Progress 10/01/16 to 04/10/20
Outputs
Target Audience:
Nothing Reported
Changes/Problems:Prior to the transition to the new (current) AES director in July 2020, theproject director did not complete the final report.Since then, multiple attempts have been made to contact the PD and request that he complete the report. Unfortunately, the PD has been particularly recalcitrant and has not completed nor provided information to the NHAES director's to complete this report.The NHAES director's office is currently "cleaning up" the REEport system for the Station byclosing outstanding reports such as this. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?
Nothing Reported
What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Prior to the transition to the new (current) AES director in July 2020, theproject director did not complete the final report.Since then, multiple attempts have been made to contact the PD and request that he complete the report. Unfortunately, the PD has been particularly recalcitrant and has not completed nor provided information to the NHAES director's to complete this report.The NHAES director's office is currently "cleaning up" the REEport system for the Station byclosing outstanding reports such as this.
Publications
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Progress 10/01/18 to 09/30/19
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience for this reporting cycle is similar to previous years - general public, new and experienced growers, academic researchers, extension professionals, University students. With the prominent location of the research facilities near a busy road, we have welcomed members of the general public coming to visit the facilities to learn more aboutaquaponics research. Some of the products from the research also reach the general public as donations to the New Hampshire Food Bank. New and experienced growers were engaged through research update meetings and annual workshops. For this reporting cycle, a 3 days workshop was hosted at the research facilities at the NHAES/UNH Kingman Farm where 20 participants learned about the research, received training on system design and operation, experienced the farms through hands-on activities, and visited two commercial growers in NH. Research was also conveyed through teaching where the research facilities are used for training and teaching for two Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems (SAFS) undergraduate program courses: Urban Agriculture (SAFS632) and Aquaponics (SAFS 740). The Aquaponics course was new in this reporting cycle and had 18 students. Several UNH classes also visited the research facilities for facility tours and on-site seminars. One class from Great Bay Community College also visited for a facility tour and on-site teaching seminar. Site visits and hosted one-on-one discussions were the primary modes for reaching the NH and VT producers/entrepreneurs. This group received assistance with system assessments and troubleshooting, estimations for ways in which processes may be improved, and planning research objectives as the new facilities became operational. Research was also presented for regulators and food safety inspectors at the annual FDA food safety conference hosted in Portsmouth, NH. Research results, system design, and good agricultural practices were presented to a group of 100+ FDA officials, including the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services staff who were responsible for engaging Dr. Guerdat early on in the research to provide guidance and support in inspecting aquaponic growers in NH. Changes/Problems:With the research focusing on rainbow trout and the need to develop solutions for wasted nutrient use as fertilizer for hydroponic crops, the realization that potassium was potentially (not empirically documented in the literature) toxic justified additional research into the physiological response. This research is new for this project, starting in this reporting cycle. This is significant and is supported by industry and other academic researchers. Problems encountered in the research included issues with the lights used for the lettuce production as many have suffered from premature failure and have had to be sent back to the manufacturer for warranty repair. Several leaks have also developed in the hydroponic growing beds for the lettuce which caused several weeks of lost productivity while the beds were drained, dried, ground down and re-coated with resin and fiberglass. