Published December 2011 | Version 1
Working paper Open

Addressing the Conflation of Sandponics and the Integrated Aqua-Vegeculture System (IAVS) in Recent Literature

Authors/Creators

Description

Precise nomenclature is essential for the advancement of integrated food production systems, particularly within the fields of aquaponics and sustainable agriculture. This commentary identifies and corrects a recurring terminological conflation in recent literature where the Integrated Aqua-Vegeculture System (iAVs) is treated as synonymous with "Sandponics." Through a review of historical documentation and technical specifications, this paper demonstrates that iAVs and Sandponics are distinct methodologies with separate origins, operational principles, and input requirements. Specifically, iAVs is a biologically integrated aquaculture-horticulture system developed at North Carolina State University in the 1980s, relying on complex microbial processes to metabolize fish effluent for nutrition. Conversely, Sandponics is a proprietary sand-culture system developed by Sumitomo Electric Industries in the 1970s, dependent exclusively on chemical fertigation. The failure to distinguish between these systems introduces significant methodological ambiguity, compromises the reproducibility of data, and hinders the development of accurate protocols for food and water security research.

 

Files

Addressing the Conflation of Sandponics and the Integrated Aqua-Vegeculture System (IAVS) in Recent Literature.pdf

Files (1.1 MB)

Additional details

Related works

Cites
Journal article: 10.1016/j.agwat.2025.109900 (DOI)
Journal article: 10.1002/sae2.70033 (DOI)
Journal article: 10.1038/s41598-022-15291-7 (DOI)
Journal article: 10.1038/s41598-023-29509-9 (DOI)

Dates

Issued
2025-11-28

References

  • Abdelrahman, M. A. (2018). Effect of Feeding Frequency and Stocking Density on Tilapia Oreochromis Niloticus and Lettuce Lactuca Sativa Production in Aquaponics System under the UAE Condition and Business Enterprise Analysis. Master's thesis, United Arab Emirates University.
  • Baba, M., and Ikeguchi, N. (2015). Industrial Cultivation Using the Latest Sandponics System. SEI Technical Review, 80, 104-108.
  • Buchanan, Robert A. "Accuracy of cited references: The role of citation databases." College & Research Libraries 67.4 (2006): 292-303.
  • Casadevall, A., Steen, R. G., & Fang, F. C. (2014). Sources of error in the retracted scientific literature. The FASEB Journal, 28(9), 3847–3855.
  • Colt, John, et al. "Engineering design of aquaponics systems." Reviews in Fisheries Science & Aquaculture 30.1 (2022): 33-80.
  • Diver, S. (2006). Aquaponics - Integration of Hydroponics with Aquaculture. ATTRA - National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service.
  • Goddek, Simon, et al. Aquaponics food production systems: combined aquaculture and hydroponic production technologies for the future. Springer Nature, 2019.
  • Gott, James. Practicing ecologies: aquaponics and intervention in the Anthropocene. Diss. University of Southampton, 2019.
  • Gross, H. D. (1988). The Aqua-Vegeculture System. (Archived by M. McMurtry, 2015). iavs.info. https://iavs.info/the-aqua-vegeculture-system/
  • Hilgard, J., & Jamieson, K. H. (2017). Science as "Broken" Versus Science as "Self-Correcting": How Retractions and Peer-Review Problems Are Exploited to Attack Science. In K. H. Jamieson, D. Kahan, & D. A. Scheufele (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of the Science of Science Communication (pp. 84-92). Oxford University Press.
  • International Potato Center (CIP). (2019). Manual for sweetpotato pre-basic seed production using the sandponics system. International Potato Center: Lima, Peru.
  • Jamieson, K. H., Kahan, D., & Scheufele, D. A. (Eds.). (2017). The Oxford handbook of the science of science communication. Oxford University Press.
  • Kanazawa, S., Matsuo, K., Baba, M., Misu, H., & Ikeguchi, N. (2017). High Quality Agricultural Production Support System by Smart Sand Culture Device New Sandponics. SEI Technical Review, 84.
  • Kimera, Fahad, et al. "Growth response of kale (Brassica oleracea) and Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) under saline aqua-sandponics-vegeculture system." Scientific Reports 13.1 (2023): 2427.
  • Kimera, Fahad, et al. "Assessing changes in growth, yield, and rhizosphere microbiome of red beetroot (Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris var. conditiva) cultivated under a saline integrated vegeculture-aquaculture system." Agricultural Water Management 322 (2025): 109900.
  • Kretser, Alison, et al. "Scientific integrity principles and best practices: recommendations from a scientific integrity consortium." Science and Engineering Ethics 25.2 (2019): 327-355.
  • McMurtry, M. R., P. V. Nelson, and D. C. Sanders. "Mineral Content and Yield of Bush Bean, Cucumber, and Tomato Cultivated in Sand and Irrigated with Recirculating Aquaculture Water." North Carolina Agricultural Research Service 11019 (1987).
  • McMurtry, M. R., et al., (1990a). Sand culture of vegetables using recirculated aquacultural effluents. Applied Agricultural Research, 5(4), 280-284.
  • McMurtry, M. R. (1990b). Performance of an integrated aquaculture-olericulture system as influenced by component ratio. North Carolina State University.
  • McMurtry, M. R., et al., (1993a). Mineral nutrient concentration and uptake by tomato irrigated with recirculating aquaculture water as influenced by quantity of fish waste products supplied. Journal of Plant Nutrition, 16(3), 407-419.
  • McMurtry, M. R., et al., (1993b). Yield of tomato irrigated with recirculating aquacultural water. Journal of Production Agriculture, 6(3), 428-432.
  • McMurtry, M. R., et al. "Food value, water use efficiency and economic productivity of an integrated aquaculture olericulture system as influenced by component ratio." HortTechnology.(accepted for publication) (1994).
  • McMurtry, M. R., Sanders, D. C., Cure, J. D., & Hodson, R. G. (1997a). Effects of biofilter/culture tank volume ratios on productivity of a recirculating fish/vegetable co-culture system. Journal of Applied Aquaculture, 7(4), 33-51.
  • McMurtry, M. R., et al., (1997b). Efficiency of water use of an integrated fish/vegetable co‐culture system. Journal of the World Aquaculture Society, 28(4), 420-428.
  • Misu, Hideyuki, et al. "High-quality tomato seedling production system using artificial light." SEI Tech. rev 86 (2018): 119-124.
  • Nair, C. S., et al. (2024). Sandponics: A Sustainable Agriculture Solution for Food Security and Resource Efficiency in Arid Regions. Journal of Sustainable Agriculture and Environment, 3, e70033.
  • Sewilam, H., et al. (2022). A sandponics comparative study investigating different sand media based integrated aqua vegeculture systems using desalinated water. Scientific Reports, 12(1), 11093.
  • Palm, Harry W., Ulrich Knaus, and Benz Kotzen. "Aquaponics nomenclature matters: It is about principles and technologies and not as much about coupling." Reviews in Aquaculture 16.1 (2024): 473-490.
  • Tyson, Richard V., Danielle D. Treadwell, and Eric H. Simonne. "Opportunities and challenges to sustainability in aquaponic systems." HortTechnology 21.1 (2011): 6-13.