Optimization of nitrogen use efficiency by means of fertigation management in an integrated aquaculture-agriculture system

Groenveld, Thomas; Kohn, Yair Y.; Gross, Amit; Lazarovitch, Naftali

doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.12.031

Cited by 23 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…Therefore, the aim of this meta-analysis was not to assess the economic or environmental sustainability of aquaponics, but to focus on crop productivity.Contrasting reports on AP crop yield comparisons with cHP are due to the rather numerous factors that contribute to crop yield variability in AP. Factors such as fish species, feed protein content, flow rates, aquaculture effluent pH [21], fish density [22], feeding rate [23], and AP coupling type, among other factors, greatly contribute to variability in nutrient quantity and quality in AP systems, thereby affecting crop yield. Generally, aquaculture effluent is usually low in essential crop nutrients required for optimum plant growth, warranting the need for nutrient supplementation.…”

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confidence: 99%

Comparisons between Aquaponic and Conventional Hydroponic Crop Yields: A Meta-Analysis

et al. 2019

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Aquaponic is a relatively new system of farming, which has received much research attention due to its potential for sustainability. However, there is no consensus on comparability between crop yields obtained from aquaponics (AP) and conventional hydroponics (cHP). Meta-analysis was used to synthesize the literature on studies that compared crop yields of AP and cHP. Factors responsible for differences were also examined through subgroup analysis. A literature search was conducted in five databases with no time restriction in order to capture any publication on AP and cHP crop yield comparisons. The search was, however, limited to journal and conference articles published in English. Study characteristics and outcome measures of food crops were extracted. A natural log response ratio effect size measure was used to transform study outcomes. An unweighted meta-analysis was conducted through bootstrapping to calculate overall effect size and its confidence interval. Between-study heterogeneity (I2) was estimated using a random effects model. Subgroup and meta-regression were used to assess moderators, in an attempt to explain heterogeneity in the effect size. The results showed that although crop yield in AP was lower than conventional cHP, the difference was not statistically significant. However, drawing conclusions on the overall effect size must be done with caution due to the use of unweighted meta-analysis. There were statistically significant effects of aquatic organism, hydroponic system type, and nutrient supplementation used in the studies on crop yield comparisons. Nutrient supplementation, particularly, led to on average higher crop yield in AP relative to cHP. These findings are a vital information source for choosing factors to include in an AP study. These findings also synthesize the current trends in AP crop yields in comparison with cHP.

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confidence: 99%

Comparisons between Aquaponic and Conventional Hydroponic Crop Yields: A Meta-Analysis

et al. 2019

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“…The application of fertilizer doses exceeding the crop needs may generate a situation where nitrates accumulate in the soil causing plant luxury consumption and low N use efficiency [ 11 , 18 , 19 ], while the excess of nitrates may be leached out of the root zone and contaminate the aquifer [ 16 , 17 ]. The common application worldwide of soluble N fertilizer via the irrigation water (fertigation) with frequent delivery of small N doses directly in the root zone has the potential to improve the matching between fertilizer application and crop N demand, thereby minimizing both risks of economic loss and environmental pollution [ 20 ]. However, especially for aromatic crops like basil, even when using fertigation there is a need for defining the optimal N application rate considering not only agronomic performance but also the effects on chemical profile and bioactive properties of the crop.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Effect of Nitrogen Input on Chemical Profile and Bioactive Properties of Green- and Red-Colored Basil Cultivars

et al. 2020

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In the present study, three red-colored (Dark Opal, Basilico Rosso, and Red Basil) and one green-colored landrace (Mitikas) of basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) were grown under four nitrogen regimes, namely Control (no fertilizer added), 200 ppm, 400 ppm, and 600 ppm of nitrogen (N). Fresh yield varied depending on N input following a quadratic function in all four genotypes, and green basil performed better compared to the red cultivars. A significant interaction of genotype × N input was recorded for most of the chemical parameters measured. Tocopherols contents of leaves were consistently higher in plants that received 200 ppm of N and lower in those receiving 600 ppm of N, especially in Dark Opal and Red Basil cultivars. Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) were the major category of fatty acids and Red Basil had the lowest ratio of omega-6/omega 3 (0.29) and thus the best fatty acid profile. Polyphenols content was the highest in Red Basil and Dark Opal (25 mg/g of extract on average) and the lowest in Mitikas and decreased with increasing N input. Similarly, antioxidant activity was the highest in Dark Opal and Red Basil fertigated with 200 ppm of N, whereas all the leaf extracts tested had good antibacterial and antifungal activity. In conclusion, basil chemical and bioactive profile was significantly influenced by both genotype and N input. Red-colored basil, although less productive, had the best chemical profile, and moderate levels of N input may provide the best compromise between yield, nutritional value, and bioactivity for the species.

