Abstract
Waste water has been identified as a widespread problem in all categories of dense settlements in Africa due to poor or absence of waste management. Beauty salons generate large amount of waste water and its indiscriminate discharge into water drains in Nigeria predisposes home gardens and water sources for irrigation to contamination, thus having contact with crops and affecting their growth. In view of this, two widely grown field and home garden vegetables in Nigeria, Abelmoschus esculentus L. (Okra) and Telfairia occidentalis HOOK F. (Fluted pumpkin), treated with beauty salon wastewater (BSWW) were assessed for growth. The plants were cultivated in experimental pots and irrigated with 0(control), 25, 50, 75 or 100% concentration of the wastewater. The experiment lasted for eight weeks and laid out in a completely randomized (CRD) design with each treatment having 6 single-plant replicates. The height of both plants increased significantly at 25-75% concentrations of BSWW when wastewater-treated plants were compared with the control. T. occidentalis produced significantly (p≤0.05) more number of leaves at 50% BSWW than the control when plants irrigated with waste water were compared with the control. The highest increase in number of A. esculentus leaves was also significant at 75% BSWW concentration. Significant (p≤0.05) increase in leaf area of T. occidentalis was recorded at 75% concentration of BSWW with 78.83cm2 compared to 48.85cm2 in the control. Similarly, A. esculentus had the highest value of leaf area that was significant at 75% concentration of wastewater when plants exposed to waste water treatment were compared with the control. At 25-75% concentrations of BSWW, a significant (p≤0.05) increase in stem girth of both plants was recorded relative to plants without wastewater treatment. The use of beauty salon wastewater in irrigation of vegetables can serve as an alternative source of fertilizer for improved growth.
Highlights
Wastewater reuse for irrigation in agriculture is a significant management approach in areas with limited and inadequate freshwater resources, yielding prospective economic and environmental benefits
Matured seeds of A. esculentus were obtained from the Premier Seed Company Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria, while that of T. occidentalis were obtained from a local market at Oka-Akoko, Ondo State, Nigeria
The highest increase in plant height of T. occidentalis was obtained at 50% concentration of the beauty salon wastewater
Summary
Wastewater reuse for irrigation in agriculture is a significant management approach in areas with limited and inadequate freshwater resources, yielding prospective economic and environmental benefits. Burton and Stensel described wastewater as any water that has been adversely affected in quality due to human activities. They include domestic liquid waste from residences, industries or agriculture [2]. Beauty salons offer wide range of services from skin treatments and hair styling to manicure, makeup and tanning application. In providing these services, wastewater is generated. It is usually discharged indiscriminately into open land and gutters where they can get in contact with crops and some cases flow to discharge in water bodies. This waste goes into the sanitary sewer system, where it can have a negative
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