Use Of Low-quality Water Research Articles

Impact of Deficit Irrigation Strategies Using Saline Water on Soil and Peach Tree Yield in an Arid Region of Tunisia

Sustainable fruit orchard development in arid areas is severely affected by the scarcity of fresh water. To mitigate the lack of fresh water, the use of low-quality water for irrigation is becoming a common practice in several margin areas. However, salinity is considered one of the most important environmental constraints limiting the successful crop production. Therefore, the effects of deficit irrigation strategies using saline water (3.1 dS m−1) on soil water content, soil salinity, and yield of commercial peach orchard were investigated. Three irrigation treatments were considered: a Control, full irrigated (FI); and partial root-zone drying (PRD50); and deficit irrigation (DI) strategies irrigated at 50% ETc. These levels of water supply allowed for contrasting watering conditions with clear distinction between irrigation treatments. The differential pattern in soil moisture was accompanied by that of soil salinity with an increase in all FI treatments (16–25%). The results indicated that soil salinity increased with increasing water supply and evaporative demand during the growing season from January (3.2 dS m−1) to August (6.6 dS m−1). Deficit irrigation strategies (DI, PRD50) induced more soil salinity along the row emitter compared to the Control due to insufficient leaching fractions. By the end of the growing season, the soil salinity under long-term saline drip irrigation remained stable (5.3–5.7 dS m−1). An efficient leaching action seemed to be guaranteed by rainfall and facilitated by sandy soil texture, as well as the high evaporative demand and the important salt quantity supplied, which maintain the deficit irrigation strategies as valuable tools for water saving and improving water productivity. The significant water saving of 50% of water requirements induced a fruit yield loss of 20%. For this reason, DI and PRD50 could be reasonable irrigation management tools for saving water and controlling soil salinity in arid areas and on deep sandy soil.

Effect of sufficient and deficit irrigation with different salt inputs on the yield of cucumber

Soil salinisation is considered one of the major environmental hazards threatening agricultural productivity and can be accentuated by climate change as well as the use of low-quality water in irrigation. This is the case in our study area which is affected by secondary salinisation due to the use of saline irrigation water for horticultural production. Deficit irrigation technique is implemented especially in arid and semiarid regions due to its potential to optimise water productivity while maintaining or increasing crop yield. The main objective of this study was to compare the effect of irrigation with sufficient (SD) and deficit (DD) doses. This research was carried out in Karcag in 2020. Cucumber was grown on a meadow chernozem soil and was irrigated with SD and DD of two irrigation water qualities. Soil moisture was monitored and crop yields were recorded. Despite the differences in quality and quantity of water, the application of less water by DD maintained the same yield as SD. We found a non-significant difference between the average soil moisture contents under the treatments (15.5 v/v% for SD and 13.5 v/v% for DD). Deficit irrigation can be an efficient technique due to its potential for improving water use efficiency, maintaining sufficient soil moisture content favourable for proper crop development and yield.

Enhancement of adjusted solar still integrated with renewable energy: An experimental approach to recycling industrial wastewater

In desert locations, particularly in Africa, limited freshwater resources have led to the use of low-quality water in industry and agriculture. These have the potential to harm the environment as well as the water quality used by people and industry.The condensation of industrial wastewater discharged and stored in an evaporation pond is simulated in this research using a comprehensive consistent framework.In this study, the solar still is used in conjunction with the treatment of industrial effluent that is discharged into evaporation ponds. This method is intended for simple systems in remote locations where saline wastewater and renewable electricity resources are available.Desalination is thus unquestionably one of the most efficient strategies for meeting the needs of industry and agriculture. By utilizing the lower transpiration of salt wastewater greenhouses or solar stills.Desalination, which makes use of the occurrence of water vapor condensation in the air while also incorporating the solar still effect and the utilization of salt wastewater appears to be a good fit for wastewater recycling and reuse.The fundamental goal of this study is to look at the production of fresh water in the solar still utilizing renewable energy in the desalination of industrial wastewater. This system necessitates a careful examination of solar still and solar collectors’ design.

Tomato responses to salinity stress: From morphological traits to genetic changes.

