PLANT ECOPHYSIOLOGY

Plant Ecophysiology 2 (2010) 61-66

PLANT ECOPHYSIOLOGY
Effect of different planting beds on growth and development of
strawberry in hydroponic and aquaponic cultivation systems
S. Afsharipoor
a*
, H.R. Roosta
b
a
Islamic Azad University, Jiroft Branch, Jiroft, Iran.
b
University of Vali-e Asr, Rafsanjan, Iran.

Received on October 25, 2010; revised on December 24, 2010; accepted on January 10, 2011
Abstract
Hydroponically integrated fish and plant production system (aquaponics) is a new production method that has received
attention by growers and researchers recently. In order to investigate the effect of different plant substrates (per-
lite/cocopeat ratios) on strawberry growth and development in hydroponic and aquaponic systems, a greenhouse experi-
ment was carried out as a factorial trial with a completely randomized design in three replications. Results of statistical
analysis showed that in hydroponic system, leaf, crown and root fresh weight, runner length, individual leaf weight, chlo-
rophyll a and b content (in high cocopeat ratios), total chlorophyll and carotenoid content (in high cocopeat ratios), were
significantly higher than aquaponic system. Increase of cocopeat to perlite ratio in hydroponic system caused a higher
chlorophyll a and b content in leaves and this increase was accompanied with increase of plant growth. Results of this
research revealed that most of the measured features were better in hydroponic system than in aquaponic system. In addi-
tion, the perlite or cocopeat substrates individually were not appropriate for cultivation but their combination was found to
be suitable as substrate for cultivation.
Keywords: Aquaponic; hydroponic; substrate; strawberry.
Introduction
Strawberry (Fragaria ananassa Duch.) is a
crop which is cultivated in greenhouse in Iran.
Therefore, developing new methods to increase
its yield and quality can play an important role in
improving the performance of strawberry green-
houses. One of the modern soil-free cultivation
methods is hydroponic method whose advantages
such as control of crop nutrition, the capacity to
increase planting density, decreasing diseases and
pests and increasing the quantity and quality of
the product have attracted many growers (Tuzel
et al., 2001). In this method, organic and inorgan-
ic beds are used for growing crops. The characte-
ristics of various materials used as cultivation bed
directly and indirectly affect the growth and pro-
duction of the crop (Verdonk et al., 1982). Aera-
tion is an important factor which affects a crop
productivity. Oxygen is a necessary element for
cell activity so that if it is absent in rooting zone,
the crop growth will be undermined because crop
supplies the required energy for root growth and
ion absorption by an oxygen-needing process, i.e.
respiration. Aerobic conditions improve roots
including capillary roots by uniform distribution
of water and air in pores (Ronagi and Maftoon,
2003). If the pores contain equal amounts of wa-
ter and air in a solid cultivation bed, the amount
of oxygen will suffice for the normal growth and
activity of roots (Bruce et al., 1980). By affecting
the amount of pores, growth bed structure essen-
tially influences the growth of the crops. In a
study on strawberry cv. Camarosa planted in soil
and perlite, it was found that the strawberries
planted in perlite produced their highest yields in
January and February which can be regarded as
an early fruit with a high price as the economical
*
Corresponding authors email: siminafshar1388@gmail.com
62 S. Afsharipoor and H.R. Roosta / Plant Ecophysiology 2 (2010) 61-66

