Progress 06/01/18 to 05/31/23
Outputs
Target Audience: Throughout the study, a variety of target audiences were engaged. The public, educational, Extension, and small farmer target audiences were engaged in the system design and research information dissemination. During construction of the replicated farm-scale research facilities, regional growers in New Hampshire and Vermont and researchers from Cornell University were engaged in system design decisions to ensure appropriate architecture and relevancy for practical applicability of research. When construction was completed, numerous facility tours were provided to the public, Extension professionals, members of the press/media, high school students, university students, and university administrators, as well as a one 3rdgrade class from Berwick Academy (Berwick, ME) visited the research facilities for a half-day tour and educational seminar. A new combined undergraduate and graduate-level course called Aquaponics (SAFS 740 / ANFS 840) was offered to undergraduate and graduate enrollees for the first two years of the project and provided lecture-based education and hands-on experience working in the research facilities. Groups of senior Environmental Engineering students did independent studies during the first two years to analyze and model the facility's water, nitrogen, and energy consumption. The results of the student work were used to inform researchers, growers, and Extension professionals in estimating nutrient, water, and energy consumption requirements for facilities of different size/scale. On-site aquaponics workshops were delivered including a 3-day hands-on, experiential workshop at the UNH Kingman Farm Aquaponic Research Greenhouses and participants included members from private industry (manufacturing, production, controlled environment agriculture), academic (high school, undergraduate, and graduate students), and policy and outreach (Extension, FDA, USDA). Once the replicated farm-scale research facilities were standardized, intensive study was conducted on the operational inputs and outputs as part of seven MS graduate students, several teams of undergraduate environmental engineering and microbiology students, and one undergraduate business administration student. Collaborators from UNH and Cornell University were engaged in system operational parameters for practical applicability of research. Numerous facility tours were provided to the public, Extension professionals, members of the press/media, high school students, university students, and university administrators. An Aquaponics Principles and Practices Workshop was delivered in the days prior to the Aquaculture America conference in 2020. The timing of restricted public access everywhere due to the COVID-19 pandemic coincided with the departure of PI Guerdat from UNH to pursue a new career path, which also precipitated the closure and dismantling of the aquaponics research facility. Thereafter, facility tours, on-site workshops and interactions with recipients of the food products ceased, while our target audiences were reached through virtual versions of formal classroom and laboratory instruction and virtual seminars to the public and UNH faculty and students.As project goals were accomplished or restructured due to the research facility closure, the main target audiences shifted to being other researchers, collaborators and potential practitioners of aquaponics for food production, and food safety professionals. Other target audiences included graduate and undergraduate students, and food safety professionals who attended a webinar at an international conference. Our target audiences were reached through formal classroom and laboratory instruction, virtual seminars to the public and UNH and Univ. of Illinois faculty and students, and conferees at an international food safety conference.Results of the recently completed consumer survey will result ina peer reviewed paperin a consumer or environmentaleconomics journal, with the audience being economists and growers involved in using aquaponic and hydroponic systems. Educational products have targetedthe industries, extension agents, researchers, and regulatory partners that support, as well asas well as consumers who are being informed about food source choices related to,the growing portion of US agriculture that is done in controlled environments. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Three graduate students conducting master's degree research in Agricultural Sciences were supported by the project. Two other graduate students worked toward a PhD in Natural Resources and Earth Systems science and a master's degree in Natural Resources and the Environment, all at UNH, during the study. The three Agricultural Sciences graduate students completed their thesis research, wrote theses, successfully defended their thesis work and graduated with master's degrees, while the two students in the Natural Resources programs continue with their graduate work. COVID-19 restrictions placed on operations at the University of New Hampshire initially created delays and students solely focused on their academic coursework and some laboratory research. Some restrictions continued but to a lesser in degree during 2020 and eventually dissipated during 2021, so student research with the research facility was again possible until it was dismantled, while others returned to full access in laboratories and with data analysis.Graduate students and one senior undergraduate student who worked in the aquaponics facilitywere trained by Dr. Guerdat in the operation and maintenance of the research facilities. Each graduate student also played a supervisory role in the management of the facility. All the graduate students generated abundant data for many dimensions of the project and facility operations that they were trained by faculty mentors and project collaborators to analyze and interpret. The graduate students were able to work with their thesis committees to improve writing and understanding of their fields of research, present their findings at departmental seminars, finish their theses with public defense presentations, and they eventually published peer-reviewed papers. The graduate students were also partially supported by UNH funds that allowed them to train as teaching assistants in UNH undergraduate classes. There were several groups of undergraduate students who were supported to help conduct facility-related research and related laboratory research and data analysis and interpretation. Undergraduate and graduate-level students were also trained through a course called Aquaponics (SAFS 740 / ANFS 840) that was offered the first two project years and were provided lecture-based education and hands-on experience working in the research facilities. Non-students from the public to other research scientists were trained through several workshops and through other non-academic based training activities. Some of the graduate students continue with work that relates directly to the project goals and activities. The research experience Sean Fogarty gained as part of his project-supported MS thesis research work based at the UNH Aquaponics facility has uniquely prepared him to contribute meaningfully to several ongoing efforts outside of this project, including to help initiate a USDA Food Safety Outreach Program funded (USDA-NIFA-FSMA-2018-70020-28878) to create aneducational curriculum for produce safety in hydroponic and aquaponic operations and an improved version of the Produce Safety Alliance Grower Training required of all covered produce farms. Products include 5 factsheets related to produce safety in hydroponics and aquaponics operations at the Northeast Center to Advance Food Safety, Univ. of VermontExtension. He has also helped to initiate an FDA-funded Produce Safety Research Consortium coordinates on-farm surveillance sampling and analysis for a suite of pathogens and indicators across multiple states. Again, the research experience Fogarty gained as part of his master's research and the Kingman Farm project uniquely prepared him to contribute meaningfully to this project, which will serve as a model for future regional and national on-farm sampling programs. Joseph Tetreault also continues to use the training he gained as a graduate student who conducted his MS research work at the UN aquaponics facility to continue research as a Research Scientist focused on Controlled Environment Agriculture at Harrisburg University. Project-supported graduate students Muhammad Jawad Khan and Khashi Ghorbani, who have not yet finished their graduate studies, have recently received training in survey development and choice experiment design as part of their UNH Curricular Practical Training. