Volume 15, Issue 2 (Journal of Soil and Plant Interactions 2024)
2024, 15(2): 83-96 |
Back to browse issues page
Department of Horticulture and Landscape Engineering, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Gorgan, Iran.
Abstract: (472 Views)
Abstract
The increase in the world’s population induces new challenges including environmental pollution and sufficient food supply for human. The use of sustainable agricultural solutions can reduce environmental degradation and restore natural ecosystems by overcoming these problems. Soilless cultivation systems have become very popular as one of the sustainable agricultural tools in the cultivation of high-use agricultural products. This research was conducted as a mixed analysis of variance in places based on a completely randomized design with three replications. The aim of this study was to compare the yield and yield components and the nutrients contents of the commonly used accessions of basil (green and purple) grown in ten growth media (perlite, cocopeat, sand, pumice in pure form and also in combination with each other with a volume ratio of 50:50) under aquaponic and hydroponic systems. The findings of showed that the studied basil accessions had greater growth in the aquaponic system than in the hydroponic system. In fact, the optimal harmony between the components of the aquaponic system, i.e. carp, bacteria and basil, led to sufficient and effective nutrition of plants and increased growth. Besides, vegetative traits, yield components and minerals of basil had the highest values in the perlite + cocopeat growth medium, while the lowest growth was observed in the sand and pumice growth media. Therefore, the aquaponic system, with the selection of appropriate cultivation substrates, has high performance for basil and can be used as alternative soil cultivation system, especially in regions with water scarcity and arid lands.
Background and Objective: Basil is a fast-growing leafy vegetable with high nutritional value which is suitable crop for growing in aquaponics cultivation system. The aquaponics is made of three main components including plants, fishes and bacteria. In other words, an aquaponic cultivation system integrates from hydroponic and aquaculture (Ferrarezi, 2019). Current agriculture is associated with huge amount of chemical inputs, water and soil degradation. Hence, the use of eco-friendly methods can reduce the harmful effects of current agriculture. Nowadays, hydroponic (soilless culture) systems are increasingly used for growing high value medicinal herbs and vegetables (Zantana et al., 2022). Both hydroponic and aquaponic systems are appropriate and precious methods for growing basil in soilless cultivation, although, the aquaponics due to improving sustainable food production might be more preferred (Modarelli et al., 2023). Therefore, the objective of this study was to compare the yield and yield components and the mineral content of two commonly used accessions of basil (green and purple) grown in ten growth media under aquaponic and hydroponic systems.
Methods: This research was conducted as a mixed analysis of variance in places based on a completely randomized design with three replications in a research greenhouse in Zanjan city (36° 40' 0" N., 48° 28' 60 " E., 1640 m a.s.l), Iran. The experimental treatments consisted of two cultivation systems (aquaponic and hydroponic) as the locations, two basil accessions (green and purple), and 10 growth media including cocopeat, perlite, sand, pumice, cocopeat + perlite (50:50), cocopeat + pumice (50:50), cocopeat + sand (50:50), pumice + sand (50:50), pumice + perlite (50:50) and sand + perlite (50:50). After flowering, plant growth and morphological traits (shoot fresh and dry weights, leaf area, leaf number and plant height), and nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus contents were measured and analyzed.
Results: The results indicated that, the growth and morphological traits including shoot fresh and dry weights, leaf area, leaf number and plant height increased in the aquaponic system compared to the hydroponic cultivation system. Furthermore, mineral contents of basil leaf were improved in the aquaponically grown plants. In terms of growth medium, the combined cocopeat + perlite showed maximum positive influence on the growth traits and mineral contents of basil. In addition, the purple basil accession indicated best performances in the aquaponic system when compared with the hydroponic system.
Conclusions: Overall, it can be concluded that the aquaponic system is a reliable alternative method for soil cultures to obtain optimum yield and yield components of basil accessions in suitable substrates and also the maximum water and nutrient use efficiency in a sustainable way. Therefore, the aquaponic system as a suitable growth media might be recommended for basil cultivation particularly in the arid areas.
References:
1. Ferrarezi, R.S., Bailey, D.S., 2019. Basil performance evaluation in aquaponics. Horttechnology 29, 85–93.
2. Modarelli, G.C., Vanacore, L., Rouphael, Y., Langellotti, A.L., Masi, P., De Pascale, S., Cirillo, C., 2023. Hydroponic and aquaponic floating raft systems elicit differential growth and quality responses to consecutive cuts of basil crop. Plants 12, 1355. https:// doi.org/10.3390/Plants12061355.
3. Zantanta, N., Kambizi, L., Etsassala, N.G.E.R., Nchu, F., 2022. Comparing crop yield, secondary metabolite contents, and antifungal activity of extracts of Helichrysum odoratissimum cultivated in aquaponic, hydroponic, and field systems. Plants 11, 2696. https://doi.org/10.3390/ plants11202696.