warranty and they had lower runners than the
strawberries planted in soil (Hochmuth and
Sweat, 1993). A study on productivity and quali-
ty of strawberry on different cultivation beds with
different ratios of perlite to zeolite showed that
the best cultivation bed was the ratios of 1:1 and
1:3 of perlite to zeolite (Fotouhi Ghazvini et al.,
2007). By comparing the beds of rock wool, per-
lite + carbonized rice hull, cedar bark and coco-
nut coir, Inden and Torres (2004) reported the
highest yield of strawberry on the bed of perlite +
carbonized rice hull. Among the beds of perlite,
perlite + rice hull, perlite + carbonized rice hull
and pure rice hull, Lee et al. (1999) reported the
perlite followed by the mixture of perlite + car-
bonized rice hull as the best beds for hydroponic
planting of cucumber. In a study in Virgin Isl-
ands in the U.S. in 1997 for the determination of
appropriate amount of fish water waste as N
source for guinea grass (Panicum maximum), the
results showed that fish waste can provide water
and organic nitrogen for forage production in dry
seasons (Valencia and Flemming, 2000). An aq-
uaponic system was constructed in Alberta, Can-
ada which included four fishery tanks and four
raft hydroponic tanks. The yield of strawberry
and cucumber in this system was higher than the
mean yield of commercial greenhouses where
usual hydroponic systems are used (Savido et al.,
2007).
Materials and Methods
The study was carried out in hydroponic
greenhouse of Agronomy Department, Valiasr
University of Rafsanjan, Iran in autumn of 2009.
Strawberry transplant roots cv. Paroos which had
been procured from Kordestan, Iran, were
washed out of soil by tap water. The disinfected
plastofoam pots were filled with different ratios
of perlite: cocopeat (only perlite, 75% perlite +
25% cocopeat, 50% perlite + 50% cocopeat, 25%
perlite + 75% cocopeat, and only cocopeat). Six
pots were filled with each planting bed and 3
transplants were planted in each pot and three
pots of each planting bed were dissolved with
hydroponic solution (1/2 concentration of Hoag-
land solution) and three others were dissolved
with aquaponic solution (procured from raft
tanks). The pots were manually dissolved with
the amount of 300 mL three times a day.
Aquaponic system (Fig. 1) was formed of a
fish tank with the volume of 850 liters which
consisted of 20 fish of carp, grass carp and silver
carp type, each about 300 gr. These special types
of fish were selected because carp is very resis-
tant to temperature variations (especially high
temperatures) and environment. Their tempera-
ture need was 20-30C. Considering the available
water temperature, these water-water fish species
were nurtured. They were procured from fish
pool. The water of fish tank was supplied by tap
water with the adjusted temperature of 24C. The
tank was made of galvanized metal and painted
by pool-specific paint. An aquarium heater was
mounted inside the tank and the tank was covered
by a cloth net hatch to prevent fish from jumping
out of water. The sewage of the tank consisted of

Fig. 1. Scheme of aquaponic system, University of Veli-e Asr, Rafsanjan, Iran.
Fish Tank
Purifier
Infiltration Tank
Degasifier Tank
Hydroponic Tank
S. Afsharipoor and H.R. Roosta / Plant Ecophysiology 2 (2010) 61-66 63

fish waste and uneaten feed. If this sewage enters
hydroponic system, it will cover the roots, create
an anaerobic environment and interrupt the ab-
sorption of the elements which are carried out by
active transportation and using oxygen. There-
fore, they should be eliminated before entering
into hydroponic system. A water pump was
mounted under the tank to pump the water to cla-
rifier. The capacity of clarifier was 60 l whose
upper side was cylindrical and lower side was
conical. The sewage was pumped to clarifier
from the upper side and the solid materials depo-
sited to the sides of cone at the bottom of cylind-
er. These materials were eliminated by turning on
the tap water once a day which was connected to
the tip of the cone. By sole application of only
clarifier, much of floating and undeposited solid
materials would enter the hydroponic medium.
So another system was needed to separate unde-
posited and fine materials. A 30-litre filtration
tank was mounted after clarifier inside which
there was a plastic net with fine meshes. There-
fore, water entered the filtration system due to the
gravity and fine particles which had not been se-
parated in the clarifier removed from water. This
net was washed with high-pressure water twice a
week. Then, the water entered a 30-litre degass-
ing system to remove the harmful gasses which
might have been produced during filtration. Af-
terwards, it entered a 300-litre hydroponic tank
and after the absorption of the required nutrition
by plants, the water was passed to the fish tank
from the hydroponic bed. The floated hydroponic
tank was 20 cm in depth, 200 cm in length and 75
cm in width and was covered by a plastofoam
plate with the diameter of 4 cm.
Nitrification process is carried out by bacteria
nitrosomonas and nitrobacter which is normally
created in the system and transforms fish tank
water ammonia to nitrite and then, to nitrate. The
conformity of nitrification and nutrient availabili-
ty in aquaponic system is acquired at pH=7. As
well, because when water is saturated by soluble
oxygen, salinization has the highest efficiency,
several air assists were used in tank. Fish were
fed three times a day with 20 g fish food contain-
ing 46% protein. To measure leaf, crown and root
fresh weights, they were dissected and then
weighed with a digital scale after separation. The
length of runners was measured by a ruler. Plant
pigments were measured by a spectrophotometer
(80 UV/VIS Spectrometer PG Instruments Ltd).
The data gathered during the study were ana-
lyzed and the effects of treatments were studied.
The means were compared on the basis of Dun-
can Test by software SAS and the graphs were
drawn by software Sigma Plot (V. 9).
Results
The results of analysis showed that leaf, root
and crown fresh weights, runner length, single
leaf weight, chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b (in
high ratios of cocopeat), total chlorophyll and
carotenoid (in high ratios of cocopeat) were sig-
nificantly (at 5% level) higher in hydroponic
treatment than in aquaponic treatment.
With the increase in the ratio of cocopeat to
perlite in planting bed, the leaf fresh weight in-
creased in hydroponic treatment, so that in this
treatment the only cocopeat in planting bed pro-
duced the highest leaf fresh weight whereas in
aquaponic treatment, different planting beds had
no significant effect on leaf fresh weight (Fig. 2).
In hydroponic treatment, the highest root and
crown fresh weight was observed in planting bed
of 25% perlite + 75% cocopeat and crown
growth was decreased as perlite rate increased. In
aquaponic treatment, the plants grown on only
cocopeat and only perlite planting beds produced
the lowest crown and root fresh weights (Fig. 2).
In hydroponic treatment, the highest and lowest
runner lengths were observed in planting beds of
25% perlite + 75% cocopeat and only cocopeat,
respectively. The lowest runner length was in the
planting bed of only perlite and the highest one
was in the planting beds of 25% perlite + 75%
cocopeat and 75% perlite + 25% cocopeat (Fig.
3). The single leaf fresh weight was significantly
greater in hydroponic treatment than in aquapon-
ic treatment. It showed no significant difference
between these two treatments (Fig. 4). Chloro-
phyll a and b were significantly (at 5% level)
higher in hydroponic treatment in planting beds
of high cocopeat than in aquaponic treatment. In
the latter treatment, the highest amounts of chlo-
rophyll a and b were produced on planting bed of
75% perlite + 25% cocopeat. Also, total chloro-
phyll was significantly higher in hydroponic
treatment with higher rates of cocopeat than in
aquaponic treatment. In hydroponic treatment,
different planting beds did not affect total chloro-
phyll, but in aquaponic treatment, the planting
bed had significant effect and the highest one was
observed in planting bed of 75% perlite + 25%
cocopeat. Planting bed had no significant effect
on carotenoid level, but the highest carotenoid
level was observed in hydroponic planting sys-
64 S. Afsharipoor and H.R. Roosta / Plant Ecophysiology 2 (2010) 61-66

