Tolerance of Berberis thunbergii DC. to greywater irrigation and changes in soil quality

Abstract

Climate changes that lead to an increasing shortage of drinking water (DW) dictate the use of alternative water sources for irrigation. Therefore the aim of this research was to determine the tolerance of plant growth and development of Berberis thunbergii DC. (Japanese barberry) to irrigation with greywater (GW) and to examine changes in chemical properties of soil. The two-year experiment, conducted during vegetation season, was comprised of the following treatments: K (control, 100% DW), T1 (diluted GW containing 50% DW and 50% GW), T2 (100% GW) and T3 (alternating watering with 100% DW and 100% GW). After statistical analyses the results indicate the similarity between the K and T3 treatments in terms of the plant growth and development of new shoots. T1 treatment leads to slower plant growth, whereas T2 treatment leads to slower development of new shoots, but the vitality of the plants was not observed. Application of T1, T2 and T3 treatments resulted in slight salinization of the soil. In general, the results of this research indicated that GW can be used for irrigation of B. thunbergii, preferably with the application of alternating watering T3 treatment.