AQUAPONICS —Jesse Chappell,
Auburn fisheries Associate professor,
catches a tilapia from a tank inside a
research greenhouse. Fish wastewater
is piped to an adjacent greenhouse
to irrigate and fertilize plants
and vegetable crops. |
Fish wastewater perfect for plants
Fish farmers in Alabama who
produce tilapia in greenhouse-enclosed
tanks can turn the wastewater
from those tanks into a new
source of income, two AAES researchers at Auburn say.
Jesse Chappell on the fisheries
faculty and Jeff Sibley in horticulture
have developed a system that
pipes the nutrient-rich wastewater
from the tank to an adjacent
greenhouse, where it’s used to irrigate
and nourish all manner of
flowers, ornamental shrubs, herbs
and vegetable crops.
The organically fertilized
plants flourish, thus giving growers
high-value plants, cut flowers
and fresh produce to market.
Read more in the current issue.
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