Agriculture, Vol. 15, Pages 2332: Evaluating the Productivity of Jambu (Acmella oleracea) with Effluent from Tambaqui Culture: An Integrated Aquaculture—Agriculture Approach for the Amazon

Agriculture doi: 10.3390/agriculture15222332

Authors:
Glauber David Almeida Palheta
Andreza Mayra Baena Souza de Jesus
Larissa Matos Lima
Sávio Lucas de Matos Guerreiro
Nuno Filipe Alves Correia de Melo
Ronald Kennedy Luz
Fábio Carneiro Sterzelecki
Jessivaldo Rodrigues Galvão

The global demand for sustainable food systems requires innovative strategies that reconcile productivity with environmental stewardship, particularly in biodiversity-rich regions such as the Amazon. This study evaluated the cultivation of Acmella oleracea (jambu) using effluent from Colossoma macropomum (tambaqui) aquaculture as a partial substitute for chemical fertilizer. Five treatments were tested under greenhouse conditions: 100% fertilizer, 75% fertilizer, 50% fertilizer, 25% chemical, and 0% fertilizer. Significant treatment effects were observed for leaf number, plant height, stem diameter, and shoot biomass, while root biomass showed no differences. Treatments with 100%, 75%, and 50% fertilizer exhibited statistically similar performance across several growth parameters, indicating that up to 50% of the chemical fertilizer can be replaced by aquaculture effluent without significant yield reduction. Treatments with 50% fertilizer and 0% fertilizer showed reduced growth and higher tissue accumulation of nitrate and ammonium, reflecting nutritional imbalances. In parallel, tambaqui showed 100% survival and satisfactory growth, confirming the stability of the integrated system. These results highlight that, although exclusive use of effluent is insufficient to match chemical fertilizer, partial substitution represents a viable strategy to reduce input costs and recycle nutrients, reinforcing the bioeconomic potential of aqua-culture–agriculture integration in the Amazon.

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Glauber David Almeida Palheta www.mdpi.com