AQUAPONICS PRODUCTION OF THREE VEGETABLES IN SYSTEMS ASSOCIATED TO THE SEMI-INTENSIVE GROWTH OF GREY TILAPIA (Oreochromis niloticus)

Abstract

The food-producing industries, including aquaculture, should incorporate into their processes policies for environmental care and technologies that allow the efficient use of resources. In this sense, aquaponics is an alternative that allows aquaculture to be sustainable. Three production systems for edible plants, arugula (Eruca vesicaria), cilantro (Coriandrum sativum) and tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), were evaluated, associated with the semi-intensive cultivation of tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), in order to determine their adaptation and productive efficiency. A completely random experimental design was used, where three techniques for aquaponics were tested for plant production: Aqua-aeroponics system (SAC1); Aquaponics system with a porous and inert substrate (SAC2); Aquaponics system with solid rain as the fixating substrate (SAC3); the following were cultivated simultaneously: arugula, tomato and cilantro. The growth results for the three plant varieties, stem length, number of leaves and ramifications, both in SAC2 and SAC3, were efficient, particularly in SAC2 where there the arugula and tomato plants with highest growth were found although not significantly different between treatments; the cilantro plants cultivated in SAC3 had the highest growth. In contrast, the three varieties of plants cultivated in SAC1 presented lower survival and growth.