Integrated Aqua-Vegeculture System
The Integrated Aqua-Vegeculture System (iAVs) is a food production method that combines aquaculture and olericulture within a closed system[1]. It was developed in the 1980s by Dr. Mark McMurtry and colleagues at North Carolina State University including Professor Doug Sanders, Paul V. Nelson and Merle Jensen. This system is one of the earliest instances of a closed-loop aquaponic system.[2][3][unreliable source?] Many of the modern developments and discoveries of aquaponics are generally attributed to the New Alchemy Institute and North Carolina State University.[2] Further research on aquaponics at North Carolina State University was discontinued due to the fact that the system was ready for commercial application.[4] Today's flood-and-drain systems, as favoured by backyard practitioners, are derived from this model.[5]
In an iAVs, fish are raised in tanks, and the nutrient-rich water from these tanks is used to irrigate and fertilize grow beds filled with plants that take up the nutrients, purifying the water, which is then recirculated back to the fish tanks. The system uses sand-based grow beds to perform multiple functions, including plant support, biofiltration, particulate removal, and nutrient delivery to plants, without the need for separate biofilters.[6] This multi-functional use of sand beds contributes to the relative simplicity of the iAVs design compared to other aquaponic systems.
In previous integrated fish-vegetable systems, fish effluent and suspended solids were removed from water through sedimentation before being applied to plants which resulted in insufficient residual nutrients for good plant growth,[1] compared to iAVs, which extracts fish effluent, including solids, from the bottom of the fish tanks at regular intervals up to eight times daily, from dawn to sunset. The effluent is pumped directly onto the surface of the sand beds, which serve as both biological and mechanical filtration and the locus for oxidation of organic solids.[7]
In traditional recirculatory aquaculture, carbonate inputs have been used to neutralize the acidification resulting from nitrification. However, researchers found that alkaline amendment was unnecessary when the nitrogen input rate approximated the nitrogen assimilation rates of the plants. In the IAVS research, water pH remained stable at approximately pH 6.0 when fish-feed rates were not excessive.[8]
IAVS is also referred to as Sandponics[9] which is actually a trademark for Agricultural cultivating equipment.[10]
External links[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b McMurtry, Mark R.; Sanders, Doug C.; Haning, Blanche C.; St. Amand, Paul C. (1994). "Food Value, Water Use Efficiency, and Economic Productivity of an Integrated Aquaculture-Olericulture System as Influenced by Tank to Biofilter Ratio" (PDF). HorTechnology.
- ^ a b Okomoda, Victor Tosin; Oladimeji, Sunday Abraham; Solomon, Shola Gabriel; Olufeagba, Samuel Olabode; Ogah, Samuel Ijabo; Ikhwanuddin, Mhd (2022-12-18). "Aquaponics production system: A review of historical perspective, opportunities, and challenges of its adoption". Food Science & Nutrition. 11 (3): 1157–1165. doi:10.1002/fsn3.3154. ISSN 2048-7177. PMC 10002891. PMID 36911833.
- ^ Bradley, Kirsten (2014-01-19). "Aquaponics: A Brief History of This Integrated Fish & Veggies System". Milkwood: permaculture courses, skills + stories. Retrieved 2024-05-04.
- ^ Goodman, Elisha R. (Elisha Renee) (2011). Aquaponics : community and economic development (Thesis thesis). Massachusetts Institute of Technology. hdl:1721.1/67227.
- ^ Aqu@teach (2020-09-03). "History of aquaponics". learn.farmhub.ag. Retrieved 2024-05-05.
- ^ McMurtry, Mark R.; Nelson, Paul V.; Sanders, Doug C.; Hodges, L. (1990). "Sand Culture of Vegetables Using Recirculated Aquacultural Effluents". Applied Agricultural Research. 5 (4): 1, 2 – via ResearchGate.
- ^ McMurtry, M. R.; Sanders, D. C.; Cure, J. D.; Hodson, R. G.; Haning, B. C.; St. Amand, E. C. (December 1997). "Efficiency of Water Use of an Integrated Fish/Vegetable Co-Culture System". Journal of the World Aquaculture Society. 28 (4): 420–428. Bibcode:1997JWAS...28..420M. doi:10.1111/j.1749-7345.1997.tb00290.x. ISSN 0893-8849.
- ^ McMurtry, Mark R.; Hodson, Ronald G.; Sanders, Doug C. (1994). "Water Quality Maintenance and Mineral Assimilation by Plants Influence Growth of Hybrid Tilapia in Culture with Vegetable Crops1" (PDF). The Journal of the World Aquaculture Society.
- ^ Sewilam, Hani; Kimera, Fahad; Nasr, Peter; Dawood, Mahmoud (2022-06-30). "A sandponics comparative study investigating different sand media based integrated aqua vegeculture systems using desalinated water". Scientific Reports. 12 (1): 11093. Bibcode:2022NatSR..1211093S. doi:10.1038/s41598-022-15291-7. ISSN 2045-2322. PMID 35773314.
- ^ "SANDPONICS Trademark of Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. - Registration Number 5409239 - Serial Number 87279671 :: Justia Trademarks". trademarks.justia.com. Retrieved 2024-05-06.