A Comparative Study Between the Growth of Pechay (Brassica rapa) (Plant) Grown Through Aquaponics and Traditional Farming in Naic, Cavite

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

Aquaponics can be considered to be one of the greatest innovations in aquaculture and agriculture. It is a system of aquaculture in which the waste produced by the farmed fish or other aquatic animals supplies nutrients for plants grown hydroponically, which in turn purify the water. The aim of the study is to know which method of farming is better and significantly higher between aquaponics and traditional setup in terms of height and leaf quality.

METHODS

Seeds were first germinated, and after 3 weeks, 6 randomly selected plants were transplanted to the aquaponics setup and 6 randomly selected plants were transplanted to the traditional farming setup. The plants were observed in terms of leaf quality, and the heights were recorded every other day. After 5 weeks, the average heights of the plants were computed and the mode of the leaf quality scale was recorded. T-test was conducted to know if there is a significant difference between the two methods in terms of height and leaf quality

RESULTS

The t-test showed that in terms of height, the plants grown through aquaponics were significantly higher than that of plants grown through traditional farming, while the leaf quality in both setups has no significant difference. This is because there are more three major element requirements to grow healthy plants which are nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, which are found in the wastes of the tilapia fishes than in soil. These can then be used by the plants as fertilizers for their growth.

DISCUSSIONS

The reason for the results of the statistical test on the height of the plants grow through the two different setups is that plants have three major element requirements to grow healthy, which are nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium also referred to as NPK. These elements, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, are contained on the waste of tilapia fishes. These can serve as fertilizer when it is mixed to the aquarium water and watered to the plants. Containing this kind of nutrients on the water for the plants can improve its growth, which can help plants grow taller than those raised using traditional farming in 5 weeks of observation.