Tomato is an essential annual crop providing human food worldwide. It is estimated that by the year 2050 more than 50% of the arable land will become saline and, in this respect, in recent years, researchers have focused their attention on studying how tomato plants behave under various saline conditions. Plenty of research papers are available regarding the effects of salinity on tomato plant growth and development, that provide information on the behavior of different cultivars under various salt concentrations, or experimental protocols analyzing various parameters. This review gives a synthetic insight of the recent scientific advances relevant into the effects of salinity on the morphological, physiological, biochemical, yield, fruit quality parameters, and on gene expression of tomato plants. Notably, the works that assessed the salinity effects on tomatoes were firstly identified in Scopus, PubMed, and Web of Science databases, followed by their sifter according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guideline and with an emphasis on their results. The assessment of the selected studies pointed out that salinity is one of the factors significantly affecting tomato growth in all stages of plant development. Therefore, more research to find solutions to increase the tolerance of tomato plants to salinity stress is needed. Furthermore, the findings reported in this review are helpful to select, and apply appropriate cropping practices to sustain tomato market demand in a scenario of increasing salinity in arable lands due to soil water deficit, use of low-quality water in farming and intensive agronomic practices.

Structural And Functional Relationship Study In Plant Salinity Stress

In today’s world the increased use of low-quality water for irrigation and soil salinization, saltness is a huge biotic problem that effecting factory growth and product in numerous corridors in the world. In repercussion to salt stress, plant cells accumulate compatible solutes and redistribute ions, all of which contribute them to acclimate to a low soil water potential. In addition, the endogenous abscisic acid (ABA) content increases daily, followed by changes in principle genetic expression in salt stress conditions. Here we are going to discuss about the proteins involved in plant salinity stress and their interactions with the salt tolerant factor which has a negative impact with the plant growth system. Some highly evaluated proteins that were observed under this stress are Plant ferredoxin-like protein (PFLP), Arabidopsis thaliana Salt Tolerance Related Protein (STRP), OsEXPA7, ribulose-1, 5-bisphosphate carboxylase (RuBP), etc. This report is also going to focus on various transcription factors (tf), responsible for the enhanced tolerance under biological activity of plant development. TFs bZIP, MYBs, bHLH, C2H2-Dof, G2-like, AP2-EREBP, NAC, GATA, ARF, ERF, bZIP and MYB which were highly up- regulated in salt stress response.

Hydrogen production from low-quality water: challenges and perspectives

The Next Generation EU plan fosters the development of a large capacity for hydrogen generation. However, water and energy resources are strictly connected to an indissoluble nexus. For that, water electrolysis may counteract the coexistence of two primary UNO Sustainable Development Goals humankind must face to achieve a prosperous and equal society, namely SDG 7 (Affordable access to renewable energy sources) and SDG 6 (clean water). To design innovative energy systems implementing hydrogen as an efficient and sustainable vector, water resources need careful management and energy use ought not to compete with freshwater delivery. Therefore, the present study reviews the technologies available for hydrogen production and their fitness to water quality standards. Among the feeding possibilities to be scrutinized, wastewaters and saline waters are worth attention. Each source of water asks for a specific design and management of the water treatment pre-process. Since these steps are energy-demanding, in some applications, the direct use of low-quality water to produce hydrogen may be envisaged. An example is the direct feeding of seawater to Solid Oxide Electrolysers (SOE). SOEs appear more promising than commercial low-temperature electrolysis systems since water steam production integrates the function of preliminary water treatment.

The impact of lower quality water on soiling removal from photovoltaic panels

Soiling, bird droppings, and dust accumulation on the surface of photovoltaic cells, can reduce the solar energy absorption and produce power losses. In solar plants where soiling is a problem, the use of low quality water in lieu of typically used demineralized water could conserve fresh water. Soiling was studied in a group of 264 photovoltaic panels, facing due south with a tilt angle of 32°, located at the West Yard of the City of Las Vegas, Nevada. The panels were grouped into six independent sections and each section was manually washed eight times during 302 days using different cleaning methods. The results show that dust did not seem to have a great effect on the system performance, with the control group experiencing only a 1.88% reduction in mean efficiency due to dust accumulation. Washing with distilled water recovered the mean normalized system efficiency approximately 1.32%, followed by treated wastewater (0.92%), treated wastewater with surfactant (0.73%), vacuum cleaner (0.27%), and groundwater (0.24%). The dust composition analysis indicated the dust particles identified on the surface of the photovoltaic panels were the same from the ground or caused by the light vehicular traffic. Pyrolysis-GC/MS identified that the presence of organic compounds on the surface of the PV panels was related to the local suspended soil, pollen, and vaporized cooking oils. The dissolved minerals in the wastewater and in the groundwater, at this location, negatively impact the performance of the system and can be considered an inefficient cleaning method.

