Growth of Heliconia psittacorum and Gladiolus hortulanus irrigated with treated domestic wastewater

Abstract

This research aims to evaluate the impact of irrigation with treated domestic wastewater (TDW) on the growth of ornamental plant species. The experiment was installed in the town of Simões Filhos (BA), in a randomized block design with subdivided plots, cultivated with Heliconia psittacorum and Gladiolus hortulanus using surface drip irrigation with TDW and river water. The evaluated parameters were: stem length, button number (parakeet flower and gladiola), and plant height, number of tillers, plant diameter and nutriment content (only parakeet flower). Among the factors which affect the growth of the plant, soil porosity and soil salinity (electrical conductivity - EC) were measured for 0 to 0.3 m soil depth. No significant difference was observed for the plant morphology. Changes in soil micro and macroporosity, EC and sodicity after 180 days of irrigation were also insignificant. However, a beginning of soil salinization was found after one year of experimentation, which signifies a possible change in the monitored parameters in the medium to long term.