LED Lighting and High-Density Planting Enhance the Cost-Efficiency of Halimione Portulacoides Extraction Units for Integrated Aquaculture

Halophytes are salt-tolerant plants that can be used to extract dissolved inorganic nutrients from saline aquaculture effluents under a production framework commonly known as Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA). Halimione portulacoides (L.) Aellen (common name: sea purslane) is an edible saltmarsh halophyte traditionally consumed by humans living near coastal wetlands and considered promising extractive species for IMTA. To better understand its potential IMTA applications, the present study investigates how artificial lighting plant density affect productivity capacity nitrogen phosphorous in hydroponic conditions mimic effluents. Plant growth was unaffected type of employed—white fluorescent lights vs. blue-white LEDs—but LED systems were more energy-efficient, with 17% reduction light energy costs. Considering planting density, high-density units 220 m−2 produced biomass per unit area (54.0–56.6 g day−1) than did low-density (110 m−2; 34.4–37.1 extracted phosphorus. Overall, H. easily cultivated hydroponically using nutrient-rich effluents, where LEDs employed alternative promote higher yields extraction efficiencies.