HYDROPONIC AND AQUAPONIC PRODUCTION OF SWEET BASIL (Ocimum basilicum) AND GIANT RIVER PRAWN (Macrobrachium rosenbergii)

Abstract

In order to promote sustainable aquaculture in production units and to take care of the water resource is needed to integrate biotechnology tools to the activity, as is the aquaponics. In the present study we evaluated the production efficiency of a crop of basil (Ocimum basilicum) in a hydroponic system (SH) vs. acuaponic system (SA) associated with the semi-intensive culture of Malaysian prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii). The production of basil was conducted in two geomembrane plastic rectangular tanks (4.0 m long x 0.80 m wide and 0.30 m high), divided into two sections: in the first section setting of the seedlings were done in a substrate of silica sand and volcanic rock , whereas in the second were seeded into plastic containers using the same substrate. SH plants got their nutrients from the metabolites derived from the cultivation of 800 postlarval shrimp in two circular tanks of 25 m3 (16 organisms m-2) (Pond 1: initial weight 0.13 g, Pond 2: 2.19 g); while in the SH was used a commercial nutrient solution (1.5 g L). The results indicate that SH plants initially had higher survival (90%), height and number of leaves per plant (p <0.05) compared with SA plants which had a survival rate of 25%, the last associated with the constant supply of inorganic nutrients, but plants of SA improved their growth by increasing the biomass of prawns in the ponds and the consequent production of metabolites, which were utilized at 100%. Therefore we can conclude that it is feasible cultivation of basil associated with prawn farming in a recirculation system, which also improved the quality of pond water by absorption of nitrogen metabolites by plants.