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Station were conducted during the first two years before the facility was closed and dismantled. The audiences for the tours included other researchers, Extension professionals, school children, UNH alumni, and the public.Workshops were another mechanism for disseminating results.The first workshop was conducted in June 2019 as a hands-on, three-day aquaponics workshop hosted at the Kingman Farm AES, research data and operational guidelines were presented for aquaponic practitioners. Workshop participants walked away with knowledge and resources that will help them to operate aquaponic systems that are safe, sustainable, and profitable.The second workshop was conducted in February 2020 in Honolulu, HI as a prelude to the Aquaculture America conference. System engineering, operation, and environmental control data were presented. Food safety and waste treatment research were also discussed and research to date presented to participants. The Covid 19 pandemic and associated restrictions of in-person contact, plus the dismantlement of the research facility during this reporting period restricted the opportunities to conduct facility tours, workshops, attend conferences, and to present findings beyond some virtual presentations. Our target audiences during the pandemic were reached through formal/virtual classroom and laboratory instruction and virtual seminars to the public and UNH faculty and students. Dissemination of results continued to occur in UNHclassrooms and in student research seminars, where fellow faculty, other students, and interested non-UNH attendees could hear updates about ongoing research. Through non-academic educational efforts and a consumer survey, we reached out to industries, extension agents, researchers, and regulatory partners that support, as well asas well as consumers who are being informed about food source choices related to,the growing portion of US agriculture that is done in controlled environments.Conferences were a key mechanism for disseminating results, as they are effective ways to do this to reach other researchers with related interests, students, producers and policy makers on local to international scales.Presentations (oral and poster) were delivered at several national and internationally attended conferences including the World Aquaculture Society Triennial meeting in New Orleans, LA, the Aquaponics Association meeting in Hartford, CT, the North American Strawberry Growers Association meeting in Orlando, FL, the World Aquaculture Society Aquaculture America meeting in Honolulu, HI, the annual FDA Food Safety meeting in Portsmouth, NH, the North Central Regional Aquaculture Center's annual conference in Columbus, OH, and the annual International Foundation for Food Protection conference in April 2022 via a webinar where a graduate student Sean Fogarty was a presenter and a panelist. Finally, peer-reviewed papers were the ultimate dissemination mechanism for the widest potential distribution. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The accomplishments for early project years related to design and construction efforts to bring the research facilities online for operation and testing. The project focused on the two economically viable, and commonly practiced forms of integration: coupled and decoupled aquaponics, each posing different challenges to producers. The research systems were unique as the system design was based on meeting the needs of fish and plants through water treatment to facilitate food safety for consumers and producers. The research systems were based on large-scale RAS water and wastewater treatment designs for scalability and to facilitate optimal water quality and quick adoption by existing industry practitioners. Wastes from each production "unit process" were channeled through water and wastewater treatment systems first such that all water delivered to the fish and plants was considered "treated". Midway through the project, significant changes occurred (dismantled research facility, Covid-19 restrictions, changes in PIs), and project activities shifted to data analysis and interpretation, training students, presentations and writing papers and theses, with a major focus on the economic studies. Objective #1 Construction of 3 farm-scale research greenhouses was completed and the fish production system was initiated to establish nutrient concentrations and proportions needed prior to introducing lettuce plants, which were introduced once systems became operational. Operational data collected on energy and water consumption, water quality analysis, fish production, and plant yield were used to validate the system design assumptions and adjust operational parameters to obtain steady state operating conditions for replicated, farm-scale research. Intensive operational data successfully supported multiple research objectives. In the third year the facility was dismantled, so activities became focused on analysis and interpretation of collected operational data. Results showed relatively stable, steady-state operational and water quality conditions after an initial stabilization and adjustment period with some fluctuations due to ambient climatic conditions. There were successful fish production and plant yields, with healthy lettuce and low mortality of tilapia. Graduate student theses, scientific papers, and other extension writings for describing the findings to different potential users and interested parties were published. Objective #2 A master's level graduate student conducted waste treatment research using aquaculture wastewater to develop fertilizer solutions for use in hydroponic cropping systems. Initial nutrient analyses were conducted on rainbow trout and tilapia feed and solid effluent to determine profiles of mineralized nutrients in untreated waste, followed by experiments using different microbial digestion conditions to solubilize and optimize the solid fish waste for use as a hydroponic fertilizer solution. Lab-scale bioreactors (10 & 20 L) were used to run tests for determining the degree of solubilization achieved under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Data collected to determine the degree of solubilization included: total suspended solids, total dissolved solids, electrical conductivity, and nutrient concentrations in solid and liquid waste fractions. Results showed that anaerobic treatment is an effective method to mineralize particulate-bound nutrients in RAS effluent and the mineralization rate data may be used to design pilot-scaled flow-through RAS effluent treatment systems. Aerobic mineralization in experimental batch reactors can also effectively reduce particulate-bound solids and solubilize nutrients to increase plant utilization in RAS effluent. Anaerobic treatment resulted in greater removal of suspended solids, while aerobic treatment resulted in a greater removal of organic carbon. The overall results set up future development of two-stage effluent treatment systems employing both anaerobic and aerobic treatment processes. Final accomplishments included the publication of two peer-reviewed papers on the two different effluent treatment approaches to optimize use waste as plant fertilizer. Objective #3 A master's level graduate student conducted microbiological and food safety research. Initial screenings for microbial water quality in the aquaponic systems showed no positive results for Escherichia coli in water from all components of the aquaponic systems indicating that the system design and management, worker hygiene and water treatment processes successfully prevented fecal contamination. Relative pathogen abundance and potential food safety concerns were evaluated using both bacterial culture and DNA analysis of research system water. Bacterial culture analysis focused on bacteria of primary food safety concern, includingSalmonella spp.,Listeria spp., andE. coli. The results validated the UNH KFRAG system design and operational protocols in relation to the microbial water quality requirements for BSAAO treatment processes, as target bacteria were not detected. Microbial community analysis results complimented bacterial culture analyses by showing only rare sequencing DNA-based evidence of the presence in different parts of the aquaponics system of primary food safety bacteria and an array of bacterial taxa not considered to be primary food safety concerns. Microbial community analyses are still underway, but all findings support the notion that productive, healthy and well-run aquaponics systems can maintain water quality and environmental conditions that meet requirements and produce food that is safe for human consumption. Objective #4 A master's level graduate student evaluated plant disease proregression in hydroponic systems using nutrients from several research systems. A small-scale greenhouse experimental system was constructed to compare decoupled and hydroponic nutrient solutions and to identify a Pythium spp. isolate and inoculum concentration leading to moderate root rot of strawberry cv Albion using a growth chamber assay system to complement greenhouse experiments. Plants irrigated with unamended aquaponic solution exhibited lower growth than those irrigated with an unamended synthetic solution due to the optimization of the synthetic solution for soilless strawberries. There were no differences between the two nutrient solutions in terms of suppression of root rot or in the composition of the microbial community. The impact of these findings helps to increase knowledge about re-use of agricultural and organic wastes as fertilizers for hydroponics. Objective #5 UNH undergraduate student analysis of initial data were used to provide a context for framing the economic research.Master's and PhD students conducted aliterature review of the aquaponic crop budget and collected the technical and economic data to set up comparison of the coupled and decoupled aquaponic systems, and to study the economic hydroponic production scale in New Hampshire in comparison to different production scales that may affect enterprise profitability under different price scenarios. Another literature review was conducted on consumer demand for aquaponic products followed bya nationwide online survey with a nationally representative sample of 1,325 lettuce consumers to estimate consumers' willingness to pay for lettuce grown in aquaponic vs. hydroponic vs. open-field systems that differ in land use, water use, energy use, and nitrogen fertilizer use intensity. When choosing lettuce, consumers paid most attention to organic label, then nitrogen fertilizer, energy, water, and finally land use intensity.Final analyses are currently underway.