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“…Continuous depletion of the wild fish supply due to overfishing has led to an increase in aquaculture, including the use of recirculating aquaculture systems (RASs) around the world, 10 potentially ensuring an uninterrupted supply of effluent water for vegetable fertigation. RASs have the potential to reach a wide range of nitrate (NO 3 – ) concentrations suitable for fertigation, 11 and the modularity of such systems makes it possible to install them in series with fertigated crop production systems. 5 While water reuse benefits of RASs are well described, 12 fertigation with N originating from fish production is not well understood as the addition of large quantities of readily available N and carbon (C) sources 13 may enhance denitrification and nitrous oxide (N 2 O) emissions from the integrated system, 14 contributing to their negative environmental impact.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It has been suggested that, after undergoing anaerobic digestion, this sludge is a valuable potential source of NH 4 + for plant cultivation. 11 , 44 …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Thus, the overall objective of this study was to understand the N balance and cycle within the vegetable production component of an IAAS with an emphasis on sources of gaseous N 2 O emissions. To this end, an IAAS 11 was modified to inject the supernatant from anaerobically digested sludge with a high NH 4 + concentration into irrigation water to change the NH 4 + :NO 3 – ratio to that found in the mineral fertilizer used as the control treatment. The effect of the fertigation by the aquaculture effluent with and without NH 4 + addition, on yield, NUE, NO 3 – leaching, and N 2 O emissions from a cucumber cultivation was assessed in comparison to cultivation using a mineral fertilizer with the same nutrient composition.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Environmental Tradeoffs between Nutrient Recycling and Greenhouse Gases Emissions in an Integrated Aquaculture–Agriculture System

Groenveld

Lazarovitch

Kohn

et al. 2020

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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The unlimited nitrogen (N) availability that has characterized crop production in the last few decades is accompanied by environmental burdens, including the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with fertilizer production, post-application nitrate (NO 3 – ) pollution of water bodies, and emissions of reactive gaseous N forms into the atmosphere. Here, we quantified the environmental tradeoffs of replacing mineral N fertilizer with NO 3 – and ammonium (NH 4 + ) originating from effluent water of aquaculture in a cucumber ( Cucumis sativus ) cultivation system. While the yield, nitrogen use efficiency (NUE), and NO 3 – leaching were similar between the cucumbers fertilized and irrigated (fertigated) by aquaculture effluent water containing 100 mg of NO 3 – -N L –1 (AN), by aquaculture effluent water supplemented with NH 4 + (AN+), or by tap water with NO 3 – and NH 4 + added (FN+), there were significant differences in the nitrous oxide (N 2 O) emissions between the systems. The N 2 O emissions peaked after each irrigation event followed by an exponential decline. The cumulative N 2 O emissions were between 60 and 600 g N 2 O-N ha –1 , smaller than predicted based on a fertilizer application rate of 600 kg N ha –1 and were in the order AN+ ≫ FN+ > AN.

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Optimization of nitrogen use efficiency by means of fertigation management in an integrated aquaculture-agriculture system

Cited by 23 publications

References 45 publications

Comparisons between Aquaponic and Conventional Hydroponic Crop Yields: A Meta-Analysis

Comparisons between Aquaponic and Conventional Hydroponic Crop Yields: A Meta-Analysis

The Effect of Nitrogen Input on Chemical Profile and Bioactive Properties of Green- and Red-Colored Basil Cultivars

Environmental Tradeoffs between Nutrient Recycling and Greenhouse Gases Emissions in an Integrated Aquaculture–Agriculture System

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