Veggie Tails

THINK YOU NEED a big red barn and acres of soil to have a successful farm? A different type of agriculture is taking root these days, and a UMD researcher is demonstrating how new adopters can make sure their plans go swimmingly.

Jose-Luis Izursa, senior lecturer in the Department of Environmental Science and Technology (ENST), oversees a recently opened 1,200-square-foot aquaponics greenhouse near the Xfinity Center, where colorful trays of lettuce grow above 200-gallon barrels of meaty tilapia and baby bluegill, as well as a smaller version in the Animal Science Building with goldfish.

Aquaponics combines aquaculture, or fish farming, with hydroponics, growing plants in water instead of soil. Fish produce waste, which is pumped through filters where bacteria break down ammonia into nitrates that provide nutrients for the vegetables, creating a sustainable, closed-loop system. The practice uses just a tenth of the water of traditional agriculture, can be set up in urban or space-constrained areas, and can grow food year-round.

“Aquaponics is a good alternative, especially in areas like Maryland and D.C. where land is very expensive,” says Izursa, who has already donated extra greens to the Campus Pantry, and hopes to bring tilapia to Dining Services.

Student workers and volunteers help him run the labs; he had about 15 this spring from departments across campus. They feed the fish, check pH and oxygen levels, and monitor experiments, including the effects of substituting black soldier fly larvae for commercial fish food and how different-sized air bubbles influence fish and veggie health.

The lab has become a teaching tool, not only for ENST students, who created a mobile system that can be taken to fairs and K-12 classrooms, but for farmers and others through a UMD Extension class.

“I want to put Maryland on the map for aquaponics,” Izursa says.