Publications
|
Progress 06/01/21 to 05/31/22
Outputs
Target Audience: For the fourth reporting year, most of the work was targeted fewer goals as some of the goals had been completed.The main target audiences were other researchers, collaborators and potential practioners of aquaponics for food production, and food safety professionals. Other target audiencesincluded graduate and undergraduate students, and food safety professionals who attended a webinarat an international conference. Our target audiences were reached through formal classroom and laboratory instruction, virtual seminars to the public and UNH and Univ. of Illinois faculty and students, and conferees at an international food safety conference. Changes/Problems:We requested a no-cost extension that was approved by UNHto complete modified project tasks that were approved bythe Program Officer. These consisted of replacing a producer cost study with a consumer willingness to pay study. We had to amend some of the project deliverables due to the departure of PI Todd Guerdat and the resulting unavailability of greenhouse production data. Within the extended timeline, we plan to design (May-August 2022) and deploy (September 2022) a consumer survey to assess willingness to pay for food products issued from aquaponics systems. We plan to analyze the data and draft a manuscript, and present results at conferences byMay 2023. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? One graduate studentwas working towards a masters degreein Agricultural Sciences and completed his third year of study, plus two students were working toward a PhD in Natural Resources and Earth Systems science and a masters degree in Natural Resources and the Environment, all at UNH, during the reporting period. COVID-19 restrictions placed on operations at the University continued but to a lesser degree and eventually dissipated, so student research with the research facility was again possible until it was dismantled. For the most part, the graduate students and some supportive undergraduate students finished facility-related research and some follow up laboratory research. They also had generated abundant data for many aspects of the project and facility operations that they continued to analyze and interpret. Finally, the graduate students were able to work with their thesis committees to improve writing and understanding of their fields of research, present their findings at departmental seminars and finally finish their theses with public defense presentations. The graduate students were partially supported by UNH funds that allowed them to train as teaching assistants in UNH classes. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Some of the results were disseminated to food safety profesisonals ands potential aquaculture practioners at the annual International Foundation for Food Protectionconference in April 2022 via a webinar where a graduate student Sean Fogertywas a presenter and a panelist.Othertarget audiences were reached through formal classroom and laboratory instruction and virtual seminars to the public and UNH faculty and students. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? The project activities will be focused on completion of data analysis, thesis writing and defending, and writing and publishing papers. Goal 1, 2 3 and 4 related activities will mostly be to use the work accomplished under those goals to inform analysis of Goal5 results. For Goal 5, we plan to design (May-August 2022) and deploy (September 2022) a consumer survey to assess willingness to pay for food products issued from aquaponics systems. We plan to analyze the data and draft a manuscript and present results at conferences byMay2023.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The project activitiesforthe fourth reporting cycle of the project were influenced by some significant projectchanges that occurred during the previousreporting period (dismantled research facility, Covid-19 restrictions, changes in and loss of PIs), so the focus of activitesshifted to data analysis and interpretation, training students, some presentations and writing papers and theses. The following description of activities details the efforts of the researchers to achieve the goals of this research described above. Goal #1: The absence of the research facility shifted all activities solely toanalysis of previously collected data on thethree replicated farm-scale recirculating aquaponic systems, with the goalto identify system responses to reuse of fish waste nutrients. Two peer-reviewed papers, listed under Products, were published to disseminate the project findings related to the potential for reuse of the fish waste as fertilzer for strawberry production, and a MS thesis was successfully defended that included findings on food safety aspects of the project. Goal #2:The goal of this objective is to develop fertilizer solutions for use in hydroponic croppingsystems by conducting waste treatment research using wastewater generated from the aquaponic research facilities. Effluent samples from continuously mixed anaerobic and aerobic batch bioreactors were analyzed to determine the fraction of key fertilzer nutrients in the solid and dissolved forms. Accomplishments included the publication of two peer-reviewed papers on the two different approaches to treating effluent before use as a fertilzer. Goal #3:The main focus for this goalis to determine levels and potential sources of bacterial species that could be human pathogens within the aquaponics system. Bacterial culture analysis focused on what are considered to be primary food safety microorganisms, which were not detected. We did detectan array of bacterial taxa in the aquaponics system that are not considered be primary food safety concerns andthat tend to be found in many environments, and may include pathogenic strains (which were not detected in this study). These were detected in part by sequencing DNA inwater samples from different parts of the aquaponics system. The microbiome DNA sequence analysis is still underway, but so far the findings support the notion that productive, healthy and well-run aquaponics systems can both maintain water quality and environmental conditions that meet requirements and produce food that is safe for human consumption. Goal #4: Reseach activities related to this goal were completed during the previous reporting period.The impact of projectfindings related to goal 4 is to help increase knowledge about re-use of agricultural and organic wastes as fertilizers for hydroponics. More basic research on the microbiological dimensions of organic nutrient solutions is necessary to unravel the complex webs of interaction. Goal #5:Jawad Khan(UNH NRES PhD candidate) has conducted a literature review on consumer demand for aquaponic productsanddesigned an online consumer choice experiment to elicit consumer willingness to pay for lettuce produced in an aquaponic system. The goal is to deploy the consumer choice experiment survey during the next reporting period. Khashi Ghorbani(UNH Masters degreestudent)conducted a literature review on commercial hydroponic crop budgetandcollected data to study the economic hydroponic production scale in New Hampshire. The goal was to compare how different production scales affects the enterprise profitability under different price scenarios. This study was completed and needs further review for presentation and publication.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Tetreault, J, R Fogle, T Guerdat. 2021. Anaerobic Mineralization of Recirculating Aquaculture Drum Screen Effluent for Use as a Naturally-Derived Nutrient Solution in Hydroponic Cropping Systems. Conservation 2021, 1(3), 151-167; https://doi.org/10.3390/conservation1030013
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Tetreault, J, R Fogle, T Guerdat. 2021. Towards a Capture and Reuse Model for Aquaculture Effluent as a Hydroponic Nutrient Solution Using Aerobic Microbial Reactors. Horticulturae 2021, 7(10), 334; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae7100334
- Type:
Theses/Dissertations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Fogarty, Sean Zachary, "Foodborne Pathogens and Water Quality in Commercial-Scale Aquaponic Systems with Rapid Micro Screen Solids Removal" (2021). Master's Theses and Capstones. 1507.
