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The Impact of Water Quality on the Production of Lettuce (Lactuca sativaL.) Using Polyculture Effluent in ASTAF−Pro Aquaponic System

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Abstract

Aquaponics farming provides an alternative farming method in land-limited areas by combining aquatic and hydroponic systems in a symbiotic environment. This study aims to evaluate the effects of the water used and the quality provided by the cultured fish and crayfish on the growth, productivity, and biomass of lettuce in an aquaponic system. The waters derived from (1) Nile tilapia monoculture, (2) crayfish monoculture, and (3 and 4) Nile tilapia and crayfish with and without physical separation polycultures were used in the cultivation of lettuce for 60 days. In the current study, the water temperature ranged from 18.1 to 24.5 °C, the dissolved oxygen ranged from 4.0 to 5.2 mg L−1, the pH ranged from 7.0 to 7.8, and the nitrite content ranged from 0.04 to 0.5 mg L−1. Thus, the water quality was maintained within appropriate ranges for both fish and plant production. In this study, the polyculture water increased plant production, indicating a considerable promise for using aquatic polyculture in aquaponics to support sustainable agricultural production in adverse climate conditions.

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Data Availability

The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

This work was conducted in the framework of an Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Digital Cooperation Fellowship (Ref 3.4—EGY / 1134716) for Prof. Alaa Osman and his German partner Prof. Werner Kloas hosted by the Faculty of Science, Al-Azhar University, Assiut, Egypt.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Al-Azhar University, Assiut, 71524, Egypt

    Ahmed E. A. Badrey, Mohamed F. El-Sawy, Aldoushy Mahdy, Mahmoud M. S. Farrag & Alaa G. M. Osman

  2. Department of Fish Biology, Fisheries and Aquaculture, Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Berlin, Germany

    Werner Kloas

  3. Institute of Biology and Albrecht Daniel Thaer-Institute, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany

    Werner Kloas

Authors
  1. Ahmed E. A. Badrey
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  2. Mohamed F. El-Sawy
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  3. Aldoushy Mahdy
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  4. Mahmoud M. S. Farrag
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  5. Werner Kloas
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  6. Alaa G. M. Osman
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Contributions

Mohamed F. El-Sawy and Mahmoud M. S. Farrag performed the experiment, performed lab analysis, and analyzed the data. Ahmed El-Sayed Ali Badrey, Aldoushy Mahdy, and Alaa Gadelkarem Mahmoud Osman, planned and supervised the experiments, prepared the manuscript and original draft, and completed the final draft writing, review, and editing.

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Correspondence to Ahmed E. A. Badrey.

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This document represents the authors’ original work, which has never been published before and is not currently under consideration for publication elsewhere. This work accurately and completely reflects the authors’ own research and analysis. All the sources utilized are correctly credited. The authors declare that no environmental risks have been included in the current investigation. All materials and animals used in the current study were handled in line with the scientific ethics committee, Faculty of Science, Al-Azhar University (Assiut Branch), 71524 Assiut, Egypt.

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Badrey, A.E.A., El-Sawy, M.F., Mahdy, A. et al. The Impact of Water Quality on the Production of Lettuce (Lactuca sativaL.) Using Polyculture Effluent in ASTAF−Pro Aquaponic System. J Soil Sci Plant Nutr (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42729-024-01669-1

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