Paper Details

The effect of municipal wastewater irrigation on yield and biomass of  canola  (Brassica napus  L.) and soil chemical properties

Khosro Estaki Oregani, Ali Gholami, Zahra Kazemi Esfeh, Hossein Lari Yazdi

DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.12692/ijb/4.8.144-151

Int. J. Biosci. 4(8), 144-151. April, 2014. (PDF)

Abstract:

The aim of this study was to test if wastewater irrigation can increase fertilizer use efficiency and improve soil fertility without affecting the quality of soils and plants. The present study was carried out in order to investigate the impact of irrigation municipal wastewater on macro nutrient content of soil, biomass and yield of two varieties of canola (Brassica napus L.viz., SLM046 and Ocapi). The studies were done using Entisols sampled to a depth of 0-30 cm from agricultural fields in Boruojerd province (33°54′ N, 48°40′ W;1620 m above sea level) in Iran. In this experiment, we have used the experimental lysimeters was designed based on the randomized complete block with three municipal wastewater ratio of 100, 50 and 0% (diluted with irrigation water) and four replicates. The results of this experiment showed municipal wastewater irrigation affected significantly soil chemical properties especially in rhizosphere soil and biomass and yield. Application of municipal waste water increased soil salinity, organic matter, exchangeable Na, K, Ca, Mg, plant available phosphorus and decreased soil pH. It can be concluded that municipal wastewater can be used confidently in the short term in agricultural land both as fertilizer source and to increase fertilizer use efficiency for economical aspect.