Basil ( Ocimum basilicum ) Cultivation in Decoupled Aquaponics with Three Hydro-Components (Grow Pipes, Raft, Gravel) and African Catfish ( Clarias gariepinus ) Production in Northern Germany

Ulrich Knaus, Monique Pribbernow, Lu Xu, Samuel Appelbaum and Harry W. Palm
Additional contact information
Ulrich Knaus: Department of Aquaculture and Sea-Ranching, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Science, University of Rostock, D-18059 Rostock, Germany
Monique Pribbernow: Department of Aquaculture and Sea-Ranching, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Science, University of Rostock, D-18059 Rostock, Germany
Lu Xu: Department of Aquaculture and Sea-Ranching, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Science, University of Rostock, D-18059 Rostock, Germany
Samuel Appelbaum: French Associates Institute for Agriculture and Biotechnology of Drylands, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Midreshet Ben-Gurion 8499000, Israel
Harry W. Palm: Department of Aquaculture and Sea-Ranching, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Science, University of Rostock, D-18059 Rostock, Germany

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 20, 1-16

Abstract: Basil ( Ocimum basilicum ) was cultivated in northern Germany in three different hydroponic components: grow pipes, a raft, and an ebb-and-flood gravel substrate. The nutrients originated from the intensive production of African catfish ( Clarias gariepinus ) with 140 fish/m 3 under decoupled aquaponic conditions. After 41 days, plants were significantly taller in the gravel components (101.8 ± 8.3 cm), followed by the grow pipes (96.7 ± 7.0 cm), and the raft (94.8 ± 8.6 cm) components (gravel > grow pipes = raft). The leaf number was high and not significantly different between the grow pipes (518.0 ± 81.4), gravel (515.1 ± 133.0), and raft components (493.7 ± 124.8; grow pipes = raft = gravel). Basil in the grow-pipe subsystems developed rapid root growth and clogged the pipes with heterogeneous plant growth. Basil production in northern Germany in grow-pipe, raft, and gravel hydro-components is possible by using effluents from intensive C. gariepinus aquaculture without additional fertilizer in the plant grow-out phase. Further research should focus on optimizing grow pipes by maintaining an optimal root–water contact area, as well as on new technologies such as aquaponics ( s.l. ) gardening.

Keywords: basil; African catfish; grow pipes; floating raft; deep water culture; gravel substrate; aquaponics; hydroponics (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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