Nitrogen level affects growth and reactive oxygen scavenging of fenugreek irrigated with wastewater

Abstract

Today, due to the constraint in availability of the freshwater for irrigation, wastewater is being used for irrigation of agriculture fields. Wastewater contain plant nutrients that favour crop growth but leave a burden of heavy metals which can enter the food chain and is a cause of great concern. This research work aimed at evaluating the potential utilization of wastewater as an alternative source of water and nitrogen (N) for fenugreek. For this purpose, a pot experiment was conducted with wastewater and four doses of nitrogen (0, 20, 40 and 60 kg.ha -1 ) to observe a comparative effect on growth and biochemical characteristics using fenugreek as the test crop.Wastewater and soil used in the experiment were analyzed for their physicochemical properties. Results indicate that wastewater was richer in essential plant nutrients but contained some heavy metals in amounts well below the permissible limits for its use as irrigation water. Use of wastewater with 20 kg.N.ha -1 improved growth, proline and antioxidant enzymes of the plant as compared to application of groundwater with no fertilizer. Lipid peroxidation increased with wastewater but decreased with the increasing nitrogen doses, so the best combination (WW×N 20 ) has negative impact on this parameter. These results concluded that wastewater can efficiently substitute groundwater and also works as a nutrient source whereas application of nitrogen could provide protection against the oxidative stress by increasing the antioxidant protective system.

The impact of treated and untreated municipal sewage water on growth and physiology of the desert plant Calotropis procera

“…Proline content showed no change under any of the treatments, indicating that plants irrigated with different sewage water treatments were under no stress. Proline content accumulation was reported by many authors when plants suffer from abiotic stress in order to limit damage caused by such stress [32,33]. In cases where sewage water increased proline content in plants, the main cause was due to high levels of heavy metals that sewage water may contain [33].…”

Effect of different doses of nitrogen fertilizer (urea) on the yield performance of mustard (Brassica sp.)

“…Nitrogen is a crucial nutrient that contributes to the development of the canopy and rich green colour of the crop (owing to an increase in chlorophyll) (Ali et al, 2023;Ali et al, 2022aAli et al, 2022bCheema et al, 2001a), bringing the leaf area index (LAI) and total leaf area to their ideal levels (Allen and Morgan, 1972; Scott et al 1973;Cheema et al 2001b). Crop lodging rates are primarily influenced by plant height and above-ground biomass, which can be exacerbated by excessive nitrogen application (Conley et al, 2004;Kausar et al, 2017). Because of the high levels of nitrogen in its leaves, stems, siliques, and seeds, oilseed rape has a substantial demand for nitrogen (Rathke et al 2005;Svečnjak and Rengel, 2006).…”