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?This research supported one-on-one mentorships between the PI, Dr. Todd Guerdat, and four undergraduate students working on characterizing waste nutrient production from rainbow trout (as compared to tilapia), nutrient uptake in different hydroponic crops. This project is also used in demonstrations for classes coming to visit the research facilities. Three classes at UNH and 1 class from the neighboring Great Bay Community College toured and learned about the recirculating aquaculture facility and the greenhouse systems (both at the UNH Macfarlane complex and the new UNH Kingman Farm facility. A hands-on workshop was also hosted at the research facilities where students, growers, and extension professionals were able to receive professional development training. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Research has been disseminated via hands-on workshop training (lecture and farm work) for new and experienced growers. Seminars have been hosted on site for university, high school, and elementary school students providing both facility tours and education in nutrient cycling and food safety. Guest lectures have been provided by Dr. Guerdat in several university courses during the reporting cycle. Research results were also reported via posters and oral presentations at two different industry conferences to growers and academic researchers. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?For the next reporting cycle (the final year of project funding), the microbial digestion and fish physiological research projects will be finalized and written up as master's theses. Additional research for the strawberry and lettuce research will be conducted developing estimates on nutrient uptake requirements for the crops in an effort to develop balanced system designs for fish and plants. The nutrient, water, and energy balance model developed with the environmental engineering students will be used to develop a complete enterprise budget for coupled aquaponic systems based on the empirical data developed in the research facilities.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Aquaponics, the integration of aquaculture and hydroponics, has gained increasing attention in the last decade. Aquaponics offers the opportunity for sustainable, localized, efficient production of healthy foods (fish and vegetables). The hydroponic growing of plant and vegetables utilizes the nutrient-rich water from finfish aquaculture systems to create a value-added product to commercial fish culture. Indoor aquaponic production offers the opportunity for controlled environmental and biosecure growing conditions and provides for the safety, supply, and quality for year-round production. While aquaponics has been vetted heuristically, few sound systems engineering principles have been applied to existing designs. Applying system engineering principles in the design and management of a recirculating aquaponic system will provide balanced production for both the fish and plant systems. The overall goal of this research is to establish the design parameters, from an engineering and production perspective, for a recirculating aquaponic system (RAS). The project will characterize the processes critical to the integration of two traditionally separate production systems - RAS and a hydroponic plant production system. OBJECTIVE #1: NUTRIENT PROFILE CHARACTERIZATION IN TERMS OF PLANT-AVAILABLE MACRO- AND MICRO-NUTRIENTS REQUIRED FOR HYDROPONIC PLANT PRODUCTION. Research was conducted for this reporting cycle on the nutrient production from rainbow trout and brown trout as compared to tilapia. This research also included a new research focus dedicated to Objective #1: Effects of potassium on rainbow trout. Rainbow trout have been shown to experience toxic effects from potassium in recirculating aquaculture systems, and the manipulation of the fish rearing environment to suit plant requirements included potassium supplementation. Thus, nutrient production from trout was studied in the solid waste stream, and deleterious effects of potassium was conducted to understand lethal and sublethal concentrations. Sublethal potassium effects will be reported in the next reporting cycle. The physiological research was conducted by Mr. Ashutosh Rao, a MS student in the Marine Biology grautae program. OBJECTIVE #2: CAPTURE AND TREAT WASTE SLUDGE FROM RECIRCULATING AQUACULTURE SYSTEMS FOR THE EXTRACTION OF PLANT-REQUIRED NUTRIENTS. Anaerobic and aerobic microbial digestion of the solid wastes from recirculating aquaculture systems rearing rainbow trout was analyzed in this reporting cycle. This research aimed to characterize the rate of mineralization and nutrient solubilization (dissolution) as a function of microbial activity (aerobic