The research results on vertical cultivation systems for fish and plant production served as the basis for this. Together with Kai Lorkowski, Dr Stephan Ende and Mirko Bögner of the Aquaculture Research Group of the Marine Bioeconomy Section of the AWI, a requirements profile was then drawn up for the new prototypes. the Micro-Aquaponics and -Hydroponics Systems, will be tested for different research trials, to sharpen the requirement profiles for the following prototypes/products.
In the joint pilot phase, the prototypes will be put through their paces in order to be able to complete the adjustments for a marketable product by the end of the year 2022. For this purpose, the AWI in Bremerhaven is currently running several test series with the support of Katrin Weiss (Bsc. Student, University Bremen). Two identical prototypes are designed for use in aquaponics and hydroponics trials. The aim of the test series is to generate meaningful and reproducible data for the question "Is plant production in aquaponics more sustainable than in conventional hydroponic cultivation systems".
The benefits of the systems and why they are suitable for improving knowledge gain in controlled organic agriculture are described by the AWI in the following way: "Especially the high degree of automation through intelligent, sensor-based control technology and the user-friendly app facilitate the daily management for the researchers. As a result, the systems provide an environment that reduces human involvement to a minimum. Thus, in addition to lighting cycles, many other parameters such as fertilizer dosing can be monitored and controlled from the office via the app. Much of the automatically generated data is stored and can be accessed by the scientists at any time.“
Greenhub focuses on developing technologies to help shape the immense transformative potential of the vertical indoor farming market. The minds behind these efforts are a competent team of committed and sustainably oriented individuals, namely: Alexander Jaworski, Kay Plat, Dr. Markus Meier, Dr. Christian Splith and Christoph Büttner.
Vertical farming refers to the practice of cultivating food and/or medicine using vertically layered systems integrated within other structures. By using technology, it controls all the environmental factors that contribute to crop quality, yield and durability, including climate control, irrigation, fertigation and lighting. Such a high level of technology signifies a high transformative potential.
Aquaponics is the cultivation method that combines the cultivation of plants and fishes. In an aquaponic system, a synergy is created between fish, micro-organisms and plants. The nutrient-rich water of the fish is used as a fertilizer base for the plants. The plants absorb the nutrients and thereby purify the water. With aquaponics, the water demand can be reduced by up to 90% (compared to conventional agriculture). To learn more about these cultivation methods and the team's work in research projects, please have a look at the following pages.
