The Effect of Applied Wastewater on Soil Chemical Characteristics and Productivity of Radish (Raphanus Sativus) Plant

Document Type : Research Article

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Abstract

Major problem in arid and semi-arid regions of the world is limited water sources in the agricultural sector. Wastewater may be used for long time in order to provide plant water with some consideration of side effects on soil chemical characteristicsS. The aim of this research was to investigate the effect of applied Bu-Ali industrial wastewater on some chemical properties of soil and the growth of Radish (Raphanus Sativus) plant. The green house experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design with three replicates for growing Radish and was irrigated with wastewater (0%, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100%). The results revealed that the applied treatments increased significantly PH, EC, soluble and exchangeable sodium, sodium absorption ratio, soluble calcium and magnesium, available phosphorous and soil anions of chloride, sulfate and bicarbonate. The total and available concentrations of heavy metals in irrigated soils were higher in comparison with tap water, however it was much less than background in which was not adverse effect on soil. The results also showed that radish yield (dry and wet) was irregular trend in which the maximum was in 50% and the minimum observed for 100% treatment. Wastewater was not affected on heavy metal concentrations of radish plant; it was affected on the concentration of sodium, phosphorus and potassium significantly. Sodium concentration in the roots and aerial parts of Radish increased in all treatments, while the potassium concentration decreased. Moreover, the concentration of phosphorus was irregular trend and it had maximum and minimum concentrations for 50% and 100% treatments respectively.

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