tem and on planting bed of only cocopeat (Fig.
5).
Discussion
Gul et al. (2005) reported that the concentra-
tion of nutrition is higher in leaves of plants
which receive inorganic nutrient solution than in
that of plants which receive organic one, perhaps
because of lower availability and release of nu-
trients from organic sources. When nutrition level
is under-optimal, leaf growth may be limited due
to lower level photosynthesis and cell elongation
(Heath-Buchholz, 1967). In aquaponic treatment
in which the plants were fed by organic matter,
the concentration of nutrients was probably lower
and plant vegetative growth was lower than in
hydroponic treatment in which the plants were
fed by inorganic solution.
In the current study, different ratios of per-
lite:cocopeat in planting bed significantly af-
fected most of the measured parameters. Coco-
peat is an organic matter with a moderate ion
absorption capacity and high water holding ca-
pacity. Perlite has negligible cation exchange
capacity and strong capillarity with enough air-
storing apertures which can store water 3-4 times
greater than its weight. The combination of these
two factors affects nutrient holding capacity, bet-
ter element exchange specially cations inside the
bed and optimum distribution of moisture and air
in root zone which consequently, affects the for-
mation of rooting system, absorption of nutrients
and plant growth (Wood et al., 1993). In a study
on snake eggplant, Amiri et al. (2009) reported
the highest root fresh and dry weight on planting
beds of only rice hull and only perlite and the
lowest ones on planting bed of 50% perlite +
L
e
a
f

f
r
e
s
h

m
a
s
s
(
g

p
l
a
n
t
-
1
)
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
Aquaponics
Hydroponics
C
r
o
w
n

f
r
e
s
h

m
a
s
s
(
g

p
l
a
n
t
-
1
)
0
10
20
30
Proportion of substra form
R
o
o
t

f
r
e
s
h

m
a
s
s
(
g

p
l
a
n
t
-
1
)
0
20
40
60
100
75 50 25 0
0 25 50 75 100
Perlite
Cocopeat
bc
ab
a
a
a
d
cd
d
cd
d
cd
cd
b
a
bc
f
de
de de
ef
cd
bc
ab
a
bc
f
de
ef
de
f

Fig. 2. Interaction of different planting beds and systems on
strawberry leaf, crown and root fresh weight. Different letters
show significant differences between treatments at 5% level.
R
u
n
e
r

l
e
n
g
t
h
(
c
m
)
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Aquaponics
Hydroponics
Proportion of substra form
100
75 50 25 0
0 25 50 75 100
Perlite
Cocopeat
ab
bcd
abc
a
de
ef
ab
f
g
cde

