Abstract
The use of treated wastewater (TWW) for irrigation has gained global attention since it reduces pressure on groundwater (GW) and surface water. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of TWW on agronomic, photosynthetic, stomatal, and nutritional characteristics of barley plants. The experiment with barley was established on two bands: one band was irrigated with GW and the other with TWW. The evaluation was performed 25, 40, 60, 90, and 115 days after sowing (DAS). Results showed that irrigation with TWW increased (p < 0.01) grain yield by 54.3% and forage yield by 39.4% compared to GW irrigation. In addition, it increased plant height (PH) (p = 0.013), chlorophyll concentration index (CCI) (p = 0.006), and leaf area index (LAI) (p = 0.002). TWW also produced a positive effect (p < 0.05) in all the photosynthetic efficiency parameters evaluated. Barley plants irrigated with TWW had lower stomatal density (SD) and area (SA) (p < 0.001) than plants irrigated with GW. Plants irrigated with TWW had a higher P concentration (p < 0.05) in stems and roots and K concentration in leaves than plants irrigated with GW. We concluded that the use of TWW induced important biochemical, physiological, and agronomic changes in barley plants. Hence, the use of TWW may be a sustainable alternative for barley production in arid and semi-arid regions. This study was part of a government project, which aimed to develop a new metropolitan irrigation district with TWW. This study may contribute to the sustainability of water resources and agricultural practices in northern Mexico.
Highlights
Anthropic activities, population growth, and climate change have caused a decrease in water quality and quantity, generating huge amounts of wastewater (WW)
The results prove the feasibility of producing barley with low fertilization costs using treated wastewater (TWW)
TWW is an important source of nutrients since it induces important agronomic, photosynthetic, stomatal, and nutritional changes in barley plants
Summary
Population growth, and climate change have caused a decrease in water quality and quantity, generating huge amounts of wastewater (WW). 380 billion m3 of WW are generated globally each year, and this amount could increase. Agriculture is the activity with the highest water demand on Earth, and this demand is exacerbated in arid and semi-arid lands, where water availability is limited [2]. According to the FAO, 2.75 million km are irrigated with WW around the world [3]; more than 80% of WW produced worldwide is released into the environment without any treatment. The use of treated wastewater (TWW) for agricultural irrigation has gained global attention since water consumption has significantly increased due to the growing demand for food [4]. Around 20 million hectares are irrigated with TWW in
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