Is The Liquid Fraction Of Livestock Wastes A Suitable Nutrient Source For Hydroponicsystems?

The proper management of livestock wastes is crucial in obtaining valuable resources and reducing its potential environmental hazards (Loyon 2018). In terms of resources, livestock wastes are sources of organic matter and mineral nutrients that, adequately treated, can be used as fertilizers. In this context, whereas manure is increasingly treated through anaerobic digestion, producing energy and by-products such as biogas slurry, used as a nutrient solution in hydroponic systems (Chen et al. 2019; Mupambwa et al. 2019), the liquid fraction of livestock wastes (LF) is usually disposed on soils without pretreatments, potentially eliciting environmental impacts. A promising alternative could be the use of LF in hydroponic coltures, a solution explored in the present study by evaluating the suitability of adequately treated LFs as growing media for hydroponically-grownlettuce.