Productivity of Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), Lettuce (Lactuca sativa) and Spinach (Spinacia oleracea) in an Integrated Aquaculture System

Abstract

Integrated fish farming can be a solution to utilize the scarce resources efficiently and reduce waste disposal through recycling of waste. Hence, the main purpose of this experiment was to estimate the profitability and yield of vegetables (lettuce and spinach) from Oreochromis niloticus in an integrated fish farming system. A total of 114m2 lands for vegetable cultivation and a fish pond with a size of 10m×15m×1.7m were used. 200 fingerlings of Oreochromis niloticus with an average initial weight of 8.5 gram were stocked and reared at a stocking density of 1.3fish/m.2 The experimental design for vegetable production was 2×4 factorial design. The average final weight of Oreochromis niloticus after four months of rearing was 61.76g. Four treatments were used for vegetable production; treatment 1 (T1) was vegetable production using pond water, Treatment 2 (T2) was using fertilizer, treatment 3 (T3) was using compost and treatment 4 (T4) was using tap water (control group). Outcomes of the general linear model revealed that lettuce productions of T1, T2, and T3 were significantly higher than T4, while spinach productions of T1 were significantly higher than(p˂0.05), T2 and T4 but there is no significant difference from T3. Depending on the result T1 was 1.8 times more profitable than T2, 2.06 times more profitable than T3, and 11.06 times more profitable than T4. Based on the current finding, integrated fish farmers could improve fish production, vegetable yield, and net returns by integrating fish farming system with other on-farm activities.