Effects of deficit irrigation with saline water on yield and grape composition of Vitis vinifera L. cv. Monastrell

Warm and semi-arid climates are characterized by rainfall scarcity, resulting in the frequent use of low-quality water for irrigation. This work was undertaken to study the effects of water stress and saline irrigation on yield and grape composition of Monastrell grapevines grafted onto 1103P rootstock. The experiment was carried out during three consecutive seasons in a commercial vineyard located in Jumilla (SE Spain) with a loamy-sandy soil. Rainfed vines were compared with five watering regimes including a Control, irrigated with standard water, and four treatments that combined two different schedules for irrigation initiation (pre- and post-veraison) with saline water obtained by adding two types of salts (sulphates and chlorides). Vines from treatments with more severe water stress (i.e., rainfed) showed lower yields and vegetative growth. Moreover, the Rainfed treatment clearly modified grape composition when compared with the Control treatment by increasing berry phenolic content. The application of saline water slightly affected vine performance and grape composition regardless of the type of salts added to the irrigation water. Indeed, the watering regime had a greater effect on yield, vegetative growth and grape composition than the use of different saline waters. Our results suggest that, in the mid-term (3 years), and with a vineyard soil with good drainage, the use of saline waters is not detrimental to vine performance, but does not improve grape composition. Further research is required to assess the long-term effects of saline water application, particularly in view of the important accumulation of chlorides and sodium in leaf tissues observed in vines watered with salty water at the last season of this experiment.

Assessment of Soil Contamination Using GIS and Multi-Variate Analysis: A Case Study in El-Minia Governorate, Egypt

The issue of soil contamination is one of the most important subjects that interests decision-makers all over the world. It is also related to soil fertility and food security. The soils adjacent to the drains in Egypt suffer from increasing concentration of heavy metals, which negatively affects soil and crop quality. Precise spatial distribution maps of heavy metals are an essential key to mitigating the negative impacts on the ecosystem. Sixty random soil locations adjacent to the El-Moheet drainage were chosen on the west side of the Nile River, El-Minia governorate, Egypt. Six heavy metals (Cr, Co, Cu, Cd, Pb, and Zn) were selected to generate their spatial pattern maps using ordinary Kriging (OK). Principal component analysis (PCA) and contamination factors (CF) were applied to evaluate soil contamination levels in the study area. The results showed that the Gaussiang model was a high fit for soil pH, and Pb, the Exponential model was fit for EC, Stable model was fit for OC, Co, Cu, and Cd. In addition, the Spherical model was fit for both Cr and Zn. The MSE values were close to zero in all selected metals, while the values of RMSSE were close to one. The results showed that the soil heavy metal concentrations were grouped into two clusters using PCA. Furthermore, three contamination degrees were obtained (moderate, considerable, and very high), with about 70.7% of the study area characterized by considerable heavy metals concentration, where the average heavy metals concentration (mg kg−1) in this degree was 91.23 ± 19.5, 29.44 ± 5.2, 53.83 ± 10.2, 1.12 ± 0.3, 36.04 ± 18.0, and 101.29 ± 35 for Cr, Co, Cu, Cd, Pb, and Zn, respectively. The current results reflect the mismanagement and use of low-quality water for irrigation in the study area, which increased the toxic element concentration in soil surface layers. In the end, the results of spatial distribution maps of pollutants and their degrees could support decision-makers as a basis for developing appropriate mitigation plans for heavy metals.

Breeding for salt tolerance in wheat: The contribution of carbon isotopic signatures

Use of low-quality water for supplemental irrigation is expected to become soon a common practice in the Mediterranean area, where durum wheat is the main cultivated cereal. Breeding for salt stress tolerance may contribute to the improvement of wheat resilience to irrigation with brackish water. Various traits can be considered as indicators of salt stress tolerance, which include agronomical and physiological criteria. However, the complexity of salinity tolerance mechanisms, the G × E interaction and the lack of correlation between controlled and open field conditions causes uncertainty in the selection process. The present review highlights the main advantages and limitations of different agronomical and physiological traits used in screening for salt stress tolerance in wheat. Special focus is given to carbon and nitrogen isotope discrimination, that remains a bottleneck in breeding for salt stress tolerance. The use of different statistical tools to analyse data related to salt stress tolerance is also discussed in this review.

