Research Article: Cultivation of Lemon Basil, Ocimum americanum, in two different hydroponic configurations supplemented with various concentrations of Tilapia aquaculture green water

Abstract

Abstract It was deemed important to determine whether Tilapia fish green water would allow increased lemon basil plant growth when added to a hydroponic nutrient solution. Since Tilapia effluent is known to contain beneficial microorganisms, it was hypothesized that it would enhance hydroponic plant growth. In the initial study, fish green water was added at varying concentrations (8.3%, 4.2%, and 0%) in three different plastic pool “cultures” (six feet in diameter containing 60 gallons of nutrient solution and 51 culture cups per pool). In the subsequent experiment, the size of the culture containers was decreased in order to obtain additional culture replicates (three replicates in each of the four groups which each contained 19 gallons of nutrient solution and seven culture cups). Nutrient solutions were monitored once a week for pH, temperature, electronic conductivity (EC), and total dissolved solutes (TDS). Also, plants were enumerated and their relative health noted. After eight or nine weeks of cu...