=Paper=
{{Paper
|id=Vol-3293/paper109
|storemode=property
|title=Sustainable Greenhouse Cultivation in a Vertical Aquaponic System with Smart Control - Abstract
|pdfUrl=https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-3293/paper109.pdf
|volume=Vol-3293
|authors=Ioanna Chatzigeorgiou,Giorgos Liantas,Maria Ravani,Giorgos Kelesidis,Aphrodite Tsaballa,Athanasios Koukounaras,Georgios K. Ntinas
|dblpUrl=https://dblp.org/rec/conf/haicta/ChatzigeorgiouL22
}}
==Sustainable Greenhouse Cultivation in a Vertical Aquaponic System with Smart Control - Abstract==
https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-3293/paper109.pdf
Sustainable Greenhouse Cultivation in a Vertical Aquaponic
System with Smart Control - Abstract
Ioanna Chatzigeorgiou 1,2,3, Giorgos Liantas 1, Maria Ravani 1, Giorgos Kelesidis 1, Aphrodite
Tsaballa 1, Athanasios Koukounaras 2 and Georgios K. Ntinas 1,2
1
ELGO-Dimitra, Institute of Plant Breeding and Genetic Resources, 1st km NR Thessaloniki- Poligiros, Thermi,
Thessaloniki, 57001, Greece
2
Dept. of Horticulture, School of Agriculture, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, 54124, Greece
3
Oecon Group, Business & Development Consultants, Frixou 9, Thessaloniki, 54627, Thessaloniki, Greece
Summary 1
Aquaponics is a cultivation method that combines aquaculture and hydroponics. More
specifically, aquaculture waste is used to provide plants with the nutrients they need to grow
hydroponically, while plants serve as a bio-filter for the aquaculture (fish). Aquaponics results
in the simultaneous production of plants and fish with the smallest possible environmental and
carbon footprint. Energy consumption for water recycling, oxygen supply and heating or
cooling of the cultivation space, are important factors for an efficient and sustainable aquaponic
system. The aim of this research was the study of energy needs and the optimization of energy
consumption in the aquaponic system, focusing on sustainability with the use of smart
controlling systems.
The experiment was carried out in a pilot greenhouse in Thessaloniki, Greece, where both
below ground and above ground spaces of the greenhouse were utilized, for fish and plants
cultivation respectively, to achieve better land and energy use efficiency. The underground
system consisted of (1) two fish tanks, filled with approximately 500 fish of the species
Oncorhynchus mykiss each, (2) a solid waste filter used to remove solid particles from the
water which is full of fish feces and non-consumed feed, (3) a nitrifying biofilter intended to
oxidize ammonia excreted by fish to nitrate and (4) two storage tanks that facilitate water
recirculation. Water quality was constantly monitored with the use of pH, EC and temperature
sensors, while water analysis was periodically conducted. Smart controls ensure the efficient
and remote-control operation of the whole system. Water derived from the storage tanks, rich
in nitrates and potassium (approximately 27 mg/l and 32 mg/l respectively), was diverted into
the plants in the main greenhouse space. Greenhouse air temperature and humidity were
recorded with a HOBO data logger. In our research scenario, Romaine lettuce (Lactuca sativa
cv. Paris Island) seeds were sown directly into plastic rafts (33×67 cm) with planting density
of 1200 plants per m2. Three hydroponic tanks in the greenhouse were supplied with different
nutrient solutions each, in a floating hydroponic system scheme; 1) Tank A was filled with
plain fish wastewater, 2) Tank B was filled with typical Hoagland solution (control), and 3)
Tank C was filled with a mix of the above, in which fish wastewater was enriched in nutrients
until it reached Hoagland’s composition.
All treatments of the ongoing research are evaluated based on the growth rate and marketable
fresh weight. Prior to harvest pH, EC and root zone temperature in the three treatments were
7.8, 0.55 and 26.5 °C for Tank A (fish wastewater), 7.3, 2.55 and 27.1 °C for Tank B (control,
Hoogland solution) and 6.8, 2.12 and 26.7 °C for Tank C, while average air temperature and
relative humidity inside the greenhouse were 26 °C and 68.6 % respectively. Quality
characteristics regarding total antioxidant activity, total phenolic compounds, nitrates
concentration and leaf color are also assessed. To deeply evaluate plants’ performance and
response to different nutrient solutions, genes involved in plant adaptation to fluctuating
Proceedings of HAICTA 2022, September 22–25, 2022, Athens, Greece
EMAIL: ichatzigeorgiou12@gmail.com (A. 1); georgiosliantas@hotmail.com (A. 2); ravanimaria96@gmail.com (A. 3); gkthgk@gmail.com
(A. 4); tsaballa80@gmail.com (A. 5); thankou@agro.auth.gr (A. 6); gntinas@ipgrb.gr (A. 7)
ORCID: 0000-0002-8822-2665 (A. 1); 0000-0002-7940-3819 (A. 5); 0000-0002-0239-2592 (A. 6); 0000-0001-5205-9387 (A. 7)
©️ 2022 Copyright for this paper by its authors.
Use permitted under Creative Commons License Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).
CEUR Workshop Proceedings (CEUR-WS.org)
533
conditions will also be studied by molecular techniques. The expression of these response
genes will be monitored and compared in plants grown in the three different hydroponic tanks.
In Tank A and C, nitrates from fish wastewater originating from the biofilter, are expected to
increase over 100 mg/l resulting in a N-fertilizer contributing to sustainable greenhouse
production.
Keywords
hydroponics, aquaculture, baby leaf vegetables, intelligent monitoring
534