Abstract
Agricultural use of wastewater is an alternative to increase water availability, especially in semiarid regions. However, it may cause undesirable chemical changes in the soil. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of wastewater irrigation and castor bean (Ricinus communis L.) cultivation on the chemical attributes of a Fluvic Neosol. The experimental design was in a randomized block, in split-plot scheme, where the main plots were represented by the treatments of irrigation water and castor bean cultivation, and the subplots were the soil layers, with three replications. The treatments were T1 - wastewater irrigation + castor bean cultivation ; T2 - mixture of supply water and wastewater (1:1 ratio) + castor bean cultivation; T3 - supply water irrigation + castor bean cultivation ; and T4 - wastewater application, without castor bean cultivation. The depths of soil layers were 0-10, 10-20, 20-30, 30-40, and 40-50 cm. At the end of study, the content of phosphorus, calcium, potassium, and organic matter increased mainly in the upper layers, and sodium increased in the deeper layers in the wastewater treatments, in comparison to the supply water irrigation. In T4, the disposal of wastewater increased the concentration of magnesium. The pH values, iron and zinc concentration did not statistically differ in the treatments.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: Revista Brasileira de Engenharia Agrícola e Ambiental
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