Study of Molybdenite Floatability: Effect of Clays and Seawater.

Current challenges in froth flotation are the presence of complex gangues and the use of low-quality waters, such as seawater. In this scenario, the recovery of molybdenum minerals is difficult, mainly due to the hydrophobic faces’ physicochemical changes. In the present study, the natural floatability of pure molybdenite was analyzed by using microflotation assays, and hydrophobicity was measured by performing contact-angle measurements. The impact of two clays, kaolin (non-swelling) and Na-montmorillonite (swelling), was studied. The behavior in freshwater and seawater at pH 8 was compared, considering the current condition of the Cu/Mo mining industries, which use seawater in their operations. The presence of clays lowered the natural floatability of molybdenite precisely because they adhere to the surface and reduce its contact angle. However, the intensity with which they cause this phenomenon depends on the type of water and clay. Kaolin strongly adheres to the valuable mineral in both freshwater and seawater. For its part, Na-montmorillonite does it with greater intensity in a saline medium, but in freshwater, a high concentration of phyllosilicate is required to reduce the hydrophobicity of molybdenite. The clays’ adherence was validated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis.

Ultrasonic characterization on fertilizer solutions in view to sustainable agriculture

The volumetric and sound parameters are very helpful tools to predict the different kinds of intermolecular interactions and their strengths associated with them. It is revealed that the soil salinity problem incessantly spreads due to continuous changes in climate, excessive use of groundwater, and bulk use of low-quality water for irrigation. Excessive soil salinity reduces the many agricultural crop production, which is particularly sensitive throughout the development and growth of the plant. The effect of salinity could be controlled or counteracted by the application of suitable fertilizers into the saline soils. In this manuscript, numerous acoustic as well as thermodynamic parameters of ammonium sulphate (AS) fertilizer of different weight fractions at 293.15 K temperature have been studied. The results obtained, from calculated different acoustic and volumetric parameters expose the existence of strong interactions in the system taken for investigation, this depends on the ilk of molecules. The fertilizer: ammonium sulphate shows, maximum molecular interactions at higher concentrations in all the solvents (Water, Sodium Chloride, and Magnesium Chloride), and this can again castoff in view as a remedy for soil salinity using interactions among saline salts and fertilizers.

Institutional framework in relation to the use of low-quality water for food crops irrigation in Tanzania

Institutional framework in relation to the use of low-quality water for food crops irrigation in Tanzania

Effects of deficit irrigation with saline water on wine color and polyphenolic composition of Vitis vinifera L. cv. Monastrell

The Mediterranean climate is characterized by rain scarcity resulting in the frequent use of low quality water for irrigation often containing high concentrations of sulfates and chlorides. This work was undertaken to study the influence of drought and saline irrigation water on the composition of Monastrell wines. The experiment was carried out during three years in a commercial vineyard sited in D.O. Jumilla (SE Spain). Six watering regimes were performed: Rainfed (no irrigation); Control, irrigated throughout the season with good quality water and other four treatments with a combination of two moments of initiation of irrigation (pre- and post-veraison) with two types of salinity water (sulfates and chlorides). The watering regime had more effect on the wine composition than the application of saline irrigation. In general, wines made with grapes from the Rainfed treatment had the highest polyphenols concentration and color intensity. Treatments with post-veraison saline water application improved wine quality with respect to the treatments irrigated during the entire season. Indeed, saline irrigation itself did not influence wine composition, while the watering regime modified wine quality, improving the wine phenolic composition particularly when water is restricted during pre-veraison. In any case, the best wine phenolic and chromatic composition was obtained from the Rainfed vines being the preferred watering management for optimizing wine quality. If saline irrigation has to be applied to improve vine performance, it is preferred to concentrate its application during the post-veraison period.

