Water Spinach Ipomoea Aquatica Research Articles

L-DOPA induces iron accumulation in roots of Ipomoea aquatica and Arabidopsis thaliana in a pH-dependent manner

BackgroundIron deficiency is the leading cause of anemia worldwide, particularly in countries with predominant plant-based diets. Plants constitute the main source of dietary iron. Increasing their iron concentration could reduce the occurrence of anemia. The water spinach Ipomoea aquatica is consumed as a vegetable throughout Asia and tolerates high iron concentrations making it an attractive candidate for iron biofortification. L-DOPA is an allelopathic molecule secreted by some legumes. L-DOPA can trigger the expression of Fe deficiency-inducible genes, and could potentially be used as a biostimulant to increase Fe concentration.ResultsL-DOPA significantly affected root growth of water spinach, and triggered a massive accumulation of Fe in roots. Both effects were exacerbated when L-DOPA was dissolved in KOH, which is surprising given that L-DOPA is less stable at high pH. To check whether a higher pH could indeed increase the bioactivity of L-DOPA, we used Arabidopsis thaliana, which grows at lower pH than water spinach, and subjected the plants to L-DOPA treatments at pH 5.5 and pH 6.0, which are both within the optimal range for Arabidopsis nutrition. At pH 6.0, the root growth of Arabidopsis was more strongly inhibited than at pH 5.5. We found that at higher pH, L-DOPA oxidizes to form a melanin precipitate.ConclusionsWe concluded that the oxidation of L-DOPA that we observed upon solubilization in KOH, or in nutrient solutions at slightly higher pH produces melanin-related molecules that are more potent than L-DOPA itself to trigger the primary root growth inhibition, Fe uptake and root Fe accumulation in water spinach and Arabidopsis.

Effect of stocking density on growth performance of African catfish Clarias gariepinus and water spinach Ipomoea aquatica in aquaponics systems with the addition of AB mix nutrient

Aquaponics is the cultivation of fish and plants in a series of systems, either in one container or in separate containers, by paying attention to the balance between fish, plants, and aquatic microorganisms. One of the obstacles in aquaponic activities is that vegetable growth is not optimal due to a lack of dissolved nutrients, so further research is needed to make better plant growth. This study aimed to evaluate catfish and water spinach growth performance in an aquaponic system by adding AB mix nutrients at different fish stocking densities. This study used a completely randomized design with three differences in stocking densities of catfish (150 fish/m3, 200 fish/m3, and 250 fish/m3) as test animals with four replications where AB mix was added to each treatment. The growth performance of catfish is better in control with a stocking density of 250 fish/m3 and without adding nutrients. The growth performance of catfish decreased with the addition of AB mix nutrients, while the growth of water spinach was better. The growth rate of catfish without adding AB mix nutrients was higher than in other treatments. In contrast, all treatments with the addition of AB mix increased the growth performance of water spinach, with the stocking density of catfish not affecting the growth of water spinach plants.
 Keywords: aquaponics, water spinach, catfish, growth
 
 ABSTRAK
 Akuaponik merupakan budidaya ikan dan tanaman dalam satu rangkaian sistem, baik dalam satu wadah maupun dalam wadah terpisah dengan memperhatikan keseimbangan antara ikan, tanaman dan mikroorganisme perairan. Salah satu kendala sistem akuaponik adalah pertumbuhan sayuran yang tidak optimal karena kurangnya nutrisi terlarut. Tujuan dari penelitian ini untuk mengevaluasi performa pertumbuhan lele dan kangkung dalam sistem akuaponik dengan penambahan nutrisi AB mix dan pada padat tebar ikan yang berbeda. Penelitian menggunakan rancangan acak lengkap dengan tiga perbedaan padat tebar ikan lele (150 ekor/m3, 200 ekor/m3, dan 250 ekor/m3) sebagai hewan uji sebanyak empat ulangan di mana nutrien AB mix ditambahkan disetiap perlakuan. Kinerja pertumbuhan ikan lele lebih baik pada perlakuan kontrol dengan padat tebar 250 ekor/m3 dan tanpa penambahan nutrisi AB mix. Performa pertumbuhan ikan lele menurun dengan adanya penambahan nutrisi AB mix, sedangkan pertumbuhan tanaman kangkung lebih baik. Laju pertumbuhan ikan lele dengan tanpa penambahan nutrisi AB mix lebih tinggi dibandingkan perlakuan lainnya, sedangkan semua perlakuan dengan penambahan AB mix meningkatkan performa pertumbuhan tanaman kangkung dengan jumlah padat tebar ikan lele tidak berpengaruh pada pertumbuhan tanaman kangkung.
 Kata kunci: akuaponik, kangkung, lele, pertumbuhan

Polystyrene nanoplastics' accumulation in roots induces adverse physiological and molecular effects in water spinach Ipomoea aquatica Forsk

The ubiquity of plastic pollution has emerged as a perplexing issue for aquatic and terrestrial plants. To assess the toxic effects of polystyrene NPs (PS-NPs, 80 nm), we conducted a hydroponic experiment in which water spinach (Ipomoea aquatica Forsk) was subjected to low (0.5 mg/L), medium (5 mg/L), and high (10 mg/L) concentrations of fluorescent PS-NPs for 10 days to examine their accumulation and transportation in water spinach and associated impacts on growth, photosynthesis, antioxidant defense systems. Laser confocal scanning microscopy (LCSM) observations at 10 mg/L PS-NPs exposure indicated that PS-NPs only adhered to the root surface of water spinach and were not transported upward, indicating that short-term exposure to high concentrations of PS-NPs (10 mg/L) did not cause the internalization of PS-NPs in the water spinach. However, this high concentration of PS-NPs (10 mg/L) discernibly inhibited the growth parameters (fresh weight, root length and shoot length), albeit failed to induce any significant impact on chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b concentrations. Meanwhile, high concentration of PS-NPs (10 mg/L) significantly decreased the SOD and CAT activities in leaves (p < 0.05). At the molecular level, low and medium concentrations of PS-NPs (0.5, 5 mg/L) significantly promoted the expression of photosynthesis (PsbA and rbcL) and antioxidant-related (SIP) genes in leaves (p < 0.05), and high concentration of PS-NPs (10 mg/L) significantly increased the transcription levels of antioxidant-related (APx) genes (p < 0.01). Our results imply that PS-NPs accumulate in the roots of water spinach, compromising the upward transport of water and nutrients and undermining the antioxidant defense system of the leaves at the physiological and molecular levels. These results provide a fresh perspective to examine the implications of PS-NPs on edible aquatic plants, and future efforts should be focused intensively on the impacts of PS-NPs on agricultural sustainability and food security.

