Ammonium and nitrate uptake by Laminaria saccharina and Nereocystis luetkeana originating from a salmon sea cage farm

In the laboratory, ammonium and nitrate uptakes were measured for juvenile Laminaria saccharina (L.) Lamour. and Nereocystis luetkeana (Mert.) Post. et Rupr. originating from a salmon sea cage farm in northwestern British Columbia, Canada. The effect of various concentrations of NH4+ and NO3-, which are typical of salmon farming environments, on uptakes values were examined. Both L. saccharina and Nereocystis revealed simultaneous uptake of NH4+ and NO3- when both NH4+ and NO3- were present in the medium. During a 3-h incubation, mean uptake rates of NH4+ and NO3- by L. saccharina ranged from 6.0–8.9 and 4.6–10.6 μmol gdw-1 h-1, respectively, and by Nereocystis, they ranged from 6.6–9.3 μmol gdw-1 h-1 and 6.1–17.0 μmol gdw-1 h-1, respectively. The highest uptake rates (14.8 μmol NH4+ gdw-1 h-1by L. saccharina and 27.2 μmol NO3- gdw-1 h-1 by Nereocystis) occurred at the highest concentration (40 μM NH4+ plus 30 μM NO3-) during a 1 h incubation. Nitrate uptake by both L. saccharina and Nereocystis increased linearly up to the highest nitrate level tested (30 μM), whereas uptake rates of ammonium were stable beyond 10 μM NH4+ to reach approximately 10 and 13 μmol gdw-1 h-1, respectively, for L. saccharina and Nereocystis. Unlike L. saccharina, Nereocystis showed a significant preference for NO3- when more than 20 μM NO3- was present in the medium ( p <0.05). Both L. saccharina and Nereocystis would be suitable for integrated cultivation of salmon/kelp. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Laminaria culture for reduction of dissolved inorganic nitrogen in salmon farm effluent

Finfish culture is a growing industry, and it causes a nutrient loading problem. To investigate the feasibility of an integrated culture of kelp and salmon, 15-cm long kelp (Laminaria saccharina) was grown in salmon culture effluent. The objectives were to test the effects of flow rate and kelp density on dissolved inorganic nitrogen removal (DIN), and DIN uptake and growth by the kelp. NH ₄ ⁺ , NO ₃ ^– and DIN (NH ₄ ⁺ + NO ₃ ^– ) loadings were in the ranges 6.2–25.4, 12.9–40.0, 19.7–52.7 mol 1^–1, respectively, over the experimental period.Surplus uptake of nitrogen was not evident, because the C:N ratio (10–11) was constant in all experiments. During light periods, the kelp removed from 170–339 mol 1^–1 h^–1, and approximately 26–40% of the incoming DIN. The DIN uptake rate, based on daylight sampling periods, ranged between 6.1–22.5 mol g^–1 dry mass h^–1. The highest-flow rate, lowest-density tank had the highest DIN uptake rate. Debris from the fish effluent settling on the kelp thalli in the low-flow rate tanks affected uptake. Mean DIN uptake rate based on 3 days of growth for all flow-density combinations ranged between 5.4–8.3 mol g^–1 dry mass h^–1. The kelp utilized NH ₄ ⁺ and NO ₃ ^– equally.The growth ranged between 6.5–9% d^–1. The biomass production ranged from 1–2 g per sampling period. The highest growth rate and biomass production were achieved by kelp in the highest-flow rate, lowest-density tank. Lower DIN concentrations due to higher DIN removal rates in the other tanks and light limitation due to self-shading in the high-density tanks were probably responsible for the reduced growth rate in these tanks.Author for correspondence     

A model for nutrient and water flow and their uptake by plants grown in a soilless culture

The objective of this study was to develop a sensitive means of control to optimize nutrient concentrations in the root zone of a soilless system, considering plant water and nutrient uptake, and solution circulation rates. A model is proposed to simulate ornamental plants growth in a channel with a non-interacting soilless substrate, irrigated by point sources with constant discharge rates, spaced uniformly along the channel. The model accounts for compensation for transpiration water losses and consequent salinity buildup, and its interactions with plant growth and nutrient uptake. The added water may contain given concentrations of nutrients and/or toxic (saline) compounds, which would cause salinity buildup. Uptake of each solute is specific, according to a Michaelis–Menten kinetics mechanism, but passive uptake by the transpiration stream is also accounted for. Plant growth is affected by time/age and ionic balance in the solution. The model was calibrated with lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) plants grown in volcanic ash. Simulation of potassium concentration change as a result of discharge rate and emitter spacing revealed that the two parameters could compensate one for the other, once a target lower limit is set. Potassium appeared to be most sensitive to sodium accumulation in the growth medium; this accumulation changed ionic concentration balance, which affected pH and bicarbonate concentration. Passive uptake of calcium by the transpiration stream is highly affected by the root fraction involved, but its calculated contribution is below published values is highly affected by the root fraction involved, but its calculated contribution is below published values.