A sustainable Low Water Footprint Re-circulating Aquatic System for cultivating aquatic organisms and plants. The system conserves water and energy by using gravity to move water and nutrients from the clarifier into the low water footprint management system. The novel water management system controls the volume of water in the plant grow bed such that it never rises to or above the surface, limiting evaporative water loss. Water flow to the plant grow bed is intermittent and the water management system retains water within the grow bed by capillary action, even when there is no water input. The grow bed contains microflora that convert nitrogenous wastes produced by the aquatic organisms to nitrogenous compounds useable by the plants. The clarified water is then pumped back into the animal tanks. The system is sustainable, cost effective, and highly productive, and uses 50-80% less water than conventional re-circulating aquatic production system.

A plant system (100), comprising a plurality of plants (102) in a substrate (101); a mycorrhizal fungal community (104) in the substrate arranged to form a biological interface with roots of the plants enabling an exchange of chemical substances between the fungus and the plurality of plants; and at least a sensor (207), which interfaces with said mycorrhizal fungal community and is configured to collect sensory information about a physiological condition and phenotypic state of said plurality of plants.