https://scholars.unh.edu/thesis/1507
|
Progress 06/01/20 to 05/31/21
Outputs
Target Audience: For the third reporting year the target audiences included graduate and undergraduate students, other researchers, the public, educators, extension, and small farmers. Due to the departure of Dr. Todd Guerdat from UNH for a change of career in May 2020 and transfer of the Project Director to Dr. Stephen Jones, the replicated farm-scale research facility was closed down and dismantled. In addition, the Covid-19 pandemic made interations with people in person difficult.so facility tours, workshops and interactions with recipients of the food products ceased. Our target audiences were reached through formal classroom and laboratory instruction and virtual seminars to the public and UNH faculty and students. Changes/Problems:Dr. Todd Guerdat, the original PI of the project, left the University of New Hampshire in March 2020.Dr. Shadi Attallah then took over as the project PI, then left for the University of Illinois. Dr. Stephen Jones then took over as the PI of the project, as approved by the Acting Division Director of the National Program-Agricultural Systems at the time. As a result of Dr. Guerdat leaving as the expert of running the aquaponics system,the production systems were dismantled.Consequently, Objective 5 titled 'Conduct an economic analysis for the aquaponic production of food fish and plants using a variety of integration strategies' could notbe completed as originally defined. Co-PI (and briefly PI) Shadi Atallah thenidentified an opportunity to further progress on this project objective by slightly modifying Task 1 and coming up with a new approach for Task 5.2, which was approvedby the Acting Division Director of the National Program-Agricultural Systems at the time?. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Threegraduate students were working towardsmasters degrees in Agricultural Sciencesand completed their second year of study, plus one student was working toward a PhD in Natural Resources and Earth Systems scienceduring the reporting period. COVID-19 restrictions placed on operations at the University continued but to a lesser degree and eventually dissapated, sostudentresearch with the research facilitywas again possible until it was dismantled.For the most part, the graduate students and some supportive undergraduate students finished facility-relatedresearch and some follow up laboratory research. They also had generated abundant data for many aspects of the project and facility operations that they conitnued to analyze and interpret. Finally, the graduate students were able to work with their thesis committees to improve writing and understanding of their fields of research, present their findings at departmental seminars and finally finish their theses with public defense presentations. The graduate students were partially supported by UNH funds that allowed them to train as teaching assistants in UNH classes. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The Covid 19 pandemic and associated restrictions of in-person contact, plus the dismantlement of the research facility during this reporting period restricted the opportunities to conduct facility tours, workshops, attend conferences, and topresent findings beyond some virtual presentations.Our target audiences were reached through formal classroom and laboratory instruction and virtual seminars to the public and UNH faculty and students. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Due to the previously described significant changes in the project, the project activities will be focused on completion of data analysis, thesis writing and defending, and writing and publishing papers. Goal 1, 2 and 4related activities will mostly be to use the work accomplished under those goals to inform analysis of Goal 3 and 5 results. In addition, Goal 5 will build continue to build project-based economic analyses, and further the study byconducting a consumer survey, not originally part of the grant, to estimate consumer willingness to pay (WTP) for aquaponics products, accompanied by conducting research to estimate a commercial hydroponic crop budgetandcollectdata to study the economic hydroponic production scale in New Hampshire.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
This report for the third reporting cycle of the project is based primarily on the running, management, evaluation and optimization of the research facilities for coupled and decoupled aquaponics at the UNH Kingman Farm. Given the changes that occurred during this reporting period (dismantled research facility, Covid-19 restrictions, changes in PIs), the project activities shifted to data analysis and interpretation, training students, some presentations and writing papers and theses.The following description of activities details the efforts of the researchers to achieve the goals of this research described above. Goals Objective #1: While the research facility was functional, the goal was to establish and maintain identical operating parameters under actual production conditions for replicated (3 identical greenhouses), farm-scale research. Because the facility was dismantled early in this reporting period, much of the activies related toObjective 1 were focused on analysis and interpretation of the operational data collected during the previous reporting period. The results showed relatively stable, steady-stateoperational and water quality conditions after an initial stabilization and adjustment period with some fluccuations due to ambient climatic conditions (temperature). There was successful fish production and plant yields from the systems, with healthy lettuce and low mortality of tilapia. The outcomes of these results will be realized through the publication of ongoing thesis, scientific paper and other extension writings for describing the findings to different potential users and interested parties. Objective #2: The goal of this objective was to develop fertilizer solutions for use in hydroponic cropping systemsbyconductingwaste treatment research using wastewater generated from the aquaponic research facilities.Effluent samples from continuously mixed anaerobic and aerobic batch bioreactorswere analyzed to determine the fraction of key fertilzer nutrients in the solid and dissolved forms. This study showed that anaerobic treatmentis an effective method to mineralize particulate-bound nutrients in RAS effluent and the mineralization rate data may be used to design a pilot-scaled flow-through RAS effluent treatment system. Aerobic mineralization in experimental batch reactorscan also effectively reduce particulate-bound solids and solubilize nutrients to increase plant utilization in RAS effluent.Anaerobic treatment resulted in a greaterremoval of suspended solids, while aerobic treatment resulted in a greater degree of organic carbon removal. The overall results set up for futuredevelopment of a two-stage effluent treatment system employing both anaerobic and aerobic treatment processes to capitalize on the benefits of both treatment methods. Objective #3: The main goal of Objective 3 is to determine levels and potential sources of bacterial species that could be human pathogens.Bacterial culture analysis focused on what are considered to beprimary food safety microorganisms including:Salmonella spp.,Listeria spp., andEscherichiacoli, as well asfor research evaluating microbial community analyses andrelative abundance using DNA analysis.The results of this bacterial assessment of aquaponic culture water validated the UNH KFRAG system design and operational protocols in relation to the microbial water quality requirements for BSAAO treatment processes. E. coli,Listeriaspp. andSalmonellaspp. werenot detected. The UNH systems also contained an array of bacterial taxa not considered be primary food safety concernsthattend to be found in many environments and mayinclude pathogenic strains which were not detected in this study. Overal, the findings supportthe notion that