Aquaponics short-course at the University of Arizona Kevin Fitzsimmons, Jason Licamele, Eric Highfield University of Arizona 6 April 2011

Trends in food markets Demand for more locally grown, organic foods Increasing demand for vegetables and fish for health reasons Need to increase economic and environmental efficiency (energy, water, land area, recycling of nutrients)

Global food crisis Rapidly increasing population Diversion of foods to bio-fuels Increased costs for water, fertilizer, fuel Multiple demands for farmland (urban sprawl, industrial and mining, solar and wind generation, wildlife conservation, watershed protection, global warming, etc.) Demand for locally produced food

Need new model for food production Green Revolution – huge increase in food production, but heavy reliance on irrigation, fuel and fertilizer. Blue Revolution – almost 50% of seafood is farm raised, but many environmental impacts (effluents causing eutrophication, algae blooms, cage and raft conflicts with other users in oceans, bays and lakes)

Development of hydroponics and aquaculture Fast growing sectors of global food production Hydroponics is more efficient use of water and nutrients, controls the environment and reduces use of pesticides and herbicides. Aquaculture is more efficient production of domesticated aquatic animals and plants.

Past Projects The Land – Disney World, Florida Biosphere 2 – Tucson, Arizona High school education Commercialization

Disney World – EPCOT – The Land University of Arizona provided technical design, layout, and training of staff. Selected hydroponics and aquaculture as two critical food production systems for the future.

Disney World – EPCOT – The Land 30,000 guests a day learn about hydroponics, aquaculture, tilapia, and advanced farming techniques Products are served in the Good Turn Restaurant

Development trials for Biosphere 2 Biosphere 2 – A one hectare greenhouse. Completely sealed, with eight people living inside for two years.

Early trials for Biosphere 2 University of Arizona provided overall technical support and designed the food system. Intensive food production Healthy foods with minimal need for external inputs Replicated trials with tilapia and lettuce

Various growing techniques Growing in floating boards Growing in gravel/biofilter

Density and micronutrient trials Low density of fish High density of fish

Nutrient film technique Growing in troughs/gutters with flowing water

Nutrient film technique Flood and drain version in troughs/gutters

Fish and grain crops Tilapia and barley Nutrient dynamics in recirc Determined that integrated fish and irrigated crops were most efficient food production system for Biosphere 2

Educational systems in high schools Fish instead of traditional farm animals Hydroponic vegetables and ornamental flowers

Water chemistry pH Conductivity Dissolved solids Suspended solids Oxygen

Carbon Cycle digestion and respiration + 3O2 Photosynthesis C6H12O6 6 H2O + 6 CO2 C6H12O6 + 3O2 sugars and other organics and oxygen sugars and other organics water and carbon dioxide anaerobes and methanogens CH4 + COx

Carbonate Cycle CO2 + H2O H2CO3 H+ + HCO3- H+ + CO32- carbon dioxide dissolved in water carbonic acid bicarbonate ion carbonate ion

Carbonate cycle

Nitrogen Cycle Ammonia Nitrite Nitrate De-nitrification

Nitrogen cycle in aquatic systems

Nitrogen cycle Nitrogen is often a limiting element in freshwater aquatic system Adding nitrogen will cause rapid increase in primary productivity Nitrogen in anaerobic sediments - denitrification (reduction to NH3 or N2 gas)

UAAQ CEAC Nitrogen Mass Flow Introduced via feed Input: 108 g nitrogen / day Oxygen Consumption Fish Plant root zone Plant respiration Generation Plant photosynthesis Microalgae / Phytoplankton photosynthesis

Phosphorus cycle Phosphorus and orthophosphate. Organic P decomposes and releases PO4, taken up by algae and plants or adsorbs to clay particles and precipitates. Anaerobic conditions can re-release P to water. Wetland Ecosystem Management

Tilapia and other fish Oreochromis species Catfish Koi Yellow perch and bluegills Sturgeon and ornamental fish

Fish feed as nutrient sources Fish feed is the basic input for nutrients to fish and plants Protein is source of nitrogen for plants Phosphorus and potassium from fishmeal, bone meal, or feather meal Micronutrients from vitamin and mineral premixes in fish feed

UAAQ CEAC Aquaponic Inputs Water Star Milling Co. 1/8” Floating Tilapia Feed Dolomite 65 Ag CaCO3 46.0% MgCO3 38.5% Ca 22.7% Mg 11.8% Biomins Biomin Fe+ (5%) Biomin Mn+ (5%) Biomin Zn+ (7%) Nutrient Content Analysis Crude Protein 35% Crude Fat 5% Crude Fiber 3.5% Ash 9% FISH FEED   % N 5.97 P 1.53 K 1.46 Ca 1.61 Mg 0.26 Na 0.24 S 0.46 mg/L Cu 15 Zn 143 Mn 93 Fe 461 B 18 Star Milling Company: Soybean meal, Wheat Bran, Anchovy meal; ground corn, fish oils, wheat flour………..vitamin supplements

Organic micronutrients Biomins Biomin Fe+ (5%) Biomin Mn+ (5%) Biomin Zn+ (7%) Biomin Calcium is created using an encapsulation (chelating) of the mineral calcium with glycine and natural organic acids. Biomin Z.I.M is a true amino acid chelated multi-mineral. The chelating agent is mainly glycine, the smallest amino acid commonly used by and found in plants.