and anaerobic) under controlled pH conditions. This research was started during this reporting cycle and results will be reported in the next reporting cycle. The research was conducted by Mr. Joseph Tetreault, a MS student in the UNH Agriculture, Nutrition, and Food Systems graduate program (Agricultural Sciences). OBJECTIVE #3: QUANTIFY PLANT-NUTRIENT UPTAKE RATE. Ongoing nutrient uptake research for the lettuce grown in the Kingman greenhouses is conducted weekly, quantifying a year of growth rates and nutrient assimilation (tissue) analysis. The ongoing lettuce nutrient uptake research was conducted by MS student Mr. Alexander Sitek in the Biological Sciences graduate program (Integrative and Organismal Biology). Research was conducted using strawberries with a preliminary nutrient mass balance conducted by MS student Ms. Anna DeVitto, a MS graduate student in the Agriculture, Nutrition, and Food Systems graduate program (Agricultural Sciences). Lettuce nutrient uptake research was also conducted to assess the effects of sodium (from fish feed) and potassium (provided via supplementation) on lettuce growth and head size. This research is being conducted by Mr. Tetreault also. CHANGE IN KNOWLEDGE: Data from the rainbow trout and tilapia nutrient production research show that all nutrients required for hydroponic production are present in both waste streams, however, each waste stream is characteristically different in nutrient quantities and organic carbon. The nutrient profile from tilapia is different from rainbow trout, due in part to the feed nutrient profiles and the gut physiology of the fish. Results are still being analyzed and will be reported in the next reporting cycle. Microbial solid waste digestion research has shown that plant-available nutrient mass may be increased using both aerobic and anaerobic digestion processes. Results will be presented in the next reporting cycle. The results to date from the research have been used to develop a comprehensive nutrient, water, and energy balance spreadsheet model complete with a break-even economic analysis. This comprehensive model won first prize at the UNH Engineering Undergraduate Research Conference for Sustainability. The model predicts crop yield, nitrogen production and assimilation, and water/electricity/propane consumption for a coupled aquaponic greenhouse in the Northeast. The model was developed by 5 UNH undergraduate Environmental Engineering students as part of the CEE 797/798 Project Planning and Design course, as a 2-semester course where students work in teams to develop engineering solutions for large-scale problems. The model will be used by extension professionals and growers to estimate revenue and determine crop production estimates.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Kalmbach, D., Guerdat, T., 2019. Rainbow Trout Aquaculture Digestor. UNH Undergraduate Research Conference, April 2018. CEPS: Environmental Engineering. Poster.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Guerdat, T., DeVitto, A., Mattson, N., 2019. Integrating Aquaculture with Year-Round Organic Strawberry Production In The Northeast. Aquaculture America, World Aquaculture Society Triennial conference, New Orleans, LA, March 2019.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Guerdat, T., Tetreault, J., Timmons, M., 2019. Optimizing Recirculating Aquaculture Waste Sludge Nutrient Solubilization For Improved Nutrient Use Efficiency in Integrated Aquaculture Farming Systems. Aquaculture America, World Aquaculture Society Triennial conference, New Orleans, LA, March 2019.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Guerdat, T., DeVitto, A., 2019. Moving toward organic, year-round strawberry production in the Northeast. North American Strawberry Growers Association conference, Orlando, FL, February 2019.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
DeVitto, A., Poleatewich, A., Guerdat, T., 2019. Optimizing Day Neutral Strawberry Production in Controlled Environment Agriculture Systems. North American Strawberry Growers Association conference, Orlando, FL, February 2019. Poster.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Rao, A., Guerdat, T., 2019. Determining the Nutrient Production Rate of Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) Grown in Recirculating Aquaculture Systems. UNH Undergraduate Research Conference, April 2019. COLSA: Biological Sciences. Poster.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Nedyalkov, I., Guerdat, T., Thomas, H., & Coombs, D., 2018. Experimental Study of Flows in Fish Tanks for Aquaponic Systems. Bulletin of the American Physical Society, 63 (13).
