Abstract
The objective of this work was to evaluate the influence of the form of raw sanitary sewage (RS) application in closed-end and level-bottom furrows on the dry matter yield and macronutrient extraction capacity (extraction of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) by the aerial part (stem and leaves) of elephant grass. Fertigation of elephant grass with RS were conducted for 3 uninterrupted years, and the RS application dose was established as a function of the amount of sodium fed to the soil (300 kg ha−1 year−1). In the experimental planning four treatments were established, where two experimental plots received RS and the water demand was complemented by treated water from the public supply network (TW), with and without alternation in the position of RS application in the furrows (TFA and TFN, respectively); and as a control there were two experimental plots in which the plants received conventional mineral fertilization, where the grass was irrigated with TW, with and without alternation in the position of water application in the furrows (TWA and TWN, respectively). The greatest mean dry matter yield (29.9 Mg ha−1 year−1) and mean macronutrient extraction values were found for plants submitted to TFA (688, 102, 508 kg ha−1 year−1 of N, P and K, respectively), compared to those obtained in the other treatments.
Highlights
The objective of this work was to evaluate the influence of the form of raw sanitary sewage (RS) application in closed-end and level-bottom furrows on the dry matter yield and macronutrient extraction capacity by the aerial part of elephant grass
The objective of the present work was to evaluate the influence of the RS application position in flat bottom furrows with closed ends on the productivity and macronutrient extraction capacity of elephant grass, comparing the results with those obtained with conventional mineral fertilization (CMF), during 3 years of uninterrupted experimentation
The treatments considered were: (i) conventional mineral fertilization (CMF) and irrigation with treated water (TW) applied without alternation in the position of water application in the furrows (TWN); (ii) CMF and irrigation with the public supply network (TW) applied with alternation in furrow application position (TWA); (iii) Fertigation with raw sanitary sewage (RS) and complemented with TW irrigation, both applied without alternation in the furrow application position (TFN); and (iv) Fertigation with RS and complemented with TW irrigation, both applied with alternation in the furrow application position (TFA)
Summary
The objective of this work was to evaluate the influence of the form of raw sanitary sewage (RS) application in closed-end and level-bottom furrows on the dry matter yield and macronutrient extraction capacity (extraction of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) by the aerial part (stem and leaves) of elephant grass. Agricultural use of RS is based on the certainty of its availability throughout the year, especially in cities with a sewage system network, in addition to reducing the costs of its treatment for release into water bodies[2] Given these possibilities, application engineering and systems management are subjects that require further technological development. Irrigation by furrows, considered a rudimentary form of agricultural crop irrigation, can currently be considered among the most appropriate when dealing with raw wastewater because it presents a low risk of blocking emitters by chemical, physical and biological agents compared to local applications[3,4,5] This method presents better sanitation safety, without contamination of plants and system operators compared to application by spraying[6]. An important point in sizing and observing the safety of the fertigation process with RS is the ability of the plant aerial part to extract nutrients, because this factor indicates how much the crop is contributing to the removal of nutrients and sodium applied to the soil via RS14
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