productive, healthy and well-run aquaponics systems can both maintain water quality and environmental conditions that meet requirements and produce food that is safe for human consumption. Objective #4: The research related to Objective #4 was conducted mainly byMr. William Hardesty-Dyke, an Agricultural Sciences MS student at UNH. Plant disease proregression research was conducted in hydroponic systems using culture water from the aquaponic systems and conventional hydroponic fertilizer sources to grow strawberries.Hardesty-Dyke completed task 4.2 for during the previous reporting period and his work for this report was mainly data analysis and writing his MS thesis. The results of the study foundplants irrigated with unamended aquaponic solution exhibited lower growth than those irrigated with the unamended synthetic solutiondue to the optimization of the synthetic solution for soilless strawberries. There were no differences between the two nutrient solutions in terms of suppresion of root rot or in the composition of the microbial community. The impact of these findings is to help increase knowledge about re-use of agricultural and organic wastes as fertilizers for hydroponics.More basic research on the microbiological dimensions of organic nutrient solutions is necessary to unravel the complex webs of interaction. Objective #5: For the modified Objective 5,Khashi Ghorbani (Master student) conducted a literature review of the aquaponic crop budget and collected the technical and economic data. The outline of study was designed, and the goal is to compare the coupled and decoupled aquaponic systems in the following summer.
Publications
- Type:
Theses/Dissertations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Tetreault, Joseph, "The Development of a Naturally-Derived Hydroponic Nutrient Solution From Recirculating Aquaculture System Effluent Using Microbial Digestion" (2020). Master's Theses and Capstones. 1403. https://scholars.unh.edu/thesis/1403
- Type:
Theses/Dissertations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Hardesty-Dyck, William Miller, "NUTRIENT SOLUTION EFFECTS ON PLANT HEALTH AND MICROBIAL COMMUNITY COMPOSITION IN SOILLESS STRAWBERRY CULTURE" (2020). Master's Theses and Capstones. 1426. https://scholars.unh.edu/thesis/1426
|
Progress 06/01/19 to 05/31/20
Outputs
Target Audience:For the second reporting year the target audiences included the public, education, Extension, and small farmers. All audiences were engaged in the system design and research information dissemination via workshops, conference presentations, and in-person facility tours and trainings. During the early stages of this reporting period standardization of the replicated farm-scale research facilities was coordinated. Once standardized, intensive study was conducted on the operational inputs and outputs as part of five MS graduate students, one team of 5 undergraduate environmental engineering students, and one undergraduate business administration student. Collaborators from UNH and Cornell University were engaged in system operational parameters for practical applicability of research. During this reporting period, numerous facility tours were provided to the public, Extension professionals, members of the press/media, high school students, university students, and university administrators. However, in March 2020 the research facilities were depopulated and shut down due to the restrictions for in-person work as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, the role of Project Director was transferred in May 2020 to Dr. Stephen Jones from Dr. Todd Guerdat due to Dr. Guerdat's departure from UNH for a change of career. Two aquaponics workshops were delivered during the reporting period. In June 2019 a 3-day hands-on, experiential workshop was hosted at the UNH Kingman Farm Aquaponic Research Greenhouses. Workshop participants included members from private industry (manufacturing, production, controlled environment agriculture), academic (high school, undergraduate, and graduate students), and policy and outreach (Extension, FDA, USDA). The 26 participants learned about all aspects of aquaculture, hydroponics, nutrient management, and environmental control through lectures and presentations delivered by project participants and collaborators. Each day of the workshop included hands-on training opportunities in the facilities, and the last day offered an opportunity for participants to tour regional aquaponic and greenhouse production facilities as an opportunity to see the opportunities for the application of the research outcomes. In February 2020, the Aquaponics Principles and Practices Workshop was delivered in the days prior to the Aquaculture America conference. Similarly, research results and system design principles were taught to participants. In the UNH academic spring semester (January-May 2020), the combined undergraduate and graduate-level Aquaponics course (SAFS 740 / ANFS 840) was offered for a second time. This course had 16 enrollees (14 undergraduate, 2 graduate) and provided lecture-based education and hands-on experience working in the research facilities. In the previous reporting period, a group of five senior Environmental Engineering students conducted a preliminary comprehensive analysis of the facilities measuring water, nitrogen, and energy consumption and developed an MS Excel-based spreadsheet model. In this reporting period the model was checked, validated, and optimized to deliver outputs for researchers, growers, and Extension professionals in estimating nutrient, water, and energy consumption requirements for facilities of different size/scale. Changes/Problems:The Covid-19 pandemic caused closure of the aquaponics facility, followed by the PI leaving the Univ. of New Hampshire to be replaced by another co-PI who then left UNH and was replaced by the present PI- Jones. As a result the aquaponics system was closed down and so work focused on writing papers, and continuing with the economics analyses. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Three master's level graduate students were working towards a masters in Agricultural Sciences during the reporting period and completed their second year of study. Due to the COVID-19 restrictions placed on operations at the University, the students' research was delayed andnot completed during this reporting period. All students were trained by Dr. Guerdat in the operation and maintenance of the research facilities. Each person played a supervisory role in the management of the facility. Since this was the second year of study, and due to COVID-19 restrictions and facility/University shutdowns, students solely focused on their academic coursework and research. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Multiple tours of the aquaponic greenhouses at UNH's Kingman Farm Agricultural Experiment Station were conducted with audiences including Extension professionals, school children, UNH alumni, and the general public. Presentations (oral and poster) were delivered at several national and internationally-attended conferences including the World Aquaculture Society Aquaculture America meeting in Honolulu, HI, the annual FDA Food Safety meeting in Portsmouth, NH, and the North Central Regional Aquaculture Center's annual conference in Columbus, OH. The audiences have ranged from producers to policy makers to industry professionals as well as academic researchers. Two workshops were delivered during this reporting cycle. The first workshop was conducted in June 2019 as a hands-on, three-day aquaponics workshop hosted at the Kingman Farm AES, research data and operational guidelines were presented for aquaponic practitioners. Workshop participants walked away with knowledge and resources that will help them to operate aquaponic systems that are safe, sustainable, and profitable. The second workshop was conducted in February 2020 in Honolulu, HI as a prelude to the Aquaculture America conference. System engineering, operation, and environmental control data were presented. Food safety and waste treatment research were also discussed and research to date presented to participants. