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Aquaponics Lab Explores Food
Production for Earth and Possibly Mars
Professor Peter Merkle can envision his research, which involves networks
of ecotubes full of plants, fish, and fish waste, one day helping feed humans
living on Mars. “My idea is essentially to have a swamp on Mars,” he says. “We
have to learn how to maintain an ecosystem off the planet Earth. But for now,
the research being done in the Aquaponics Lab at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical
University’s Daytona Beach Campus is focused on creating a more sustainable
food supply here on Earth. In the lab, fish, such as tilapia or koi, are kept in tanks,
and plants are cultivated without soil in a rigid foam raft, called a grow raft, that
floats in a pool of nutrient-rich water fertilized by the fish waste. One of the plants
cultivated in the lab is a species of tree, Moringa oleifera, whose leaves are highly
nutritious. Merkle and his students are also researching the possibility of using
aquaponics to produce food for future Earth colonists on Mars.
- news.erau.edu
Nutrients For Life Foundation Celebrates 10 Years
Those in agriculture know fertilizer is a vital ingredient to grow strong, productive crops
and is responsible for 50 per cent of the world’s food production. However, growers, crop
nutrient suppliers, and fertilizer manufacturers risk their social license to operate if
the public doesn’t understand the benefits of fertilizer and its role in producing
nutritious food. The only educational voice for fertilizer, Nutrients for Life
Foundation, is celebrating 10 years in the classroom this year. The Foundation
provides teachers with free science-based resources that meet national and
state teaching standards. “Fertilizer truly is life’s main ingredient and we
need healthy soils to grow plants that become nutritious food,” says Harriet
Wegmeyer, executive director of Nutrients for Life Foundation. “Our goal is
to teach tomorrow’s leaders the importance of fertilizer in feeding
an ever-growing world population.” Since it was founded in
2004, nearly 30 million people have been impacted by
a touchpoint with Nutrients for Life Found ation
resources and outreach.
- croplife.com
Hydroponic Vegetable Market
a Big Trends to Watch Out For
Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, and Africa are experiencing
high demand for an exotic hydroponic vegetable market,
with major market regions like Europe and North America
already choosing hydroponic vegetables due to high demand
for natural and fresh farm products by a health-cautious
population, according to analysis by Transparency Market Research. The global consumption
of natural and fresh farm products have increased, they stated in a recent release. This is
expected to affect the hydroponic vegetable market in a positive way. Reduction in the
cost of production and timely, healthy yields are the main unique selling propositions of the
hydroponic vegetable market. The technology used to produce the vegetables make them
available year-round, and production of exotic varieties of vegetables near the selling point
also helps to bring down the selling price, resulting in heavy consumption.
- openpr.com
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