An Investigation on the Systems of Collecting and Extracting Greywater from Surface Water and Wastewater

Lack of water resources, on the one hand and degradation of the quality of available resources; on the other hand, raise serious concerns about water supply. Limited water resources in some areas necessitate planning for use of unconventional resources, such as: Unconventional and recyclable water resources, which should be used optimally. Therefore, there is an increasing need for use of low-quality water in areas where freshwater is scarce, in which case, unconventional water resources (such as saline water, brackish water and household wastewater) can be considered as valuable resources. The aim of this study was to investigate the possibility of water extraction from household wastewater (greywater) and surface water running in villages in Abadan and to simultaneously evaluate some water collection systems to find the best one in order to use these water resources as unconventional and recyclable water resources for various uses such as: Agriculture and irrigation of date palms. In the present study, we investigated three systems for the collection of surface water and household wastewater (greywater) in villages of Abadan The studied systems included: A conventional system, a small-diameter gravity sewer system and a simplified conventional system. We evaluated the said systems using all three methods in five villages of Abadan County as case studies. While estimating the economic cost of implementing each of these systems and taking into account the existing economic, social and cultural constraints, we recommended the most suitable system for the extraction and collection of wastewater and surface water in the region considering the lack of a system for the collecting and disposal of surface water and wastewater. The results indicated that the small-diameter gravity sewer system was more preferable than the other two methods. The studied villages included Albuhameed Manyoohi, Abudgol of Arvandkenar, Hadd of Arvandkenar, Sadat of Bahmanshir and Tarreh Bakhakh.

EFFECTS OF IRRIGATION SYSTEMS AND WATER STRESS WITH LOW WATER AND SOIL QUALITY ON QUINOA YIELD IN ARID CONDITIONS

Due to the water scarcity in the recent period in dry areas, as is the case in Egypt, so some means have to be used to save water as the use of irrigation systems under water stress, the use of low-quality water, as well as plants that tolerate these conditions. Two field experiments were conducted on a clayey soil with low quality (3.1 dSm-1) in southern Nile Delta of Egypt for evaluating the influence of low quality soil and water on quinoa productivity (initial experiment) and the effects of surface drip (SDI) and subsurface drip (SSDI) irrigation methods with three irrigation regimes (100%, 80% and 60% of irrigation requirements) and humic acid (0 and 50 mgl-1) on soil moisture and salinity, yield and water use efficiency of quinoa (main experiment). The initial experiment was done on pots to measure the effect of water quality (fresh water (0.45 dSm-1), ground water (2.8 dSm-1) and saline water (5 and 7 dSm-1)) on productivity. Regarding to results, the yield was significantly decreased by using saline water (5 and 7 dSm-1), while there were no differences between fresh and ground water. The results of the main experiment indicate that using ground water to irrigate quinoa with SSDI, 80% water stress and 50 mgl-1 humic acid improved soil salinity, pH and moisture content. These favorable conditions of the improved soil reflected on the vegetative growth parameters of quinoa and showed significant increases in seed yield (4.17 Mg ha-1) and water productivity (3.78 kg m-3).

Assessment of soil response to exchangeable sodium percentage by consistence and water retention properties

The use of low-quality water for irrigation is expected to keep increasing worldwide, which increases the risk of soil degradation. The response of soil to irrigation waters with excessive sodium depends on the soil clay behavior. Soil physical properties that can distinguish smectitic soils from non-smectitic soils could identify soils that are sensitive to exchangeable sodium. This study explores the use of Atterberg limits, coefficient of linear extensibility (COLE) and soil water retention as possible properties to determine if a soil is sensitive to exchangeable sodium. Soils used were synthetic soils prepared from mixtures of silt and clay minerals, and six natural soils. Atterberg limits, COLE and soil water retention was measured at ESP values of 0, 50 and 100% on these soils. Multiple linear regression functions were developed to predict soil liquid limit, plasticity index, COLE, and soil water retention at −336 cm H2O. The liquid limit, and COLE increased as the amount of sodium-saturated smectite increased in the synthetic soils. The liquid limit, COLE and water retention at matric potentials greater than −336 cm of H2O increased on smectite clay dominant soils when elevated ESP was combined with low salinity. The liquid limit increased from 49 to 67 on average and −336 H2O water content increased from 38 to 70% on average between 0 and 100% ESP treatments on the four smectitic soils. On a kaolinitic soil liquid limit decreased from 56.1 to 51.8 and −336 H2O water content increased from 33.7 to 35.9% between the ESP 0 and 100% treatment. Liquid limit increased from 188 to 679 and COLE increased from 0.47 to 1.19 mm mm−1 between calcium smectite (fullers earth) and sodium smectite (Wyoming bentonite), whereas liquid limit decreased from 56 to 39 and COLE decreased from 0.195 to 0.104 mm mm−1 between calcium and sodium saturated kaolinite. Plasticity index increased by 75% between the ESP 0 and ESP 100 treatments on the smectitic soils, whereas there was a 260% increase in plasticity index between fullers earth and bentonite. The root mean squared error that liquid limit could be predicted with was 3.3 plastic limit was 2.4, COLE was 0.036 mm mm−1, and 1/3rd bar water content was 2.2 × 10−3 g g−1. Smectitic soils had increases in soil swelling related properties, whereas non-smectitic clay soils had no changes in swelling related properties from ESP. Liquid limit and water retention at water potentials of −1/10th and −1/3rd bar were the properties that best distinguished soils that respond to ESP from soils that do not respond to ESP. Soil consistence properties and water retention can determine soils that contain smectite clay which is the clay mineral that is most sensitive to soil ESP.