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We plan to adjust the workflow in response to losing the original PI (Guerdat) from the project and the closure of the aquaponics facility. Thus we plan to focus on workshops and the economic analysis.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Impact This report for the first reporting cycle of the project is based primarily on the design and construction efforts performed to bring the research facilities online for operation and testing. The project has identified the myriad of integration possibilities between aquaculture and hydroponics, however this project is specifically focused on the two most economically-viable, and commonly practiced forms of integration: coupled and decoupled aquaponics. Coupled aquaponic systems share the same water between the fish and plant rearing systems, while decoupled systems capture nutrients from aquaculture and deliver them to the hydroponic systems as needed without returning any water/nutrients to the aquaculture systems similar to other animal agricultural productions systems. These system archetypes are representative of the current state of the industry, each posing different challenges to producers. The research facilities at the UNH Kingman Farm were designed and have been built to accommodate both modes of operation for testing purposes. These research systems are fundamentally unique to the vast majority of aquaponic systems in practice currently as the focus on system design is based on meeting the needs of fish and plants through water treatment to facilitate food safety for consumers and producers. The UNH research systems are based on large-scale RAS water and wastewater treatment designs for scalability and to facilitate optimal water quality and quick adoption by existing industry practitioners. Wastes from each production "unit process" (i.e. fish tank, hydroponic plant bed) are channeled through the water and wastewater treatment systems first such that all water delivered to the fish and plants is considered "treated". Treated water is free of fish feces and is more biologically stable for use in hydroponic cropping systems, thereby improving both food safety as well as plant production. The following description of activities details the efforts of the researchers to achieve the goals of this research described above. Goals Objective #1 Major activities completed / experiments conducted System operational parameters were established for the first part of the reporting period, and much effort was placed on establishing consistent and standardized operation across all three greenhouse research facilities. The goal was to establish and maintain identical operating parameters under actual production conditions for replicated, farm-scale research. Intensive operational data collection was conducted for the second half of the reporting period and was successful in supporting multiple research objectives as listed below. Data collected Operational data were collected during the reporting period for energy consumption (electricity and propane), water consumption, water quality analysis, fish production, and plant yield. These data are all preliminary and were used to validate the system design assumptions in order to adjust any operational parameters as necessary in order to obtain steady state operating conditions in each of the greenhouse systems. Summary statistics and discussion of results Nothing to report for this period. Key outcomes or other accomplishments realized Nothing to report for this period. Objective #2 Major activities completed / experiments conducted Mr. Joseph Tetreault, an Agricultural Sciences MS graduate student was conducted waste treatment research using wastewater generated from the aquaponic research facilities to develop fertilizer solutions for use in hydroponic cropping systems. Sample collection and waste treatment experiments were conducted using different microbial digestion techniques to solubilize the solid waste from tilapia production. The goal of his research was to optimize waste treatment processes for use in producing hydroponic fertilizer. Lab-scale bioreactors (20L) were used to conduct microbial digestion tests for determining the degree of solubilization achieved under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Data collected The following operating parameters were measured to ensure aerobic and anaerobic conditions were met throughout the experiments: dissolved oxygen, oxidative reduction potential, pH, alkalinity, and total ammonia nitrogen. Data collected to determine the degree of solubilization included: total suspended solids, total dissolved solids, electrical conductivity, and nutrient concentrations in solid and liquid waste fractions analyzed by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). Summary statistics and discussion of results Nothing to report for this period. Key outcomes or other accomplishments realized Nothing to report for this period. Objective #3 Major activities completed / experiments conducted Mr. Sean Fogarty, an Agricultural Sciences MS student conducted microbiological and food safety research in the research greenhouse systems once replicated farm-scale operating conditions were established. The aquaponic systems were determined to be operating under "pseudo-steady state" conditions starting in September 2019, with "pseudo-steady state" defined as consistent water quality parameter targets and system management over time and among systems (e.g. feed rates, water temperature, alkalinity, biosecurity protocols). Data were collected for research evaluating microbial community analyses, relative abundance, and potential for food safety concerns. Data collected Mr. Fogarty the aquaponic research systems analyzing samples viabacterial culture and DNA extraction. Bacterial culture analysis focused on primary food safety microorganisms including:Salmonella spp.,Listeria spp., andE. coli. Data were being processed during the period of this reporting cycle, and significant delays were experienced in the DNA isolate analysis due to COVID-19 facility shutdowns. Summary statistics and discussion of results Nothing to report for this period. Key outcomes or other accomplishments realized Nothing to report for this period. Objective #4 Major activities completed/experiments conducted Mr. William Hardesty-Dyke, an Agricultural Sciences MS student conducted plant disease proregression research in hydroponic systems using culture water formt he aquaponic systems and conventional hydroponic fertilizer sources. Mr. Hardesty-Dyke completed task 4.2 for this reporting period. For task 4.2, a his graduate research experiments were conducted to characterizePythiumspp. disease progression potential causing moderate root rot of strawberry cv Albion. Additionally, a growth chamber assay system was designed to complement greenhouse experiments. Data collected A replicated, randomized complete block hydroponic strawberry production system was constructed and used to characterize the effects of Pythium disease progression in strawberry plants. Data were collected and werebeing analyzed during the reporting period. Summary of statistics and discussion of results Nothing to report for this period. Key Outcomes or other accomplishments realized Nothing to report for this period. Objective #5 Major activities completed / experiments conducted Utilizing the preliminary data collected by the environmental engineering undergraduate team, an undergraduate Business Administration student, Mr. Dante Povinelli, conducted a robust analysis of the data and MS Excel model. This research and work was used to provide context for framing the economic research to being in the next reporting period. Data collected Nothing to report. Summary statistics and discussion of results Nothing to report Key outcomes or other accomplishments realized Nothing to report?
