diverse in aquaponics than in hydroponics. While the most
important microbial group is considered nitrifying bacteria, <i>Nitrosomonas</i> spp. and <i>Nitrobacter</i> spp. mediating the N
conversion process from ammonia into nitrate,</a> some
plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) in soils were found in aquaponics
indicating their important function in the system.
Meanwhile, the use of aquaculture wastewater can introduce and promote the
growth of harmful microbial pathogens, posing a food safety concern. </p>
The
goal of this research is to investigate the effects of microbiomes in aquaponic
systems. A series of studies were conducted to examine the effects of different
bacterial groups on food crop yield and quality and investigate the potential
risk of contamination with enteric pathogens in aquaponic systems. The specific
objectives are: to 1) examine whether enteric pathogens present in aquaponics
and hydroponics; 2) investigate the effects of plant age and root damage on internalization
of STEC <i>E. coli</i> in leafy vegetables and herbs. 3) examine the effects of
pH on the plant yield in aquaponics; and 4) investigate the effects of PGPB on lettuce
in aquaponics and hydroponics3. The data obtained from this research will fill
the knowledge gap and provide new management strategies for cultivating crops
in aquaponics, which will greatly promote the application of aquaponics to
provide a solution for the increasing food demands in the future.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:purdue.edu/oai:figshare.com:article/15079449 |
| Date | 30 July 2021 |
| Creators | Yi-ju Wang (11206284) |
| Source Sets | Purdue University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, Thesis |
| Rights | CC BY 4.0 |
| Relation | https://figshare.com/articles/thesis/The_Effect_of_Microbiomes_on_Food_Crop_yield_and_Quality_in_Aquaponic_System/15079449 |
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