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Progress 10/01/17 to 09/30/18
Outputs
Target Audience:Production of food using aquaponic systems spans a broad audience from private hobbyists to cooperative farm groups, high school teachers and classes, research institutions, and private entrepreneurs. Public interest in this research has drawn in a wide variety of demographic groups. The audience with the most number of people with whom I have interfaced as a result of this research was the grade school students and teachers (more than 100 people over the current reporting period, similar to the previous reporting year). The audience requiring the most amount of interfacing time was the private growers/entrepreneurs. However, the target audience for this research is mostly focused on the entrepreneurs. We have also seen a dramatic increase in requests for collaboration from other universities, and we are currently working on funding streams to facilitate collaborative research efforts. News agencies have also requested a great deal of information and have published many articles about aquaponic research. Much of the time spent with members of the public was in individual informal community seminars where the discussion was coupled with a facility tour for a demonstration. Three new greenhouse research facilities have been constructed to support this research and were brought online to full operation during the reporting period. These greenhouses are prominently located near a busy road and many visitors will come to learn more about the facilities and research. The research project was presented at the first aquaponic-specific conference in September 2018. Teaching in the form of seminars and guest lectures was the primary mode for public interaction with high school groups and UNH students. The teaching that addressed this research was presented in the Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems course that I teach, Urban Agriculture (SAFS 632), along with several guest lectures. The high school groups were mostly seminars hosted on site. Site visits and hosted one-on-one discussions were the primary modes for reaching the NH and VT producers/entrepreneurs. This group received more time in our research discussions this year than last with site visits for system assessment and troubleshooting, estimations for ways in which processes may be improved, and planning research objectives as the new facilities became operational. Changes/Problems:The transfer from the UNH Macfarlane research greenhouse complex to the UNH Kingman greenhouse facilities impacted the progress of the research. With nearly 1 year dedicated to the complete construction of the three new research facilities and the early termination of the Macfarlane research, the data needed for current publications is incomplete. With the completion of the new research facilities within the reporting cycle, the future research opportunities have been restored and research will resume once the facilities are deemed to be operating at 'steady state' production. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?This research supported one-on-one mentorships between the PI, Dr. Todd Guerdat, and three undergraduate students working on characterizing waste nutrient production from rainbow trout (as compared to tilapia), nutrient uptake in tomatoes for application with the treated waste from aquaculture systems and treating waste sludge from tilapia production for the development of hydroponic fertilizers, respectively. This project is also used in demonstrations for classes coming to visit the research facilities. Three classes at UNH and 1 class from the neighboring Great Bay Community College toured and learned about the recirculating aquaculture facility and the greenhouse systems (both at the UNH Macfarlane complex and the new UNH Kingman Farm facility. This research also supported a collaborative UNH/Community event, UNH Fillet Day, where 1000 lbs of tilapia were harvested from the AFAIR lab. The fish were filleted at the UNH Thompson School in conjunction with the culinary program, administered by Julienne Guyette, and a local seafood processor, Seaport Fish in Rye, NH (Rich Pettigrew). Some of the fillets were used to make fish tacos by the culinary program students. The remaining fillets were sent to the New Hampshire Food Bank for use in the commercial kitchen operation where whole meals are prepared regularly for families in need. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Research knowledge has been disseminated via conference presentations, online media publications (email list mailings from the NHAES, UNH media, and outside news organizations), and independent seminars. Independent outreach meetings have been conducted with groups not typically aware of the conferences and seminars. A list of the groups is available below. • Ashutosh Rao studied rainbow trout nutrient production and presented his poster at the UNH Undergraduate Research Symposium •Danielle Kalmbach studied aquaculture waste sludge treatment and presented her poster at the UNH Undergraduate Research Symposium •Donations of lettuce to the St. Vincent de Paul of Exeter food pantry (~4500 heads of lettuce) •Fillet Day - a community/university collaborative event where