Malaga Chillies
been grown in aquaponic systems.
However, the goal is to select a vegetable for culture that will generate
the highest level of income per unit
area per unit time. Using this criterion, culinary herbs are the best
choice. They grow very rapidly and
command high market prices. The
income from herbs such as basil,
cilantro, chives, parsley, portulaca,
and mint are many times higher
than that from fruiting crops such
as tomatoes, cucumbers, aubergine,
and okra. Fruiting crops also require
longer culture periods (90 days or
more) and are subject to more pest
Live Lettuce
Vision Sweetcorn
problems and diseases. Lettuce is
another good crop for aquaponic
systems because it can be produced
in a short period (3 to 4 weeks in
the system), and, as a consequence,
pest risk is relatively low. Unlike
fruiting crops, a high proportion of
the harvested biomass is edible.
Other suitable crops include Swiss
chard, pak choi, Chinese cabbage,
collard and watercress. Good results
have been obtained with marigold
and zinnia (flowers) in UVI’s aquaponics system. Traditional medicinal
plants and plants used for the extraction of modern pharmaceuticals
have not been cultivated in aquaponic systems, but there may be
potential in growing some of these
plants. Many new modern hybrid
vegetables are also available from
seed suppliers.
Nutrient Balance:
As an innovative sustainable food
production system, the challenge in
aquaponics is to use the nutrient
input efficiently, minimizing its discard and tending to a zerodischarge recirculating system. Fish
feed, the main nutrient input, can
be divided into assimilated feed,
uneaten feed, and soluble and solid
Live Letuce in Supermarket Shelf