The increase in the world’s population induces new challenges including environmental pollution and sufficient food supply for human. The use of sustainable agricultural solutions can reduce environmental degradation and restore natural ecosystems by overcoming these problems. Soilless cultivation systems have become very popular as one of the sustainable agricultural tools in the cultivation of high-use agricultural products. This research was conducted as a mixed analysis of variance in places based on a completely randomized design with three replications. The aim of this study was to compare the yield and yield components and the nutrients contents of the commonly used accessions of basil (green and purple) grown in ten growth media (perlite, cocopeat, sand, pumice in pure form and also in combination with each other with a volume ratio of 50:50) under aquaponic and hydroponic systems. The findings of showed that the studied basil accessions had greater growth in the aquaponic system than in the hydroponic system. In fact, the optimal harmony between the components of the aquaponic system, i.e. carp, bacteria and basil, led to sufficient and effective nutrition of plants and increased growth. Besides, vegetative traits, yield components and minerals of basil had the highest values in the perlite + cocopeat growth medium, while the lowest growth was observed in the sand and pumice growth media. Therefore, the aquaponic system, with the selection of appropriate cultivation substrates, has high performance for basil and can be used as alternative soil cultivation system, especially in regions with water scarcity and arid lands.
Background and Objective: Basil is a fast-growing leafy vegetable with high nutritional value which is suitable crop for growing in aquaponics cultivation system. The aquaponics is made of three main components including plants, fishes and bacteria. In other words, an aquaponic cultivation system integrates from hydroponic and aquaculture (Ferrarezi, 2019). Current agriculture is associated with huge amount of chemical inputs, water and soil degradation. Hence, the use of eco-friendly methods can reduce the harmful effects of current agriculture. Nowadays, hydroponic (soilless culture) systems are increasingly used for growing high value medicinal herbs and vegetables (Zantana et al., 2022). Both hydroponic and aquaponic systems are appropriate and precious methods for growing basil in soilless cultivation, although, the aquaponics due to improving sustainable food production might be more preferred (Modarelli et al., 2023). Therefore, the objective of this study was to compare the yield and yield components and the mineral content of two commonly used accessions of basil (green and purple) grown in ten growth media under aquaponic and hydroponic systems.
Methods: This research was conducted as a mixed analysis of variance in places based on a completely randomized design with three replications in a research greenhouse in Zanjan city (36° 40' 0" N., 48° 28' 60 " E., 1640 m a.s.l), Iran. The experimental treatments consisted of two cultivation systems (aquaponic and hydroponic) as the locations, two basil accessions (green and purple), and 10 growth media including cocopeat, perlite, sand, pumice, cocopeat + perlite (50:50), cocopeat + pumice (50:50), cocopeat + sand (50:50), pumice + sand (50:50), pumice + perlite (50:50) and sand + perlite (50:50). After flowering, plant growth and morphological traits (shoot fresh and dry weights, leaf area, leaf number and plant height), and nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus contents were measured and analyzed.
Results: The results indicated that, the growth and morphological traits including shoot fresh and dry weights, leaf area, leaf number and plant height increased in the aquaponic system compared to the hydroponic cultivation system. Furthermore, mineral contents of basil leaf were improved in the aquaponically grown plants. In terms of growth medium, the combined cocopeat + perlite showed maximum positive influence on the growth traits and mineral contents of basil. In addition, the purple basil accession indicated best performances in the aquaponic system when compared with the hydroponic system.
Conclusions: Overall, it can be concluded that the aquaponic system is a reliable alternative method for soil cultures to obtain optimum yield and yield components of basil accessions in suitable substrates and also the maximum water and nutrient use efficiency in a sustainable way. Therefore, the aquaponic system as a suitable growth media might be recommended for basil cultivation particularly in the arid areas.
References:
1. Ferrarezi, R.S., Bailey, D.S., 2019. Basil performance evaluation in aquaponics. Horttechnology 29, 85–93.
2. Modarelli, G.C., Vanacore, L., Rouphael, Y., Langellotti, A.L., Masi, P., De Pascale, S., Cirillo, C., 2023. Hydroponic and aquaponic floating raft systems elicit differential growth and quality responses to consecutive cuts of basil crop. Plants 12, 1355. https:// doi.org/10.3390/Plants12061355.
3. Zantanta, N., Kambizi, L., Etsassala, N.G.E.R., Nchu, F., 2022. Comparing crop yield, secondary metabolite contents, and antifungal activity of extracts of Helichrysum odoratissimum cultivated in aquaponic, hydroponic, and field systems. Plants 11, 2696. https://doi.org/10.3390/ plants11202696.
Type of Study: Applicable |
Subject:
Soil (growth medium) and plant relations in greenhouse culture
Received: 2024/03/10 | Accepted: 2024/08/7 | Published: 2024/11/25
Received: 2024/03/10 | Accepted: 2024/08/7 | Published: 2024/11/25
Send email to the article author
| Rights and permissions | |
 |
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. |
Journal of Soil and Plant Interactions by http://jspi.iut.ac.ir is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License which allows users to read, copy, distribute and make derivative works for non-commercial purposes from the material, as long as the author of the original work is cited properly.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License which allows users to read, copy, distribute and make derivative works for non-commercial purposes from the material, as long as the author of the original work is cited properly.