System design For fish – tanks vs raceways For plants – variety Gravel and sand beds Floating rafts Gutters and trays

Tilapia and lettuce

Lettuce Plant Lettuce (Lactuca sativa) Butterhead variety Quick turnover 5 weeks Cultivars Rex Tom Thumb Able to uptake and tolerate high levels of nitrogen Grown in municipal waste water; primary, secondary vs nutrient solution control; grew in all but yield was lower than Nutrient Solution (Chow et al) A good yield was obtained in the treatment EC=1.0 mS cm-1, with appropriate concentration of N, P, K, Ca, Mg and S and low level of nitrate, lower than the maximum allowed by the Commission of the European Communities. Spray with foliar micronutrients to enhance growth Pythium dissotocum, reported for the first time as a root pathogen of hydroponically grown lettuce, was responsible for significant yield reductions (35–54 and 12–17% reductions at 18 and 28 C, respectively) in the absence of visible root or foliar symptoms. The fungus was isolated from 92% of the rootlets assayed and occupied about 75% of the total root length assayed. Microscopic examination of infected roots revealed haustorialike fungal structures within healthy-appearing epidermal cells. P. dissotocum, in addition to P. uncinulatum, P. irregulare, P. sylvaticum, P. violae, P. catenulatum, and P. rostratum, was also consistently isolated from healthy-appearing feeder rootlets collected from field-grown head lettuce plants. 35-40% growth reductions DFT – this project 6-8” deep; optimal 20-24” deep PAR Net Photosynthetic Rate 20 umol CO2 m-2 s-1 Light Saturated at 350 umol m-2 s-1

Varieties of Romaine and Bibb

Data collection and analysis Light measurements (PAR) Computer monitoring

Nutrient Balance Nutrient Balance Feed Filtration Hydroponics 32% Protein 2-4% System Biomass FCR 2:1 Filtration Clarifier Nitrification Hydroponics Nutrient uptake Water Water Chemistry N, TAN, NH4, NO2, NO3, K, P, Ca, Fe, pH, alkalinity, T, EC

Aquaponic Inputs Nutrient Content Analysis Inputs: Water Fish Food Star Milling Co. 1/8” Floating Tilapia Feed Dolomite 65 Ag CaCO3 46.0% MgCO3 38.5% Ca 22.7% Mg 11.8% Biomins Biomin Fe+ (5%) Biomin Mn+ (5%) Biomin Zn+ (7%) Crude Protein 32% Crude Fat 5% Crude Fiber 3.5% Ash 9% FISH FEED   % N 5.97 P 1.53 K 1.46 Ca 1.61 Mg 0.26 Na 0.24 S 0.46 mg/L Cu 15 Zn 143 Mn 93 Fe 461 B 18 Star Milling Company: Soybean meal, Wheat Bran, Anchovy meal; ground corn, fish oils, wheat flour………..vitamin supplements

pH & Oxygen pH Range Tilapia 6.5-9 Diurnal pH Flux Dissolved Oxygen Fish = 6.5 – 8.5 Plant = 5.0 – 7.5 Diurnal pH Flux Reduce shifts to stabilize pH Shifts can inhibit organism's physiology thus reducing growth Acidic pH can effect solubility of Fertilizers Alkalinity Optimal: 75-150 mg/L Stabilizes pH ; provides nutrients for growth Dissolved Oxygen > 4 mg/l (ppm)

UAAQ CEAC Methodology Data Collection Fish : Lettuce Lettuce quality Fish FCR Fish Biomass (1 kg) Plant Wet/Dry Weight Plant Height/Diameter Lettuce quality Apogee CCM-200 Chlorophyll Concentration Index (CCI) Relative chlorophyll value Compare a cultivar of lettuce growing in different systems CCI can be correlated to chlorophyll concentration with ground/solvent analysis Measures in two ranges: Chlorophyll spectrum and outside wavelengths (900+) for reference due to mechanical differences such as tissue thickness LED spectrum in 600-600 and 900+

UAAQ CEAC Biomass Density CEAC GH#3118 Tilapia Density 0.04 – 0.06 kg/L 2% Biomass / day 1.6 – 1.8 kg feed / day Harvest weight 1kg Lettuce 32 plants / m2 6” off center Harvest head wet weight 150-200 grams