Effects of Recycled Wastewater Applications with Different Irrigation Practices on the Chemical Properties of a Vertisol

The soil degradation caused by the use of low-quality waters in agriculture may be restricted with reorganization of irrigation practices. Therefore, a 2-year study was conducted to determine the c...

Production of watercress with brackish water and different circulation times for the nutrient solution

In view of the limitations on good quality water, the use of low-quality water in agriculture is seen as a suitable alternative. The aim of this study was to evaluate, in a protected environment, the production of broadleaf watercress in an NFT (Nutrient Film Technique) hydroponic system as a function of the use of brackish water and different circulation times for the nutrient solution. The experiment was carried out in the experimental area of UFC, in Fortaleza, Ceara, from December 2018 to March 2019 (two crop cycles). The treatments were distributed in a randomised block design in a 5 x 2 factorial scheme, five levels of water salinity (0.6, 1.6, 2.6, 3.6 and 4.6 dS m-1) and two circulation times for the nutrient solution (10 and 15 min), totalling 10 treatments with 4 replications, resulting in 40 experimental plots. The parameters under evaluation were plant height and number of leaves at 6, 10, 14, 20 and 25 days after transplanting (DAT), leaf area, shoot and root fresh weight, and shoot and root dry weight for each cycle. Water salinity maintained at 2.6 dS m-1 was considered satisfactory for watercress production in both crop cycles under evaluation. A circulation time of 15 minutes for the nutrient solution gave the best results in the watercress at all levels of salinity.

Application of magnetic field improves growth, yield and fruit quality of tomato irrigated alternatively by fresh and agricultural drainage water

Although the North Delta region in Egypt is one of the most densely populated areas in the world, it suffers from a severe shortage of fresh water needed to irrigate crops. So usually farmers resort to the use of low-quality water, such as agricultural drainage water, which could pose a threat to the quality of crops and then human health. Two field experiments were carried out during two consecutive summer seasons of 2014 and 2015 aimed at delivering more information about the pros and cons of alternative irrigation for tomato using fresh and agricultural drainage water with or without applying of magnetic field. The twelve surface irrigations, which tomato needs during its whole growing season, were applied alternatively between fresh and agricultural drainage water, respectively, at the following percentages (100 + 0), (75 + 25), (50 + 50), (25 + 75) and (0 + 100). Magnetic field was applied using iron fillings at a rate of 150 kg ha−1. The results revealed that growth parameters, early, total and relative yield, marketable yield and total chlorophyll and NPK content of leaves were gradually decreased with increasing the irrigation using agricultural drainage water. However, irrigating tomato by 100% fresh water had the highest values, while using of 100% agricultural drainage water displayed the lowest values. Contrarily, vitamin C, total soluble solids (TSS) and fruit firmness where at their highest values when tomato irrigated by 100% of agricultural drainage water. Applying of magnetic field not only enhances the growth, yield and quality of tomato under irrigation using agricultural water but also under fresh water. These results are of importance in areas where the use of agricultural drainage water irrigating crops is inevitable for enhancing yield and its quality and consequently ensuring food safety.