Greenhouse Polyculture System

This project entails the design, construction, and operation of a modified ebb and flow system that can be used to demonstrate the commercial viability of raising greenhouse crops (bedding plants and field transplants) and aquatic crops (crayfish, baitfish, ornamental fish) with the same equipment. A new technology from Japan, Bio-cord, is being tested as a means of maintaining water quality in the closed system. The cord is basically a core covered with many rings of thread that provides a large surface area for the attachment of microbes. Crayfish and baitfish feed on micro-organisms, thus, besides maintaining water quality, the presence of the Bio-Cord may provide an alternate food source for the aquatic crop. The project has also demonstrated the Bio-cord in a cranberry bog setting to determine the product's impact on water quality.