Abstract
The environmental impacts of irrigating an olive field with olive mill wastewater (OMW) and treated wastewater (TWW) on soil properties were investigated. The effect of different irrigation treatments of OMW (50 m3 ha−1, 100 m3 ha−1, and 200 m3 ha−1) and TWW at different soil depths was studied. The obtained findings revealed that TWW application augmented soil pH; EC values; and P, K and Ca contents in all soil layers. However, Mg and Na concentrations, as well as organic matter content (OM), were proven to decrease with TWW irrigation throughout the experiment. Whereas soil adjusted with OMW showed a decrease in K, Ca, Mg and Na contents with soil depth, a significant increase was observed with the increase in applied OMW dose. On the other hand, total phenols and OM content increased significantly with the rise in OMW levels in all the investigated layers compared to the control sample.
Highlights
After applying fresh olive mill wastewater (OMW) and treated wastewater (TWW) to the soil of an olive orchard, an improvement in soil fertility was clearly seen without negatively affecting soil quality
These results demonstrate that the controlled application of OMW augmented soil fertility, offering the opportunity to recycle various compounds
The findings about organic matter and total phenolic content in OMW are indicative that a dose of 200 m3 ha−1 is likely to affect the properties of the soil after long-term and frequent applications
Summary
As the global population expands, water resources are limited or even diminishing, which will aggravate water use issues and widen regional conflicts [1]. Urban and semi-urban centers, industries and agriculture are in competition for freshwater use, which puts agriculture (especially irrigated agriculture) under severe pressure. The vegetables and fruits irrigated with wastewater are consumed by at least one-tenth of the world’s population [2]. Agricultural irrigation with wastewater is commonly used in arid areas around the world and has been gradually adopted by more regions, owing to the increase in food demand and the scarcity of freshwater [3]. Tunisia, which is an arid region, has introduced the treatment and reuse of wastewater as an option as an irrigation resource to preserve the country’s environment and natural capital [4].
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