Effect of treated and untreated domestic sewage water irrigation on tomato plants

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Agricultural cultivations in the world are suffering from water shortages. Water scarcity poses challenges in the economy and health of people all over the world. The present study aimed the cultivation of tomato plants using groundwater, treated and untreated domestic sewage water and tried to make a comparative study on the heavy metals present in the leaves and fruits of the tomato plants. Materials and Methods: The water samples were analyzed for various physicochemical parameters such as; pH, total hardness, chloride, total alkalinity, dissolved oxygen and heavy metal. Stomatal conductance was measured using porometer. The heavy metal analysis was conducted using Atomic Absorption Spectrometer. Results: All physicochemical parameters were found to be below the permissible level of standard values in the groundwater and treated domestic sewage water, but above the permissible level in untreated domestic sewage water. Stomatal conductance was found to be very low in the plants treated with untreated domestic waste water (296.33/428 in the ventral surface during the morning and noon, respectively) when compared to the leaves of the plants treated with other water samples. Untreated domestic sewage water showed a very high level of lead, i.e., 7.5354 ppm, whereas the treated sewage water contained 0.5650 ppm slightly above the permissible level. Conclusion: The present study has revealed that the treated domestic sewage water would be used for the irrigation of agricultural cultivation.