Bioponics as a Promising Approach to Sustainable Agriculture: A Review of the Main Methods for Producing Organic Nutrient Solution for Hydroponics
Hydroponics is a soilless cultivation technique in which plants are grown in a nutrient solution typically made from mineral fertilizers. This alternative to soil farming can be advantageous in terms of nutrient and water use efficiency, plant pest management, and space use. However, developing meth...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-12-01
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| Series: | Water |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/14/23/3975 |
| _version_ | 1797462069360984064 |
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| author | Iris Szekely M. Haïssam Jijakli |
| author_facet | Iris Szekely M. Haïssam Jijakli |
| author_sort | Iris Szekely |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Hydroponics is a soilless cultivation technique in which plants are grown in a nutrient solution typically made from mineral fertilizers. This alternative to soil farming can be advantageous in terms of nutrient and water use efficiency, plant pest management, and space use. However, developing methods to produce nutrient solutions based on local organic materials is crucial to include hydroponics within a perspective of sustainability. They would also allow hydroponics to be developed in any context, even in remote areas or regions that do not have access to commercial fertilizers. This emerging organic form of hydroponics, which can be qualified as “bioponics”, typically recycles organic waste into a nutrient-rich solution that can be used for plant growth. Many methods have been developed and tested in the past three decades, leading to greatly heterogenous results in terms of plant yield and quality. This review describes the main organic materials used to produce nutrient solutions and characterizes and categorizes the different types of methods. Four main categories emerged: a “tea”-type method, an aerobic microbial degradation method, an anaerobic digestion method, and a combined anaerobic-aerobic degradation method. The advantages and drawbacks of each technique are discussed, as well as potential lines of improvement. This aims at better understanding the links between agronomic results and the main biochemical processes involved during the production, as well as discussing the most suitable method for certain plants and/or contexts. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T17:28:16Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b560a6e54bba42878d6e9569edec8a08 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4441 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T17:28:16Z |
| publishDate | 2022-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Water |
| spelling | doaj.art-b560a6e54bba42878d6e9569edec8a082023-11-24T12:34:26ZengMDPI AGWater2073-44412022-12-011423397510.3390/w14233975Bioponics as a Promising Approach to Sustainable Agriculture: A Review of the Main Methods for Producing Organic Nutrient Solution for HydroponicsIris Szekely0M. Haïssam Jijakli1Integrated and Urban Plant Pathology Laboratory, Gembloux Agro–Bio Tech, University of Liège, Passage des Déportés 2, 5030 Gembloux, BelgiumIntegrated and Urban Plant Pathology Laboratory, Gembloux Agro–Bio Tech, University of Liège, Passage des Déportés 2, 5030 Gembloux, BelgiumHydroponics is a soilless cultivation technique in which plants are grown in a nutrient solution typically made from mineral fertilizers. This alternative to soil farming can be advantageous in terms of nutrient and water use efficiency, plant pest management, and space use. However, developing methods to produce nutrient solutions based on local organic materials is crucial to include hydroponics within a perspective of sustainability. They would also allow hydroponics to be developed in any context, even in remote areas or regions that do not have access to commercial fertilizers. This emerging organic form of hydroponics, which can be qualified as “bioponics”, typically recycles organic waste into a nutrient-rich solution that can be used for plant growth. Many methods have been developed and tested in the past three decades, leading to greatly heterogenous results in terms of plant yield and quality. This review describes the main organic materials used to produce nutrient solutions and characterizes and categorizes the different types of methods. Four main categories emerged: a “tea”-type method, an aerobic microbial degradation method, an anaerobic digestion method, and a combined anaerobic-aerobic degradation method. The advantages and drawbacks of each technique are discussed, as well as potential lines of improvement. This aims at better understanding the links between agronomic results and the main biochemical processes involved during the production, as well as discussing the most suitable method for certain plants and/or contexts.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/14/23/3975soilless agriculturehydroponicsbioponicsorganic waste recyclinganaerobic digestatecompost tea |
| spellingShingle | Iris Szekely M. Haïssam Jijakli Bioponics as a Promising Approach to Sustainable Agriculture: A Review of the Main Methods for Producing Organic Nutrient Solution for Hydroponics Water soilless agriculture hydroponics bioponics organic waste recycling anaerobic digestate compost tea |
| title | Bioponics as a Promising Approach to Sustainable Agriculture: A Review of the Main Methods for Producing Organic Nutrient Solution for Hydroponics |
| title_full | Bioponics as a Promising Approach to Sustainable Agriculture: A Review of the Main Methods for Producing Organic Nutrient Solution for Hydroponics |
| title_fullStr | Bioponics as a Promising Approach to Sustainable Agriculture: A Review of the Main Methods for Producing Organic Nutrient Solution for Hydroponics |
| title_full_unstemmed | Bioponics as a Promising Approach to Sustainable Agriculture: A Review of the Main Methods for Producing Organic Nutrient Solution for Hydroponics |
| title_short | Bioponics as a Promising Approach to Sustainable Agriculture: A Review of the Main Methods for Producing Organic Nutrient Solution for Hydroponics |
| title_sort | bioponics as a promising approach to sustainable agriculture a review of the main methods for producing organic nutrient solution for hydroponics |
| topic | soilless agriculture hydroponics bioponics organic waste recycling anaerobic digestate compost tea |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/14/23/3975 |
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