ASSESSMENT OF BACTERIA IN AQUAPONICS BY CULTURE DEPENDENT TECHNIQUES

Abstract

Aquaponics is an intensive sustainable food production system that combines aquaculture and hydroponics, in which fish and plants grow together symbiotically. In an aquaponic unit, the effluent rich nutrients derived from nitrogenous waste excreted from fish, fish feed and decomposing organic matter,fertilizes hydroponic beds providing essential nutrients for plant growth. Simplified raft aquaponic system vary greatly in design and construction, but perform all key functions of plant and fish production, removal of suspended solids and bacterial nitrification. All life forms require nitrogen as an integral part of proteins and nucleic acids, therefore all living organisms are involved in the nitrogen cycle. This process is primarily accomplished by two groups of autotrophic nitrifying bacteria that can build organic molecules and utilize CO2 as the carbon source for biosynthesis and oxidation of nitrogen compounds as the energy source. Abroad range of major parameters and factors affecting bacterial growth has been studied in this paper which are essential for nitrification, that include healthy biofilter with appropriate water conditions like, water temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), total nitrogen concentrations. Characterization and identification of bacterial populations in an aquaponics system has been carried out by cultivation-dependant techniques and traditional methods of analyzing microbial communities using standard light microscopy.