Fig. 3. Interaction of different planting beds and systems on
strawberry runner length. Different letters show significant
differences between treatments at 5% level.
S
i
n
g
l
e

l
e
a
f

f
r
e
s
h

m
a
s
s
(
g

l
e
a
f
-
1
)
0
1
2
3
4
Aquaponics
Hydroponics
Proportion of substra form
100
75 50 25 0
0 25 50 75 100
Perlite
Cocopeat
abc
ab
a
a
a
cd
cd
d
cd
cd

Fig. 4. Interaction of different planting beds and systems on
strawberry leaf fresh weight only. Different letters show
significant differences between treatments at 5% level.
S. Afsharipoor and H.R. Roosta / Plant Ecophysiology 2 (2010) 61-66 65

50% rice hull. In the current study, in hydroponic
treatment, the lowest fresh weight was produced
on only perlite planting bed and the highest one
was produced on planting bed of 25% perlite +
75% cocopeat. In aquaponic treatment, the lowest
fresh weight was produced on only perlite and
only cocopeat planting bed and the highest one
on planting beds of 25% perlite + 75% cocopeat
and 75% perlite + 25% cocopeat (Fig. 2). The
increase in the ration of perlite to cocopeat in
planting bed increases the available oxygen in
culture medium but the reverse decreases oxygen
and increases water; on the other hand, low mois-
ture holding capacity in perlite bed brings about
moisture stress and decreases vegetative growth
compared with the other beds. In the hydroponic
treatment, fresh weight of leaf, crown and root
increased as the ratio of perlite to cocopeat de-
creased (Fig. 2). Also, runner length increased as
the ratio of cocopeat increased in both treat-
ments, but only cocopeat was found to be appro-
priate (Fig. 3). The decrease in water and nutrient
absorption is associated with the decrease in wa-
ter holding capacity (Fotouhi Ghazvini et al.,
2007). During water-deficiency periods, stomatal
conductance decreases which results in the de-
cline of transpiration and since transpiration is a
mechanism for absorbing elements and nutrients,
the absorption of nutrients by roots and their
transport from root to shoot decreases (Alam,
1999). In a study on the effect of perlite and zeo-
lite planting beds on lettuce, Gul et al. (2005)
reported that the lowest head was produced on
only perlite bed and the growth of head aug-
mented as the ratio of zeolite was increased in
planting bed. The N and P absorption level was
greater on zeolite and zeolite + perlite planting
beds than on only perlite planting bed, but zinc
absorption was not significant on different plant-
ing beds. Woodward and Bennett (2005) reported
that the concentrations of chlorophyll a and b
decreased as the water level in cell decreased. In
the hydroponic treatment, the concentrations of
chlorophyll a and b were greater on planting beds
with high ratio of cocopeat (Fig. 5).
Conclusion
The results showed that most measured para-
meters were better in hydroponic system and that
C
h
l
o
r
o
p
h
y
l
l

a

(
m
g

g
-
1

F
M
)
0.0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1.0
Aquaponics
Hydroponics
C
h
l
o
r
o
p
h
y
l
l

b

(
m
g

g
-
1

F
M
)
0.00
0.02
0.04
0.06
0.08
0.10
T
o
t
a
l

c
h
l
o
r
o
p
h
y
l
l

(
m
g

g
-
1

F
M
)
0.0
0.1
0.2
Proportion of substra form
100
75 50 25 0
0
25 50 75 100
Perlite
Cocopeat
Proportion of substra form
100
75 50 25 0
0
25
50 75 100
Perlite
Cocopeat
C
a
r
o
t
e
n
o
i
d
s

(
m
g

g
-
1

F
M
)
0.00
0.02
0.04
0.06
0.08
0.10
c
bc
a
de
ab
e
cd
a
c
c-f
bcd
ab
ef
abc
f
def
a
bcd
cde
ab
ab
a
b
a
b
ab
a
ab
a-d
abc
ab
cd
ab
d
bcd
a
a-d

Fig. 5. Interaction of different planting beds and methods on pigments in strawberry leaves. Different letters show significant differences
between treatments at 5% level.
66 S. Afsharipoor and H.R. Roosta / Plant Ecophysiology 2 (2010) 61-66

the planting beds of only perlite and only coco-
peat were not suitable. Therefore, considering the
cost of perlite and since cocopeat is imported, the
mixture of perlite and cocopeat e.g. 50% perlite +
50% cocopeat and 25% perlite + 75% cocopeat
is recommended for the cultivation of strawber-
ries.
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