Abstract
The present study investigated the effect of using municipal treated wastewater in irrigation on plant growth and seed quality of squash as compared to fresh water. The physico-chemical properties of both water sources were investigated. Soil, fruits and seeds were tested for heavy metals presence and accumulation. A number of seed composition parameters were also measured. Growth parameters (fruit length, diameter and oven-dried weight) were increased in response to irrigation with treated wastewater as compared to control. All tested heavy metals concentrations were below the toxic limit of the Jordanian standards. Crude protein content was highest (41.28%) in naked seeds under treated wastewater treatment, whereas the lowest content (33.57%) was under freshwater treatment of the whole seeds.
Highlights
Introduction under SemiArid Conditions.Water availability and scarcity is a major issue worldwide [1]
The results show that Treated wastewater (TWW) as irrigation water significantly increased the length and diameter of the squash fruit
8.8 cm for the TWW and FW treatments, respectively. These measurements were reflected on the oven-dried weight for each treatment; the average oven-dried weight was 41.9 and 27.5 g cm for the TWW and FW treatments, respectively
Summary
Introduction under SemiArid Conditions.Water availability and scarcity is a major issue worldwide [1]. It has been projected that by 2025, half of the world’s population will live in water scarce areas [2]. This water scarcity would be attributed to non-uniform distribution of water between countries accompanied with variations in rainfall, population growth, water pollution, periodic drought spells and climate changes [1,3,4,5,6]. Treated wastewater (TWW) is always available in large quantities It can be used as a non-conventional agricultural water resource for irrigation to conserve fresh water [1,5,6]. Using industrial and municipal treated wastewaters to irrigate agricultural fields has become more common in industrialized and developing countries [12,13], in the Mediterranean climate countries, to alleviate the pressure on freshwater sources during drought periods of summer, while the significant rainfall amount during winter is capable of leaching the accumulated salts in soil as a result of using TWW for irrigation [11,14]
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