fish were harvested, filleted, cooked, and packaged up for use by the New Hampshire Food Bank. •Four Seasons Aquaponics in Wilton, NH: Farmer assistance in the form of system analysis, operation and production diagnosis, and recommendations for improving productivity with great success. Fish donations from the Hatch research. •Victory Aquaponics in Londonderry, NH: Farmer assistance in the form of system analysis, operation and production diagnosis, and recommendations for improving productivity. Fish donations from the Hatch research •Urban Agriculture course (SAFS 632): Courses taught and provided detailed descriptions of design concepts and tours of the facility. Students also worked with the fish and plants for hands-on learning demonstrations •Independent facility tours - approximately 60 people between the ages of 10-70 have been provided with tours of the facilities describing the processes and research. • New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station (NHAES) advisory council annual meeting. Approximately 10 industry members serving on the NHAES advisory council, and several accompanying employees, were provided with an in-depth tour and explanation of the facilities, research, and results to date. •Lettuce donations to the UNH Dining Services are now providing students with an education in the type of research being conducted on campus and facilitating new research opportunities as a result with interested students seeking participation opportunities in the research. •Scientific research and industry conference presentation at the 2018 Aquaponics Association conference. •Poster presentation at the UNH Undergraduate Research Conference on rainbow trout waste sludge treatment. Environmental Engineering section. •Poster presentation at the UNH Undergraduate Research Conference on rainbow trout nutrient production from recirculating aquaculture systems. Biological Sciences section. •Poster presentation at the UNH Undergraduate Research Conference on computational fluid dynamics in non-circular vessels for application in recirculating aquaculture systems. Mechanical Engineering section. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Research relating to the Hatch project will continue at the UNH AFAIR lab (recirculating aquaculture research facility) studying waste nutrient production and treatment. Species to be studied will be tilapia, brown trout, rainbow trout, and striped bass. Waste sludge capture, treatment, and utilization studies will determine the potential and viability for use as hydroponic crop fertilizer application. The research will also focus on the physiological effects on the fish due to system management strategies requires to facilitate nutrient capture and reuse. Research will begin at the UNH Kingman Farm aquaponic greenhouses evaluating the nutrient uptake rate, and nutrient requirements for different hydroponic crops under actual operating conditions. Nutrient uptake models will be developed for lettuce first and used as a framework for new hydroponic crops. Characterization of the nutrients in solution available (and not available) to the plant will be used to determine limiting conditions for crop production. The results of the fish waste sludge research will potentially be applied at the Kingman Farm facility based on the research progress made during the reporting cycle. Manuscripts relating to the initial nutrient mass balance research will be developed and submitted for publication. These data will be analyzed and characterized for relevant application to future research needs as well as industry requirements for scaling current designs.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The overall goal of this research is to establish design parameters, from an engineering perspective, for the development of an integrated, recirculating aquaponic system. The proposed project will characterize the processes critical to the integration of two traditionally separate production systems - a recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) and a hydroponic plant production system.This goal forms the foundation for the development of an economically sustainable, small and mid-size agricultural-based production model that can improve small, rural farming practices and form the basis for sustainable urban agriculture as well. OBJECTIVE #1: NUTRIENT PROFILE CHARACTERIZATION IN TERMS OF PLANT-AVAILABLE MACRO- AND MICRO-NUTRIENTS REQUIRED FOR HYDROPONIC PLANT PRODUCTION. To analyze the nutrient use/production, we first carefully measured all nutrient inputs and outputs (feed and other additives) to ensure proper tracking of nutrient flows into/out of the systems. Data were collected and analyzed to first characterize the differences in dissolved nutrients for fish fed one of three different protein content feeds. The results showed no significant difference between the feeds. This result will prevent producers from mistakenly selecting a 'premium' feed for the sake of improving nutrient profiles in the water. Following studies were conducted to develop nutrient profiles for a single feed which was representative of a commercially-fed diet in actual production systems. We have successfully characterized our nutrient production from the fish in terms of what plants