UAAQ CEAC Water Chemistry Nutrient Deficiency Succession [ Fe+, Mn+, Mo+] < [Ca+, Mg+]< [Zn+] Hydroponic Water Parameters pH 6.5-6.7 EC 1.5 – 2.0 DO 4-7mg/L T = 23-25oC Water Chemistry (mg/L) CEAC Lettuce GH#3118 Target NITROGEN   Ammonia NH3-N Nitrate NO3-N 180 50 Boron (B) 0.35 <1 Calcium (Ca) 200 60 Copper (Cu) 0.05 <0.05 Iron (Fe) 2.4 2 Magnesium (Mg) 40 20 Manganese (Mn) 0.55 0.5 Molybdenum (Mo) PO4-P Potassium (K) 198 150 Sulfate (SO4)-S 52 20< >100 Zinc (Zn) 0.34 0.3 Biomin Calcium is created using an encapsulation (chelating) of the mineral calcium with glycine and natural organic acids. Biomin Z.I.M is a true amino acid chelated multi mineral. The chelating agent is mainly glycine, the smallest amino acid commonly used by and found in plants. (Chelated Products)

Data and video live on Internet http://ag. arizona

UAAQ CEAC Environmental Data Set Points: Hydroponic Treatment Day Tair = 20 - 22oC Night Tair = 16 - 18oC TH2O = 23 - 25oC pH = 6.5 - 6.8 DO = 4 - 7 mg/L Exp.3 Exp.2 Exp.1 UAAQ 2009 Water Parameters Exp. 1 Mean Water Temperature 24.29oC pH 6.75 Dissolved Oxygen 5.89 mg/L Electrical Conductivity 0.97 dS/cm Month (Julian Day) Ave. Daily Ave. Daily Month (Julian Day) Ave. Daily Ave. Daily moles m-2 Std. Dev. moles m-2 Std. Dev. January (1 – 31) 25.4 2.90 February (32 - 59) 31.5 3.03 March (60 - 90) 42.3 3.23 April (91 - 120) 52.9 3.90 May (121 - 152) 58.9 4.03 June (153 - 181) 60.0 3.29 July (182 - 212) 52.2 2.77 August (213 - 243) 48.6 1.99 September (244 - 273) 44.6 2.08 October (274 - 304) 37.2 2.99 November (305 - 334) 28.2 1.89 December (335 - 365) 23.4 2.70 Table 2. Average Daily PAR (moles m-2 ) for Each Season in Tucson, Arizona. Season and Julian Day Average Moles per Day Winter, December 22 to March 21 (356 - 80) 30.3 Spring, March 22 to June 21 (81 - 172) 55.9 Summer, June 22 to September 21 (173 - 264) 50.1 Fall, September 22 to December 21 (265 - 355) 31.8 Winter Tomato Production, October through March (274 – 90) 31.4 UAAQ 2009 Environmental Data Exp. 2 Mean Daily PAR 19.33 moles/m2 Total PAR Exp.2 924.00 moles/m2 Mean Night Ta 17.14oC Mean Day Ta 21.56oC Daily Mean Ta 19.35oC Daily Mean RH% 60.85% UAAQ 2009 Environmental Data Exp. 1 Mean Daily PAR 16.60 moles/m2 Total PAR Exp.2 829.82 moles/m2 Mean Night Ta 17.09oC Mean Day Ta 21.19oC Daily Mean Ta 19.14oC Daily Mean RH% 59.47% UAAQ 2009 Water Parameters Exp. 2 Mean Water Temperature 24.22oC pH 6.73 Dissolved Oxygen 6.74 mg/L Electrical Conductivity 0.93 dS/cm

UAAQ CEAC Nitrogen Mass Flow Fish Feed % N = 5.97 1800 grams/day 107 grams nitrogen/day Sludge N = 3.38% per g dry weight 5 Liters day produced Collect dry weight / day Fish 27% nitrogen retention Lettuce Samples to be analyzed Water 40-60 mg/L Nitrate Exp.3 Exp.2 Exp.1

UAAQ CEAC Water Chemistry Macronutrients Accumulation reaching steady state Calcium and magnesium supplementation Experiments 2-8 Micronutrients Biomin Iron supplementation Experiment s 4-8 Biomin Zinc supplementation Experiments 5-8 Biomin Manganese supplementation Experiments 6-8 Exp.3 Exp.2 Exp.1 Exp.3 Exp.2 Exp.1

UAAQ Exp. 2 Aquaponics vs. Hydroponics Hydroponic Solution Nitrogen uptake Experiment 2 Data 40-60 mg/L NO3-N 10-20 mg/L P 100+ mg/L K

Arizona Aquaculture Website ag.arizona.edu/azaqua

What’s needed next? Investment in production and more research Best technologies of ag and aquaculture Limited governmental regulation Trained production staff and semi-skilled farming staff