Environment, Natural Resources, and Sea Grant Extension, University of Maryland, Queenstown, MD, United States of America.
School of Aquaculture and Aquatic Sciences, Kentucky State University, Frankfort, KY, United States of America.
PLoS One. 2022 Apr 1;17(4):e0266475. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0266475. eCollection 2022.
Aquaponics is an agricultural practice incorporating aquaculture and hydroponic principles. This study assesses the current system design and production practices of the aquaponic industry, compares these metrics by stakeholder group, identifies trends, and provides recommendations for future development. An electronic survey of aquaponic stakeholders was conducted from December 2019 to June 2020 targeting hobbyists, producers, and educators from various aquaponic-focused professional associations, email and social media groups. Of 378 total responses, 84% came from the United States and were clustered in plant hardiness zones five to nine. Aquaponic systems were commonly homemade/do-it-yourself (DIY), many of which incorporated commercially available (turn-key) technology. Most growers used coupled systems that integrated recirculating aquaculture systems and either deep-water culture (DWC) or media bed hydroponic units. Common plant lighting sources were sunlight and light emitting diode (LED). Water sources were typically municipal or wells. Personal labor input was typically less than 20 hrs/wk. Funding sources were primarily personal funds, followed by government grants, and private investor funds. System sizes varied greatly, but the median area was 50 to 500 ft2 for hobbyists and educators and 500 to 3,000 ft2 for producers. Respondents commonly sold vegetable produce, training and education, food fish, and microgreens. Tilapia and ornamental fish were commonly grown, with 16 other species reported. Common crops were lettuce, leafy greens, basil, tomatoes, peppers, and herbs with many additional lesser-grown crops reported, including cannabis. Overall, the industry still growing, with a large portion of stakeholders having less than two years of experience. However, veteran growers have remained in operation, particularly in the producer and educator groups. The survey results suggest a shift away from outdoor systems, media beds, tomatoes, ornamental fish, and perch production, and a shift toward decoupled systems, DWC, drip irrigation, and wicking beds, larger system area, leafy greens, and trout/salmon production compared to previous industry surveys. The reduced diversity of plant species grown suggest some level of crop standardization. Commercial producers tended to sell more types of products than other stakeholders, suggesting that diversification of offerings may be key to profitability. The combined production area specified by respondents indicates the industry has grown substantially in recent years. Finally, the presence of bank loan-funded operations suggests increased knowledge and comfort with aquaponics among lenders.
水培和水产养殖相结合的农业实践即为鱼菜共生。本研究评估了鱼菜共生产业当前的系统设计和生产实践，通过利益相关者群体进行了这些指标的比较，确定了趋势，并为未来的发展提供了建议。2019 年 12 月至 2020 年 6 月期间，对来自各个以鱼菜共生为重点的专业协会、电子邮件和社交媒体群组的业余爱好者、生产者和教育工作者进行了一项关于鱼菜共生利益相关者的电子调查。在 378 份总回复中，84%来自美国，集中在植物抗寒区五到九区。鱼菜共生系统通常是自制/自己动手做（DIY）的，其中许多系统都采用了商用（交钥匙）技术。大多数种植者使用集成循环水产养殖系统和深液流培养（DWC）或介质床水培单元的耦合系统。常见的植物照明来源是阳光和发光二极管（LED）。水源通常是市政或水井。个人劳动投入通常每周不到 20 小时。资金来源主要是个人资金，其次是政府拨款和私人投资者资金。系统规模差异很大，但业余爱好者和教育工作者的中位数面积为 50 到 500 平方英尺，生产者的中位数面积为 500 到 3000 平方英尺。受访者通常销售蔬菜农产品、培训和教育、食用鱼和微型蔬菜。罗非鱼和观赏鱼通常被养殖，报告了 16 种其他物种。常见的作物有生菜、绿叶蔬菜、罗勒、西红柿、辣椒和香草，还有许多其他较少种植的作物，包括大麻。总的来说，该行业仍在发展，很大一部分利益相关者的经验不足两年。然而，经验丰富的种植者仍在运营，特别是在生产者和教育者群体中。调查结果表明，与以前的行业调查相比，户外系统、介质床、西红柿、观赏鱼和鲈鱼生产逐渐减少，而分离系统、深液流培养、滴灌和导水床、更大的系统面积、绿叶蔬菜和鳟鱼/三文鱼生产逐渐增多。种植的植物物种多样性减少表明存在一定程度的作物标准化。商业生产者往往比其他利益相关者销售更多类型的产品，这表明产品多样化可能是盈利的关键。受访者指定的综合生产面积表明，近年来该行业有了实质性的增长。最后，银行贷款资助业务的存在表明，贷款人对鱼菜共生的了解和接受程度有所提高。
