Evaluating Effluent From Anaerobic Bio-Digester As a Bio-Fertilizer On Lucerne and Grass Growth.

Due to excessive cost of agrochemicals products and their environmental contamination, is necessary to find inexpensive and efficient alternatives of fertilization. A reliable option is utilization of local organic sources which have been sub-used, among them use of manure. We had developed an anaerobic continuous reactor to reduce manure contamination in farms. These reactors generate biogas (methane) to produce combustible or power fuel. However, effluents produced have not been used effectively. In addition, analogies between effluent quality and bio-gas production had not been determined.  An approach is to use effluent as bio-fertilizers. Therefore it was proposed to develop a studied to determine its influence on lucerne and grass growth. A set of experiments were defined where comparison of plants growth with synthetic fertilizer, no-fertilizer, vermiculture and effluent were established. Also, correlations among bio-fertilizer quality, effluent quality and biogas productions were studied. Biogas production showed a direct correlation with quality manure and effluent production. It has been found no differences between lucerne growths with anaerobic effluent and controls with synthetic fertilizer. Grass fields showed a better color and cover when effluent was applied than those without effluent. In some cases plants showed a better structure and color to those with synthetic fertilizer. It is expected to the end of crop season, yields are higher on those fields amendment with anaerobic effluent. In our knowledge this is first studies where effluent from an anaerobic bioreactor has been applied successfully to lucerne and grass growth.