Productivity and economic viability of snakehead Channa striata culture using an aquaponics approach

This study was carried out to investigate the viability of utilizing aquaponic technology in culturing local fish: snakehead Channa striata and water spinach Ipomoea aquatica. Snakehead was raised for 150 days in a floating plastic pond with an area of 3 × 4 × 1.2 m having a capacity volume of ∼14.4 m3. Fish were randomly arranged into two experimental systems at density of ∼0.3 kg fingerlings/m3 e.g. SAQ – snakehead in aquaponics; SC – snakehead in normal system where control ponds were continuously aerated with ∼20% daily exchange of water. Fish were fed commercial feed twice a day. Initial results showed that in aquaponics compared with normal systems the SAQ efficiency exhibited 70% water exchange; five times lower in NH3 level: (0.01–0.03 mg/L vs. 0.05–0.16 mg/L); three times lower in NO2 level: (0.28–0.58 mg/L vs. 0.56–2.59 mg/L). Snakehead production was significantly higher in aquaponics with higher survival ratio of fish: 99.76% vs. 71.40%; ∼3 times higher in fish yield: 366 kg vs. 130 kg. The production of water spinach was also elevated in aquaponics versus normal systems 406.4 kg vs. 188 kg. The total income from snakehead and water spinach in SAQ were 4 times higher than in normal farming systems: 1219.42 $US and 307.04 $US. Based on the results of the current study, it is expected that applying aquaponics utilizing local available materials and species will enhance the sustainability of the overall system and keep the aquaponics lasting and expanding to social life especially on sustainable culturing snakehead Channa striata.

Health risks of essential Ni and Fe via consumption of water spinach Ipomoea aquatica collected from Peninsular Malaysia

The concentrations of Fe and Ni were analyzed in the water spinach Ipomoea aquatica collected from 11 sampling sites (Ara Kuda (2016), Setiawan (2016), Sikamat (2013-2018) and 8 sites in Sepang area (2005-2006)) from Peninsular Malaysia. The range of Fe (mg/kg dw) in the plant samples was 155-775(15.5-77.5mg/kg ww) while the range of Ni(mg/kg dw) was 1.71-20.3(0.17-2.03 mg/kg ww). In assessing the human health risk, the target hazard quotient values for Fe and Ni in Malaysian adults are <1.00. The current results showed no non-carcinogenic risks of Fe and Ni through the consumption of I. aquatica from the 11 sites. Considering the fact that most of the samples were collected from the wild and grown in the uncontrolled drainages, the heavy metal concentrations should be closely monitored in these vegetables.

Effects of water spinach Ipomoea aquatica cultivation on water quality and performance of Chinese soft-shelled turtle Pelodiscus sinensis pond culture

The Chinese soft-shelled turtle Pelodiscus sinensis is a highly valued freshwater spe- cies cultured in China. A 122 d experiment was conducted to assess the effects of water spinach Ipomoea aquatica cultivation in floating beds on water quality, and growth performance and eco- nomic return of P. sinensis cultured in ponds. Two treatments, each in triplicate, with and without I. aquatica cultivation were designed. Results showed that the levels of total ammonia nitrogen (TAN), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), chlorophyll a (chl a) and turbidity in treatments with I. aquatica cultivation (IAC) were significantly (p < 0.05) lower than those in treatments with- out I. aquatica (control). Mean TN and TP concentrations in the IAC treatment were 27.9 and 42.5%, respectively, lower than in the control treatment at the end of the experiment. The pres- ence of I. aquatica also has a positive effect on the performance of P. sinensis. Although no signif- icant difference was found in specific growth rate (SGR) between the 2 treatments, mean survival rates, production and net income were significantly higher in the IAC treatment compared to the control (p < 0.05). These results suggest that I. aquatica cultivation in the pond system of turtles has a synergistic effect on overall economic return and is effective at improving turtle growth performance and water quality.

Effects of feeding frequency and photoperiod on water quality and crop production in a tilapia–water spinach raft aquaponics system

A factorial arrangement of 6 treatments, 2 photoperiods for water spinach Ipomoea aquatica (12-h or 24-h light per day) X 3 feeding frequencies for red tilapia Oreochromis sp. (an equal daily ration evenly fed 6, 4 or 2 times at 4-h, 6-h or 12-h interval, respectively) were assigned to 12 tanks. Each tank was an aquaponics system containing fish and raft-supporting plant. Water loss in 4 weeks was 3.3%, due to leaf transpiration mainly and evaporation. Water quality remained safe and stable. No fish died. Overall average weight gain was 43.9% for fish and 169.0% for plant. 24-h light resulted in 2.4% higher fish growth, 12% higher plant growth and lower accumulation of all nitrogen and phosphate species in water than 12-h light. Increased feeding frequency favored stable and good water quality and fastened fish growth and plant growth by as much as 4.9% and 11%, respectively.