need for growth in hydroponic systems. We are currently working on analyzing the data such that a detailed accounting of nutrient flow can be presented. We are working to establish whether nutrients from the feed are dissolved into the water, go into the solid waste stream, or are assimilated into the fish tissue. This analysis will serve as the basis for our MS graduate research assistant, Mr. Alex Sitek. OBJECTIVE #2: CAPTURE AND TREAT WASTE SLUDGE FROM RECIRCULATING AQUACULTURE SYSTEMS FOR THE EXTRACTION OF PLANT-REQUIRED NUTRIENTS. During the summer of 2018, we hosted a visiting Master of Engineering (Meng) student from Cornell University from the Biological and Environmental Engineering Department, Alexis Weaver. She worked in conjunction with a graduating senior from UNH in the Environmental Engineering Dept., Danielle Kalmbach. Together they collected waste sludge from the recirculating aquaculture systems growing rainbow trout, and then from tilapia systems. They analyzed the nutrients and then performed some preliminary research to determine the best ways to treat the waste for creating a fertilizer for hydroponic crops. Their research is being used as a preliminary test for the upcoming MS graduate research. Beginning in Fall 2018, Joseph Tetreault has started working on his MS graduate research which will specifically work to treat aquaculture wastes and make a nutrient solution (fertilizer) that will be used to grow higher-value hydroponic crops. His work has been only preliminary in the context of this reporting cycle but will be moving quickly in the next reporting cycle. OBJECTIVE #3: QUANTIFY PLANT-NUTRIENT UPTAKE RATE. In the previous reporting period, research activity was affected mid-reporting cycle as a system component (water refill valve) malfunctioned and flushed out an entire system's worth of nutrient-laden water. The time required to bring the system back online was determined to be over 3 months. When the system reached steady state production and conditions were suitable for research to resume (end of previous reporting cycle), the facility space availability was subsequently transferred to a new faculty member and the nutrient uptake research was terminated (this current reporting cycle). Following the termination of the nutrient uptake research, the research facility located at the UNH Macfarlane greenhouses was disassembled and supplies transferred to a new site where construction began for the creation of three new research facilities at the UNH Kingman Farm. Three new greenhouses were constructed in the Spring of 2017 and transferred to Dr. Guerdat in the Fall of 2017 for continuing aquaponic research. System construction began immediately and was completed in September 2018, just prior to the end of this reporting cycle. During that time three identical farms (one per greenhouse) were constructed at the 'farm-scale' for greater research capacity and more relevant applicability to industry. These systems will serve as the basis for more detailed whole-plant nutrient uptake research under actual growing conditions. CHANGE IN KNOWLEDGE: To date, data collected for the first year of this research have shown that feed selection is not as critical when considering the protein content of the feed. This is an important choice for producers and will affect the feed choices for producers. The nutrient research has also identified where the nutrients end up post-feeding to fish. This provides a greater understanding of where to focus research next in terms of optimizing nutrient availability to plant production. Additionally, experience growing the plants under actual aquaponic conditions (coupled - fish and plants share the same treated water source), we now have a solid understanding of the operating conditions (water quality parameters) required to meet the needs of hydroponic crops grown under aquaponic conditions such that we can attain yields commensurate with industry expectations and in the reported literature. This relates not only to water quality parameters, but also cultivar selection and feeding impacts.
Publications
- Type:
Books
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Timmons, M.B., Guerdat, T., Vinci, B.J. 2018. Recirculating Aquaculture (4th edition). Ithaca Publishing Company, Ithaca, NY, USA. 775 p.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Sitek, A., Guerdat, T.C., 2018. Rethinking RAS: developing nutrient balance within recirculating aquaponic systems. Proceedings for the Aquaculture America, World Aquaculture Society conference, Las Vegas, NV.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Kalmbach, D., Guerdat, T., 2018. Rainbow Trout Aquaculture Digestor. UNH Undergraduate Research Conference, April 2018. Poster.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Rao, A., Guerdat, T., 2018. Determining the Nutrient Production Rate of Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) Grown in Recirculating Aquaculture Systems. UNH Undergraduate Research Conference, April 2018. Poster.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Coombs, D., Thomas, H., Nedyalkov, I., Guerdat, T., 2018. Project OASIS: Optimizing Aquaponic Systems to Improve Sustainability. UNH Undergraduate Research Conference, April 2018. Mechanical Engineering. Poster.