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Guerdat, T., Fogarty, S., 2019. Addressing Food Safety in Aquaponics Through System Design. Annual FDA Food Safety meeting hosted by the New Hampshire Health and Human Services Department. Portsmouth, NH. September 2019.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Guerdat, T., Sitek, A., Konjoian, P., Berlinsky, D., 2020. Characterizing nutrient production from rainbow trout and tilapia growout in recirculating aquaculture systems for potential use in hydroponic crop production. Aquaculture America conference, World Aquaculture Society. Honolulu, HI. February 2020.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Guerdat, T., Fogarty, S., Jones, S., Konjoian, P., 2020. Microbial water quality and food safety in recirculating aquaponics. Aquaculture America conference, World Aquaculture Society. Honolulu, HI. February 2020.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Guerdat, T., DeVitto, A., Poleatewich, A., Mattson, N., Konjoian, P., 2020. Optimizing aquaponic strawberry production in the Northeast for year-round production. Aquaculture America conference, World Aquaculture Society. Honolulu, HI. February 2020.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Guerdat, T., Tetreault, J., Mouser, P., Timmons, M., 2020. Optimizing microbial digestion and nutrient solubilization of rainbow trout and tilapia sludge for use as a natural fertilizer in integrated aquaculture farming systems. Aquaculture America conference, World Aquaculture Society. Honolulu, HI. February 2020.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Guerdat, T., Rao, A., Fairchild, E., Hamlin, H., 2020. Assessing the acute and chronic toxic effects of potassium on rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and evaluating the mitigating effects of sodium on acute potassium toxicity. Aquaculture America conference, World Aquaculture Society. Honolulu, HI. February 2020.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Guerdat, T., 2020. Aquaponic Engineering and Design. Aquaponics Principles and Practices Workshop. Honolulu, HI. February 2020.
|
Progress 06/01/18 to 05/31/19
Outputs
Target Audience:For the first reporting year, the public, educational, Extension, and small farmer target audiences were engaged in the system design and research information dissemination. For the first 4 months during the reporting period, construction of the replicated farm-scale research facilities was ongoing. During this time, regional growers in New Hampshire and Vermont and researchers from Cornell University were engaged in system design decisions to ensure appropriate architecture and relevancy for practical applicability of research. Construction was completed in October, 2018 and operation of the facilities began. During this reporting period, numerous facility tours were provided to the public, Extension professionals, members of the press/media, high school students, university students, and university administrators. In October, 2018, one 3rd grade class from Berwick Academy (Berwick, ME) visited the research facilities for a half-day tour and educational seminar. The class of 19 students and 4 adults learned about the aspects of aquaculture, hydroponics, and the value of integrating production processes to minimize waste production. In the UNH academic spring semester (January-May 2019), a new combined undergraduate and graduate-level course was created called Aquaponics (SAFS 740 / ANFS 840). This course had 15 enrollees (12 undergraduate, 3 graduate) and provided lecture-based education and hands-on experience working in the research facilities. Additionally, a group of five senior Environmental Engineering students conducted a preliminary comprehensive analysis of the facilities measuring water, nitrogen, and energy consumption and developed an MS Excel-based spreadsheet model. The model was designed to assist researchers, growers, and Extension professionals in estimating nutrient, water, and energy consumption requirements for facilities of different size/scale. Changes/Problems:Since the first reporting year was mostly centered around construction of the research facilities and initializing the production systems to establish steady state operations, no major changes to date have been made to the project objectives to date. There have been several instances where equipment malfunctions have plagued the research systems and subsequently resulted in the loss of large volumes of water. While in practice this is recoverable for a producer in short order, for research this has more serious consequences to the microbial populations and nutrient balance assumptions that are serving as the guiding principles for our system operation. The nutrients dissolved in the water are important and must be preserved. To address some of the water loss problems, we have fine-tuned our emergency systems to prevent loss of water, implemented more specific check lists for monitoring systems visually prior to leaving for the day, and installed monitoring and alarm systems to help alert researchers when conditions in the facilities are observed to be out of expected normal operating ranges. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Three master's level graduate students are working towards a masters in Agricultural Sciences and have completed a first year of study. As a major component of the duties required to operate and maintain the research facilities, Mr. Fogarty and Mr. Tetreault were trained by Dr. Guerdat and senior graduate student, Alex Sitek, on all aspects of aquaponic facility operation. Each person plays a supervisory role in the management of the facility. In support of his role as a food safety researcher, Mr. Fogarty also attended the Produce Safety Alliance's day-long Grower Training course, which introduces growers to emerging food safety considerations and regulations. Combined with individual study, these experiences have provided Mr. Fogarty with the background necessary to effectively communicate food safety science to stakeholders and the public. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Several tours of the aquaponic greenhouses at UNH's Kingman Farm Agricultural Experiment Station were conducted with audiences including Extension professionals, school children, UNH alumni, and the general public. Presentations (oral and poster) have been delivered at several national and internationally-attended conferences including the World Aquaculture Society Triennial meeting in New Orleans, LA, the Aquaponics Association meeting in Hartford, CT, and the North American Strawberry Growers Association meeting in Orlando, FL. The audiences have ranged from students toproducers, policy makers as well as academic researchers. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?The following actions are planned for the next reporting cycle: * Steady-state operation of the research facilities is crucial for future research. As such, efforts will be placed on carefully analyzing operational data (water quality, energy and resource usage, fish and plant yields, etc.) to ensure similarity between replicate systems as well as over time for each system. * Waste characterization research will continue, focusing on nutrient solubilization and optimizing methods to efficiently develop hydroponic fertilizer solutions from aquaculture wastewater similarly to other animal agriculture approaches to waste utilization. Mr. Tetreault will continue his master's research studying aerobic and anaerobic microbial digestion effects on solubilizing plant-unavailable nutrients in aquaculture wastewater. * Mr. Fogarty will utilize a multiple methods approach to investigate microbial water quality in relation to food safety in the Kingman Farm aquaponic greenhouses over the coming year. Traditional microbiological assays will be conducted to detect and enumerate major pathogens of interest in culture water, while molecular techniques will identify probable sources of this potential contamination. Microbial communities will also be characterized across system components and over time, possibly elucidating system design elements or microbiological characteristics contributing to food safety risk. Knowledge gained through this work will be synthesized and applied in the form of recommendations for good agricultural practices (GAPs) for aquaponic practitioners. * Mr. Hardesty-Dyke will complete the disease progression research. Two replicate greenhouse experiments will be conducted to characterize Pythium root rot disease progression in decoupled and hydroponics systems. Parallel controlled environment experiments will also be conducted to confirm results in the greenhouse. * Drs. Guerdat and Atallah will be actively recruiting a master's level graduate student to perform the economic analysis research for the project. This person would start ideally in Fall 2019 or Fall 2020, depending on availability.