Runoff of foliar-applied natural fungicides in aquaponics: Implications for fish and nitrification.

ABSTRACT

Aquaponics is a method of producing food in a sustainable manner through the integration of aquaculture and hydroponics, which allows simultaneous cultivation of fish and economic crops. The use of natural fungicides are crucial to the sustainable control of diseases in aquaponics. We assessed the potential impacts of natural fungicides, such as clove oil and lecithin, as well as a synthetic fungicide, tebuconazole, following foliar application in aquaponics. This study examined the runoff rates of the fungicides in decoupled aquaponics, and the subsequent effects of the runoffs on nitrification processes and Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). The runoffs of the foliar-applied fungicides, clove oil, lecithin, and tebuconazole, were detected in aquaponics water at a percentage runoff rate of 0.3 %, 2.3 %, and 0.3-0.8 % respectively. In the biofilter, lecithin altered the ammonium levels by increasing ammonium-nitrogen levels by 7 mg L-1, 6 h post application. Clove oil, on the other hand, showed no significant effect on ammonium, nitrite, and nitrate-nitrogen. Similarly, the toxicity test showed that eugenol had no significant effects on the hematological, biochemical and antioxidative activities of O. niloticus. Conversely, tebuconazole exhibited significant and persistent effects on various biochemical parameters, including lactate, albumin, and total protein, as well as hematological parameters like hemoglobin and MCH. The use of lecithin and tebuconazole should only be limited to decoupled aquaponics.