Date of Award

4-2018

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Aridland Agriculture

First Advisor

Shyam Kurup

Second Advisor

Taoufik Saleh KsiKsi

Third Advisor

Michael Pillay

Abstract

Aquaponics is an agricultural system that saves water and fertilization and offers a way of growing plants without soil pest infestation or pesticide residues. This system ensures the production of hazardous chemical free food for humans. This system also ensures sustainability by creating a natural relationship between fish and plants and makes gardening more productive and economical.

Aquaponics system is a dynamic ecosystem that can be integrated to achieve food security through the production of fish and vegetables without the intervention of fertilizers.

The focus of this study is optimizing planting density of tomato in an aquaponics system; with assess the production of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis aureus) and tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) in the aquaponic system with different fish density. The experiment implemented under greenhouse condition at the College of Food and Agriculture at Falaj Hazza Campus Al Ain, UAE. Three densities of tomato plants (2, 3 and 4 plants in foam) and three densities of tilapia (100, 120 and 140 kg/m3) were used. The evaluation of the production system was based on the flowering behavior, tomato yield production and its quality as well as fish growth rate. Tomato fruit samples were analyzed for the chemical quality which includes dry matter, moisture, crude protein, fat, crude fiber, ash%, macro and micro nutrients levels. The investigation also focus on optimum fish stocking density and total yield of tomato in the aquaponics system. Fish density affected the fish growth parameters and the most densiest group showed the best results in terms of fish growth. As for production of tomato, plant and its quality and chemical content recorded its best with using 2 plants in the dishes. So, under the same conditions of this experiment to improve the density of fish and obtain a higher density of tomato plant in the system of aquaponics can be achieved when the use of two plants in the dishes under the highest thickness of 140 kg/m3.

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