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Impact This report for the first reporting cycle of the project is based primarily on the design and construction efforts performed to bring the research facilities online for operation and testing. The project has identified the myriad of integration possibilities between aquaculture and hydroponics, however this project is specifically focused on the two most economically-viable, and commonly practiced forms of integration: coupled and decoupled aquaponics. Coupled aquaponic systems share the same water between the fish and plant rearing systems, while decoupled systems capture nutrients from aquaculture and deliver them to the hydroponic systems as needed without returning any water/nutrients to the aquaculture systems similar to other animal agricultural productions systems. These system archetypes are representative of the current state of the industry, each posing different challenges to producers. The research facilities at the UNH Kingman Farm were designed and have been built to accommodate both modes of operation for testing purposes. These research systems are fundamentally unique to the vast majority of aquaponic systems in practice currently as the focus on system design is based on meeting the needs of fish and plants through water treatment to facilitate food safety for consumers and producers. The UNH research systems are based on large-scale RAS water and wastewater treatment designs for scalability and to facilitate optimal water quality and quick adoption by existing industry practitioners. Wastes from each production "unit process" (i.e. fish tank, hydroponic plant bed) are channeled through the water and wastewater treatment systems first such that all water delivered to the fish and plants is considered "treated". Treated water is free of fish feces and is more biologically stable for use in hydroponic cropping systems, thereby improving both food safety as well as plant production. The following description of activities details the efforts of the researchers to achieve the goals of this research described above. Goals Objective #1 Major activities completed / experiments conducted At the start of the first reporting year construction of the research facilities was well underway. Throughout the first 9 months, construction of the last 2 of 3 farm-scale research greenhouses was completed (the first was completed just prior to project initiation) and system startup was initiated. System startup is essential in these systems as nutrient concentrations and proportions must be established prior to introducing plants into the systems. Once the systems were operational and producing fish reliably, and nutrient concentrations were accumulated to sufficient concentrations per the research design, lettuce plants were introduced to each greenhouse system. In May 2019, all of the systems were operating smoothly and consistently. Data collected Operational data were collected during the reporting period for energy consumption (electricity and propane), water consumption, water quality analysis, fish production, and plant yield. These data are all preliminary and were used to validate the system design assumptions in order to adjust any operational parameters as necessary in order to obtain steady state operating conditions in each of the greenhouse systems. Summary statistics and discussion of results Nothing to report Key outcomes or other accomplishments realized Nothing to report Objective #2 Major activities completed / experiments conducted A master's level graduate student, Mr. Joseph Tetreault, was recruited to conduct waste treatment research using aquaculture wastewater to develop fertilizer solutions for use in hydroponic cropping systems. Experiments were conducted on the use of microbial digestion to solubilize the solid waste of rainbow trout and tilapia to be optimized for use as a hydroponic fertilizer solution. Prior to characterizing the digestion process, an initial nutrient analysis was conducted on both species' feed and solid effluent to determine a profile of mineralized nutrients in untreated waste. Lab-scale bioreactors (10L) were used to run initial tests for determining the degree of solubilization achieved under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Data collected The following operating parameters were measured to ensure aerobic and anaerobic conditions were met throughout the experiments: dissolved oxygen, oxidative reduction potential, pH, alkalinity, and total ammonia nitrogen. Data collected to determine the degree of solubilization included: total suspended solids, total dissolved solids, electrical conductivity, and nutrient concentrations in solid and liquid waste fractions analyzed by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). Summary statistics and discussion of results Nothing to report Key outcomes or other accomplishments realized Nothing to report Objective #3 Major activities completed / experiments conducted A master's level graduate student, Mr. Sean Fogarty, was recruited to conduct the microbiological and food safety research in the research greenhouse systems. Construction of the replicated farm-scale coupled aquaponic greenhouses continued through September 2018. This period was utilized to establish standard operating procedures, data collection, and staffing requirements to maintain the facilities. The aquaponic systems began to be operated under pseudo-steady state conditions starting in October 2018, with "pseudo-steady state" defined as consistent water quality parameter targets and system management over time and among systems (e.g. feed rates, water temperature, alkalinity, biosecurity protocols). Data collected Mr. Fogarty conducted initial screenings for microbial water quality in the aquaponic systems. The initial screening showed no positive results for generic E. coli in culture water from all components of the aquaponic systems. These results indicated that the design and management of these systems, including factors such as worker hygiene and water treatment processes, successfully prevented the introduction and proliferation of fecal contaminants in the culture water. Summary statistics and discussion of results Nothing to report Key outcomes or other accomplishments realized Nothing to report Objective #4 Major activities completed/experiments conducted A master's level graduate student, William Hardesty-Dyke, was recruited and started in September of 2018 to evaluate plant disease proregression in hydroponic systems using nutrients from recirculating aquaculture. Mr. Hardesty-Dyke has completed task 4.1 and conducted activities in task 4.2. For task 4.1, a small-scale greenhouse experimental system was constructed in the UNH Macfarlane greenhouse plant pathology research greenhouse to compare decoupled and hydroponic nutrient solutions in a randomized block design. For task 4.2, a preliminary experiment was conducted to identify a Pythium spp. isolate and inoculum concentration leading to moderate root rot of strawberry cv Albion. Additionally, a growth chamber assay system was designed to complement greenhouse experiments. Data collected A Pythium isolate and inoculum concentration were selected. Characterization of Pythium in the small-scale systems will begin in June 2019 Summary of statistics and discussion of results Nothing to report Key Outcomes or other accomplishments realized Nothing to report Objective #5 Major activities completed / experiments conducted As the research systems only began to be operated under steady-state conditions during this reporting cycle, no formal economic research has been conducted to date on the aquaponic research systems. Economic research will begin in Years 2 and 3. Data collected Nothing to report. Summary statistics and discussion of results Nothing to report Key outcomes or other accomplishments realized Nothing to report
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
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:
Accepted
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:
Accepted
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:
Accepted
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:
Accepted
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:
Accepted
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:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Guerdat, T., DeVitto, A., 2018. Project OASIS: Optimizing Aquaponic Systems for Improved Sustainability: Making waves with farm-scale research. Aquaponics Association Conference, Hartford, CT, September 2018.
|
|