عنوان

Development of a Manure-Based Nutrient Supply for Hydroponic Crop Production Using Ion Activity Monitoring

Number

TLpq2515592540

.Language of Text, Soundtrack etc

انگلیسی

Title Proper

Development of a Manure-Based Nutrient Supply for Hydroponic Crop Production Using Ion Activity Monitoring

General Material Designation

[Thesis]

First Statement of Responsibility

Tikász, Péter

Subsequent Statement of Responsibility

Lefsrud, Mark

Name of Publisher, Distributor, etc.

McGill University (Canada)

Date of Publication, Distribution, etc.

2019

Specific Material Designation and Extent of Item

190

Dissertation or thesis details and type of degree

Ph.D.

Body granting the degree

McGill University (Canada)

Text preceding or following the note

2019

Text of Note

With the increase in population and food demand, and, the limit of water and land available, novel methods are needed to produce food. Over the last decades, there has been a growth in controlled environments, especially greenhouses, and the use of hydroponic systems to produce food. In this context, the present thesis elaborates different approaches to grow food in a hydroponic system using organic fertilizers. To fulfill this goal, different animal manure extracts used in hydroponic system are examined and the nutrient solutions prepared are balanced to meet the plant needs. The first study investigated different techniques to prepare a nutrient solution with cow, chicken and turkey manure. The objective of the study was to determine the impact of aerated manure extract on the growth of lettuce and kale under different manure concentrations. Nutrient analysis showed 29 to 79% higher concentration of NH4 and higher total nitrogen in the manure extracts, which may have induced toxicity in plants. Plants that are susceptible to ammonium toxicity lack the ability to exclude ammonium through the plasma-membrane influx system and therefore, accumulate excessive amounts in the cytosol. Principal component analysis of the nutrient solutions identified six nutrient that needs to be monitored to maximize plant yield using manure extracts: NO3, NH4, Ca, Mg, Mn, and Na. The highest biomass was produced for both plants in the turkey extract at 50 g/L, while all plants died in the chicken extract at 50 g/L. In addition, besides ammonium and phosphorus, all other nutrients were below the suggested concentration required by plants to grow optimally. The second study focused on a method to balance the nutrient solution made from animal manure. Specifically, powder and solid blast-furnace slag (90%) and Portland cement (10%) from Lafarge was added to chicken extract solution to balance the potassium and calcium levels. Animal manure is known to be nutrient deficient in K and Ca, while they contain Na which can be toxic to plants at high concentrations. The addition of Portland cement powder and cured cement blocks increased the Ca (from 38.8 to 57.4 to mg/L), K (from 93.4 to 121.2 mg/L) and Na (from 26.3 to 54.5 mg/L) content respectively in the solutions, without reaching toxic levels for Na. Healthy plants were grown in the manure and dry slag cement solution, however they were a fraction of the control treatment, 8% for kale and 19% for lettuce of total aboveground wet mass. The third experiment focused on the reduction of ammonium and the increase of nitrate in the chicken manure extract. Aeration and the addition of molasses was used to promote the growth of beneficial microorganisms to mineralize the nutrients and make it available for the plants. Aeration of chicken extract solution promoted nitrification and resulted in a reduction of ammonium content by 62% within a period of 12 days. Molasses was added to promote denitrification and to control nitrate levels in the solution, however the nitrate levels were still minimal, below 10 mg/L, at the end of the experiment. During the experiment, an ion-selective electrode was used to monitor ammonium content over time. In the fourth experiment, three methods of measurement for ammonium and nitrate were compared. This included the API water test kit, ion-selective electrodes (ISE) and the Lachat flow injection instrument. Currently, the Lachat spectrometry is the most commonly used method, however, ISEs allow for a continuous monitoring. The API test kit was not reliable even after the pre-treatment steps. ISE was the best method to measure NH4, however a linear regression model was required to adjust ISE measurements. NO3 in the manure extracts was low and difficult to measure with both API and ISE methods, however the ISE confirmed that the manure extracts were NO3 deficient. In the fifth study, a controlled area network binary unitary system (CAN bus) system was designed to monitor moisture and temperature levels in different hydroponic beds and to activate water pumps for irrigation purposes. The highest yield was measured in the timed treatment, where moisture varied from 88%-100%, with the lowest in the 25%-85% treatment. Individual plant wet and dry mass was monitored using a remote sensing instrument and confirmed at harvest. This system could be used in greenhouses with many crops, as the CAN bus is easy to setup and does not require to modify the software. The sixth study was on the design and implementation of a bioreactor and a nutrient monitoring instrument using ion-selective electrodes in a research facility. Polar Eggs, a poultry farm located in Hay River, Northwest Territories of Canada, designed and created the PoutryPonics facility. This controlled environment facility was designed for experimenting food production and was created to address food insecurity in northern Canada. Within PoultryPonics, chickens were raised, and their manure was transformed to manure extracts for the use in hydroponic systems. The bioreactor was used to aerate the manure, to promote nitrification, and mix other organic residues to balance out the nutrient solution. The system was successfully implemented in the facility.

Agriculture

Food

Manures

Microbiology

Population

Soil sciences

Lefsrud, Mark

Tikász, Péter

Electronic name

p

[Thesis]

276903

a

Y