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Progress 10/01/16 to 09/30/17
Outputs
Target Audience:Production of food using aquaponic systems spans a broad audience from private hobbyists to cooperative farm groups, high school teacher and classes, college classes and private entrepreneurs. As such, the public interest in this research has drawn in a variety of demographic groups. The audience with the most number of people with whom I have interfaced as a result of this research was the high school student and teacher group (100+ people over the reporting period). The audience requiring the most amount of interfacing time was the private growers/entrepreneurs. However, the target audience for this research is mostly focused on the entrepreneurs. Much of the time spent with members of the public was in individual informal community seminars where the discussion was coupled with a facility tour for demonstration. However, the UNH Macfarlane greenhouse open house (April 1, 2017) drew in the most number of people, totaling in the hundreds, as we presented a workshop for kids 18 and younger and hosted talks and tours at the greenhouse facility for the duration of the weekend. One conference at which the research was presented was targeted toward the University business service center members at their annual conference hosted in Portsmouth, NH. Teaching in the form of seminars and guest lectures was the primary mode for public interaction with high school groups and UNH students, and one public question and answer seminar that was organized and televised through the Concord Monitor and NHPTV. The teaching that addressed this research was presented in two Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems courses that I teach, Urban Agriculture (SAFS 632) and Agricultural Waste Management (SAFS729). The high school groups were mostly seminars hosted on site, with a few exceptions of site visits for invited speaking. A seminar was also presented to the food safety inspectors of New Hampshire for the NH Health and Human Services Department. Site visits and hosted one-on-one discussions with NH producers/entrepreneurs is the last audience group, where interaction is a combination of research discussion, site visits for system assessment and troubleshooting, and estimations for ways in which processes may be improved. Changes/Problems:There is only one major change, relating to location of research, anticipated for the second reporting cycle that will affect the Hatch research. The research aquaponic system in the UNH Macfarlane greenhouse facility will be moved during the next reporting cycle. This will require a complete shut down, construction of new facility at UNH Kingman Farm, and restarting of the research. This process will likely take half of the reporting cycle to complete. The goal will be back in fully operational mode by the summer. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?This research supported one-on-one mentorships between the PI, Dr. Todd Guerdat, and three undergraduate students conducting independent research projects. The three students studied: nutrient content in lettuce plant tissue, aquaculture waste sludge treatment, and lettuce variety selection for aquaponic crop production. The PI also mentored one graduate student in engineering principals and aquaponics research. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Research knowledge has been disseminated via conference presentations, online media publications (email communications from the NHAES), and independent seminars, primarily. Independent outreach meetings have been conducted with groups not typically aware of the conferences and seminars. A list of the groups is available below. Chester Academy: Engineering+ high school students; Karen Lacroix brought a group of students to the Macfarlane open house to discuss aquaponics, April 1, 2017 Dover High school: Fish donated for dissections, Kiley Hemphill, harvest in May 2017 Concord Monitor: Special issues forum, public Q&A session, promoted online and televised on NHPTV, David Brooks was the coordinator. Presented with Bob Ladue from lef Farms in Louden, NH. 10/2016 NEMO conference: Northeast Management Officers Conference, presented in Portsmouth, NH on the Hatch project to a group of business administrators, some of which were from UNH who manage the grants and funding and accounts for the Hatch research NHPTV: Several interviews were conducted with NHPTV for broadcast as part of their Planet Granite Program. The story was never aired due to poor lighting and too much background noise as part of the greenhouse environment Portsmouth High School: Senior students raised $ to purchase and construct an aquaponic system at PHS. These high school students visited and planned and worked to develop a plan to get a system running at the high school working with Kimberly McGlinchey, Life Science Teacher at PHS Mikala Little, a UNH SAFS graduating senior presented her work with the aquaponic research systems at the SAFS Senior Showcase Donations of lettuce and tilapia to 20+ community members, the Nottingham Food Pantry (~200 heads of lettuce), and St. Vincent de Paul of Exeter food pantry (~5000 heads of lettuce) Four Seasons Aquaponics in Wilton, NH: Farmer assistance in the form of system analysis, operation and production diagnosis, and recommendations for improving productivity with great success. Fish donations from the Hatch research. Victory Aquaponics in Londonderry, NH: Farmer assistance in the form of system analysis, operation and production diagnosis, and