Yen-Tzu Fan , Zih-Ee Lin , Pei-Te Chiueh , Yu-Pin Lin , Lien-Chieh Cheng , Yu-Shen Cheng , Shu-I Lin , Chihhao Fan
{"title":"利用生物废弃物可持续水培网瓜(Cucumis melo L.)的挑战与机遇","authors":"Yen-Tzu Fan , Zih-Ee Lin , Pei-Te Chiueh , Yu-Pin Lin , Lien-Chieh Cheng , Yu-Shen Cheng , Shu-I Lin , Chihhao Fan","doi":"10.1016/j.agsy.2025.104366","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>CONTEXT</h3><div>Circular agriculture aims to promote resource recycling for a sustainable environment. Substituting chemical inputs with biowaste alternatives is a practical strategy for fostering sustainable agriculture, especially in hydroponic systems that enable efficient production under resource-limited conditions. Netted melons (<em>Cucumis melo</em> L.) are high-economic-valued crops, which represents an opportunity to explore these substitutions. However, using biowaste in hydroponics requires additional pretreatment processes and may lead to lower fruit weights, impacting both environmental and economic outcomes.</div></div><div><h3>OBJECTIVE</h3><div>This study aimed to evaluate the environmental impacts of partially substituting conventional fertilizers with biowaste fertilizers in hydroponic melon cultivation.</div></div><div><h3>METHODS</h3><div>This study performed a life cycle assessment (LCA) to assess the effects of substituting 20 % biowaste (mealworm frass) for conventional fertilizers (synthetic chemicals) in hydroponic netted melon cultivation. The practical trials were first carried out to measure the impacts of biowaste substitution on plant growth and crop yields. Then, scaled-up analyses were conducted to include seasonal variability in this study.</div></div><div><h3>RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS</h3><div>Biowaste Substitution for conventional fertilizers in hydroponic netted melon cultivation increased the total environmental impacts by 11.3–13.7 %. This increase was primarily attributed to additional energy requirements for biowaste pretreatment and reduced fruit weight, leading to a 2.1 % rise in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In particular, although biowaste substitution reduced mineral source scarcity by 20.0–30.7 %, the global warming potential increased by 11.6–14.2 %. Also, we initially expected to reduce GHG emissions by 8.2 % when implementing biowaste substitution, but additional energy requirements and reduced fruit weights offset the benefits.</div></div><div><h3>SIGNIFICANCE</h3><div>This study highlights both the potential and challenges of biowaste substitution in hydroponic systems. This illustrated the unstable conditions in soilless cultivation when applying biowaste fertilizers. As hydroponic farming continues to advance within circular agricultural systems, careful consideration is required for food productivity and energy requirements to achieve environmental sustainability in agriculture systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7730,"journal":{"name":"Agricultural Systems","volume":"228 ","pages":"Article 104366"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1000,"publicationDate":"2025-05-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":"{\"title\":\"Challenges and opportunities in using biowaste for sustainable hydroponic netted melon (Cucumis melo L.) cultivation\",\"authors\":\"Yen-Tzu Fan , Zih-Ee Lin , Pei-Te Chiueh , Yu-Pin Lin , Lien-Chieh Cheng , Yu-Shen Cheng , Shu-I Lin , Chihhao Fan\",\"doi\":\"10.1016/j.agsy.2025.104366\",\"DOIUrl\":null,\"url\":null,\"abstract\":\"<div><h3>CONTEXT</h3><div>Circular agriculture aims to promote resource recycling for a sustainable environment. Substituting chemical inputs with biowaste alternatives is a practical strategy for fostering sustainable agriculture, especially in hydroponic systems that enable efficient production under resource-limited conditions. Netted melons (<em>Cucumis melo</em> L.) are high-economic-valued crops, which represents an opportunity to explore these substitutions. However, using biowaste in hydroponics requires additional pretreatment processes and may lead to lower fruit weights, impacting both environmental and economic outcomes.</div></div><div><h3>OBJECTIVE</h3><div>This study aimed to evaluate the environmental impacts of partially substituting conventional fertilizers with biowaste fertilizers in hydroponic melon cultivation.</div></div><div><h3>METHODS</h3><div>This study performed a life cycle assessment (LCA) to assess the effects of substituting 20 % biowaste (mealworm frass) for conventional fertilizers (synthetic chemicals) in hydroponic netted melon cultivation. The practical trials were first carried out to measure the impacts of biowaste substitution on plant growth and crop yields. Then, scaled-up analyses were conducted to include seasonal variability in this study.</div></div><div><h3>RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS</h3><div>Biowaste Substitution for conventional fertilizers in hydroponic netted melon cultivation increased the total environmental impacts by 11.3–13.7 %. This increase was primarily attributed to additional energy requirements for biowaste pretreatment and reduced fruit weight, leading to a 2.1 % rise in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In particular, although biowaste substitution reduced mineral source scarcity by 20.0–30.7 %, the global warming potential increased by 11.6–14.2 %. Also, we initially expected to reduce GHG emissions by 8.2 % when implementing biowaste substitution, but additional energy requirements and reduced fruit weights offset the benefits.