Impact of treated sewage water on nutrient status of alfisols and vegetable crops

Abstract

This study was conducted to determine the impact on the nutrient status of soil and vegetable crops irrigated with the treated sewage water. Three samples of water and five samples of soil and five commonly grown vegetables viz. radish, carrot, spinach, cauliflower, and potato were collected from Ganjia, Arail and Dandi located in Naini, Allahabad (India). The water samples were analysed for pH, EC, and heavy metals (Pb2+, Cr3+, Cd2+ and Ni2+) concentration. Water samples from all the sites were alkaline with EC below the safe limits. The soil and plant samples from all the three sites showed that Gangia recorded the highest value of EC (dS m-1), organic carbon (OC) (%), available NPK (kg ha-1), and micronutrients concentration (Mn2+, Zn2+ and Fe2+) (mg kg-1) whereas, the lowest concentration was recorded at Dandi followed by Arail. The soil samples collected from all three sites were alkaline. The nutrient status (N, P and K) showed the highest value in potato in the three sites, whereas manganese and zinc showed the highest value in spinach and iron in carrot. The study concludes that treated sewage water used for irrigation has a positive impact on nutrient status in soils and as well as in vegetable crops.