recommendations for improving productivity. Fish donations from the Hatch research NH Health and Human Services, Food Safety presentation on aquaponic system design and operation, Q&A with the director and all self-inspecting counties in NH Spaulding High School: Provide consultation and design services for aquaponic system design and construction at SHS. Also presented the Hatch research design to an Environmental Science class at SHS SAFS 729, SAFS 632: Courses taught and provided detailed descriptions of design concepts and tours of the facility. Students also worked with the fish and plants for hands-on learning demonstrations What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?The aquaculture research will continue to be conducted in the fish rearing facility. There, nutrient production research will focus on the operation of the research systems under actual production conditions mimicking industry practices. Nutrient data will be collected characterizations of the dissolved and sludge-based nutrients will be developed. Waste treatment research will continue with ranging studies in the beginning part of the reporting cycle, and intensive analysis will be conducted starting at the end of the cycle as an environmental engineering masters student will be recruited for work in the research. Research efforts will be focused on completing the plant production research in the Macfarlane research (only 2 months of available time is allotted for this project in the facility as a new researcher was been allocated the space). This will not allow for enough time to complete the plant production research, so new facilities will be constructed to support this research. The new facilities are three new, stand-alone greenhouses where larger-scale research may be conducted. These facilities will support the plant production and nutrient uptake research.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
OBJECTIVE #1: NUTRIENT PROFILE CHARACTERIZATION IN TERMS OF PLANT-AVAILABLE MACRO- AND MICRO-NUTRIENTS REQUIRED FOR HYDROPONIC PLANT PRODUCTION. Water quality analyses have been conducted to profile the nutrients (e.g. N, P, K, etc.) dissolved in the water in recirculating aquaculture systems. Careful accounting of all inputs and outputs have been conducted to ensure proper tracking of nutrient flows into/out of the systems. Data were collected and analyzed to first characterize the differences in dissolved nutrients for fish fed one of three different protein content feeds. The results showed no significant difference between the feeds. This result will prevent producers from mistakenly selecting a 'premium' feed for the sake of improving nutrient profiles in the water. Following studies were conducted to develop nutrient profiles for a single feed which was representative of a commercially-fed diet in actual production systems. The data analysis and collection are currently ongoing. OBJECTIVE #2: CAPTURE AND TREAT WASTE SLUDGE FROM RECIRCULATING AQUACULTURE SYSTEMS FOR THE EXTRACTION OF PLANT-REQUIRED NUTRIENTS. Waste sludge from recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) was collected and nutrient analyses conducted. Preliminary ranging studies have been conducted to determine operating condition requirements for aerobic and anaerobic treatment to extract nutrients from the solid waste. Research is ongoing and data were collected during the reporting period. OBJECTIVE #3: QUANTIFY PLANT-NUTRIENT UPTAKE RATE. For the reporting period, research systems were constructed and brought online slowly. Much of the time was spent identifying a target variety of lettuce to use initially. After one variety was selected, protocols were developed per the research. The variety was subsequently determined to be an inappropriate candidate as the variability was too great in germination rate, size, and growth rate between plants. As such, a new variety was selected following suggestions from hydroponic producers, and research protocols finalized. Research was conducted with data collection, however mid-reporting cycle a system component (water refill valve) malfunctioned and flushed out one entire system's worth of nutrient laden water. The time required to bring the system back online was determined to be 2.5 months. When the system reached steady state production suitable for research resuming, the facility space availability was transferred (to be terminated shortly after this reporting cycle). For the duration of this reporting cycle research was resumed and data were collected. Further data collection and analysis are ongoing. CHANGE IN KNOWLEDGE: To date, data collected for the first year of this research have shown that feed selection is not as critical when considering the protein content of the feed. This is an important choice for producers and will affect the feed choices for producers.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2017
Citation:
Nedyalkov, I., and Guerdat, T.C., 2017. Numerical and Experimental Investigation of Flow in Fish Tanks for Small-Scale Aquaponic Systems. Proceedings of the 2017 ASME Fluids Engineering Division Meeting, Paper FED2017-69395.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2017
Citation:
Sitek, A.J., Guerdat, T.C., 2017. Characterization of plant-available nutrient production in recirculating aquaculture system culture and effluent streams for use in integrated aquaculture farming systems (IAFS). Proceedings for the Aquaculture America, World Aquaculture Society conference, San Antonio, TX. Abstract 147
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