Solutions were changed completely
every week in the first couple of weeks and subsequently every
4th day in hydroponic system. Deionized water was used for nutrient
solution making in hydroponic system. Tape water was used
in aquaponic system. The only nutrient supplementation in plant
growth bed unit of aquaponic systems was Fe, which was added in
a chelated form (Fe-EDDHA) at a concentration of 2 mg L−1 once
every two weeks. Eight plants were growing together in each
growth bed unit of aquaponic and hydroponic systems. Foliar nutrients
application began 30 days after transplantation by which time
plants had attained enough leaf area for effective foliar application.
Eight treatments were used, untreated control, foliar application at
the rate of 250 mL plant−1 with 0.5 g L−1 K2SO4, MgSO4·7H2O, FeEDDHA,
MnSO4·H2O, H3BO3, ZnCl2, and CuSO4·5H2O.