</div></div><div><h3>SIGNIFICANCE</h3><div>This study highlights both the potential and challenges of biowaste substitution in hydroponic systems. This illustrated the unstable conditions in soilless cultivation when applying biowaste fertilizers. As hydroponic farming continues to advance within circular agricultural systems, careful consideration is required for food productivity and energy requirements to achieve environmental sustainability in agriculture systems.</div></div>\",\"PeriodicalId\":7730,\"journal\":{\"name\":\"Agricultural Systems\",\"volume\":\"228 \",\"pages\":\"Article 104366\"},\"PeriodicalIF\":6.1000,\"publicationDate\":\"2025-05-08\",\"publicationTypes\":\"Journal Article\",\"fieldsOfStudy\":null,\"isOpenAccess\":false,\"openAccessPdf\":\"\",\"citationCount\":\"0\",\"resultStr\":null,\"platform\":\"Semanticscholar\",\"paperid\":null,\"PeriodicalName\":\"Agricultural Systems\",\"FirstCategoryId\":\"97\",\"ListUrlMain\":\"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308521X25001064\",\"RegionNum\":1,\"RegionCategory\":\"农林科学\",\"ArticlePicture\":[],\"TitleCN\":null,\"AbstractTextCN\":null,\"PMCID\":null,\"EPubDate\":\"\",\"PubModel\":\"\",\"JCR\":\"Q1\",\"JCRName\":\"AGRICULTURE, MULTIDISCIPLINARY\",\"Score\":null,\"Total\":0}","platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Agricultural Systems","FirstCategoryId":"97","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308521X25001064","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"AGRICULTURE, MULTIDISCIPLINARY","Score":null,"Total":0}
Challenges and opportunities in using biowaste for sustainable hydroponic netted melon (Cucumis melo L.) cultivation
CONTEXT
Circular agriculture aims to promote resource recycling for a sustainable environment. Substituting chemical inputs with biowaste alternatives is a practical strategy for fostering sustainable agriculture, especially in hydroponic systems that enable efficient production under resource-limited conditions. Netted melons (Cucumis melo L.) are high-economic-valued crops, which represents an opportunity to explore these substitutions. However, using biowaste in hydroponics requires additional pretreatment processes and may lead to lower fruit weights, impacting both environmental and economic outcomes.
OBJECTIVE
This study aimed to evaluate the environmental impacts of partially substituting conventional fertilizers with biowaste fertilizers in hydroponic melon cultivation.
METHODS
This study performed a life cycle assessment (LCA) to assess the effects of substituting 20 % biowaste (mealworm frass) for conventional fertilizers (synthetic chemicals) in hydroponic netted melon cultivation. The practical trials were first carried out to measure the impacts of biowaste substitution on plant growth and crop yields. Then, scaled-up analyses were conducted to include seasonal variability in this study.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS
Biowaste Substitution for conventional fertilizers in hydroponic netted melon cultivation increased the total environmental impacts by 11.3–13.7 %. This increase was primarily attributed to additional energy requirements for biowaste pretreatment and reduced fruit weight, leading to a 2.1 % rise in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In particular, although biowaste substitution reduced mineral source scarcity by 20.0–30.7 %, the global warming potential increased by 11.6–14.2 %. Also, we initially expected to reduce GHG emissions by 8.2 % when implementing biowaste substitution, but additional energy requirements and reduced fruit weights offset the benefits.
SIGNIFICANCE
This study highlights both the potential and challenges of biowaste substitution in hydroponic systems. This illustrated the unstable conditions in soilless cultivation when applying biowaste fertilizers. As hydroponic farming continues to advance within circular agricultural systems, careful consideration is required for food productivity and energy requirements to achieve environmental sustainability in agriculture systems.
期刊介绍:
Agricultural Systems is an international journal that deals with interactions - among the components of agricultural systems, among hierarchical levels of agricultural systems, between agricultural and other land use systems, and between agricultural systems and their natural, social and economic environments.
The scope includes the development and application of systems analysis methodologies in the following areas:
Systems approaches in the sustainable intensification of agriculture; pathways for sustainable intensification; crop-livestock integration; farm-level resource allocation; quantification of benefits and trade-offs at farm to landscape levels; integrative, participatory and dynamic modelling approaches for qualitative and quantitative assessments of agricultural systems and decision making;
The interactions between agricultural and non-agricultural landscapes; the multiple services of agricultural systems; food security and the environment;
Global change and adaptation science; transformational adaptations as driven by changes in climate, policy, values and attitudes influencing the design of farming systems;
Development and application of farming systems design tools and methods for impact, scenario and case study analysis; managing the complexities of dynamic agricultural systems; innovation systems and multi stakeholder arrangements that support or promote change and (or) inform policy decisions.