Importance of aquaponic systems as a food source with the implementation of new technologies

Abstract

For the development of any living being, it is essential to consume or obtain nutrients from the environment in which it is found; Consequently, if living beings (plants, animals, fungi, etc.) are used in productive systems, the issue of nutrients becomes even more important since it is not only sought that the living being survives, but also that it grows in an optimal way. The principle of aquaponics is based on the integration of aquaculture (production of aquatic species) with hydroponics (cultivation of plants in the absence of soil) through the use of water and nutrient recirculation systems. In the general scheme of the aquaponic model, the food that is supplied to the fish functions as the energy input to the system, from where they obtain the necessary nutrients to grow and live. Like any organism, fish assimilate what is necessary from food and the compounds that they obtain in excess together with those that are the product or waste of their metabolism, they excrete. These wastes and the food not consumed by the fish, become the substrate from which bacteria, fungi and microalgae take the necessary nutrients to increase their population. This synergy allows the transformation of toxic waste for the same aquatic system as ammonium nitrite, into nitrates; molecules that plants take advantage of to develop, grow, produce biomass and fruits rich in nutrients, the primary objective of a plant production system. However, these energy transformation processes require the control of physical and chemical parameters that allow the well-being of all living beings that converge in the aquaponic production system. Consequently, it has been very important to validate the operation of a remote monitoring system in real time of water quality parameters and environmental variables through the implementation of communication systems supported by the principle of the Internet of Things ( IoT), which consists of equipping objects with sensors and devices, so that they remain connected to the Internet through fixed and wireless networks, allowing the collection and exchange of data for monitoring, analysis and management in real time and of this way you can have control and monitoring of what happens within the aquaponic system.