Lukhwareni Refilwe, Nomngongo Philiswa Nosizo, Nibamureke Uwineza Marie Clementine, Moila Kgaohelo, Sekete Nomhlekhabo Wendy, Ndamane Godfrey Tshokolo, Njom Henry Akum, Sithole Lucky, Rudolph Michael, Ngobese Nomali Ziphorah
Department of Zoology, University of Johannesburg, PO BOX 524, Johannesburg, 2006, South Africa.
Department of Chemical Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Johannesburg, PO BOX 524, Johannesburg, 2006, South Africa.
Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2025 May;32(23):13847-13861. doi: 10.1007/s11356-025-36495-0. Epub 2025 May 14.
Aquaponics, integrating hydroponics and aquaculture in a circular system, offers a promising approach to addressing food and nutrition security while promoting water conservation in South Africa. This technology is a sustainable means of food production that minimizes environmental waste by simultaneously cultivating plants and rearing fish. This study aimed to evaluate the histology of muscle tissue in Mozambique tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) and the performance of Irish potato (Solanum tuberosum) in a small-scale sandponics system. Two potato cultivars (Moonlight and Taurus) were planted in a system linked to a 1000-L water tank containing 25 sexually mature Mozambique tilapia from January to June 2023. Fish histology and potato yield performance were assessed to gauge the efficiency of the system and to generate baseline data for future studies. Results showed that tuber production in the sandponics system was comparable to field conditions, with the Moonlight cultivar yielding the heaviest tubers (293-307 g per plant) with a short-oval shape, demonstrating its superior adaptability to this system. Taurus yielded lighter tubers (139-168 g per plant) that were either round or short oval depending on the grow beds used for production. Fish histological analysis revealed a higher prevalence of muscle tissue alterations in the control group compared to the experimental group. However, both groups displayed a similar condition factor (p < 0.05), indicating good overall health. Despite the promising results, the significantly high levels (p < 0.05) of metal accumulation (As, Cu, Mn, and Zn) in the fish were observed, raising concerns about their suitability for human consumption. This study demonstrates that sandponics systems can effectively support potato production with fish maintaining good general health. However, further investigation is needed to mitigate metal accumulation to ensure the safety of fish for consumption.
鱼菜共生系统将水培和水产养殖整合在一个循环系统中，为解决南非的粮食和营养安全问题同时促进水资源保护提供了一种很有前景的方法。这项技术是一种可持续的粮食生产方式，通过同时种植植物和养殖鱼类，将环境废物降至最低。本研究旨在评估莫桑比克罗非鱼（Oreochromis mossambicus）肌肉组织的组织学以及爱尔兰马铃薯（Solanum tuberosum）在小型沙培系统中的表现。2023年1月至6月，在一个与1000升水箱相连的系统中种植了两个马铃薯品种（月光和金牛座），水箱中饲养着25条性成熟的莫桑比克罗非鱼。对鱼类组织学和马铃薯产量表现进行了评估，以衡量该系统的效率，并为未来研究生成基线数据。结果表明，沙培系统中的块茎产量与田间条件相当，月光品种的块茎最重（每株293 - 307克），形状为短椭圆形，表明其对该系统具有卓越的适应性。金牛座品种的块茎较轻（每株139 - 168克），根据用于生产的种植床不同，形状为圆形或短椭圆形。鱼类组织学分析显示，与实验组相比，对照组肌肉组织改变的发生率更高。然而，两组的肥满度相似（p < 0.05），表明整体健康状况良好。尽管结果很有前景，但观察到鱼类中金属（砷、铜、锰和锌）的积累水平显著较高（p < 0.05），这引发了对其是否适合人类食用 的担忧。本研究表明，沙培系统可以有效地支持马铃薯生产，同时鱼类保持良好的总体健康状况。然而，需要进一步研究以减轻金属积累，确保鱼类食用安全。
