INFLUENCE OF TWO SEWAGE SLUDGE SOURCES ON PLANT GROWTH AND NUTRIENT UPTAKE

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Soil and Water Research Institute, Agricultural Research Centre, Giza, Egypt

2 Faculty of Science, King AbdulAziz Univ. Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

3 Soil Pollution Unit., Soil and Water Department, Nuclear Research Centre, Cairo, Egypt

Abstract

The present work was carried out in a pot experiment to study the effect of sewage sources (Suez and Giza governorates) and differ-ent rates of dried sewage sludge on faba bean growing in sandy soil fol-lowed by sorghum to evaluate the residual effect of the sludge on its growth and mineral content. For faba bean, number of nodules/plant, plant height and leaf area were significantly increased due to either Suez or Giza sludge appli-cation up to 5%. Seed Yield / pot was increased with Suez sludge application up to 5%, Giza sludge increased the yield up to 2.5% treatment only.
Shoot and root dry weights of sorghum plants were significantly increased by Suez and Giza sludges up to 7.5 and 5%, respectively. The higher rate (10%) of Gin sludge inhibited root growth. Nitrogen and P contents of both shoots and roots were increased by both sludges up to 5%. When comparing the overall effect of the two sludges up to 5% It was observed that Zn and Cu contents of roots and shoots were in-creased by increasing the rate of Suez sludge. Fe, Mn, N1 and Cr con-tents of roots were slightly affected and they remained unchanged in the shoots. Giza sludge application caused progressive increases in most of heavy metals in sorghum plants specially Cr which was accumulated progressively in the roots than any other element. According to the Zn equivalent, and before the safe limits are exceeded, the maximum rate of dried sludge to be added to the soil is 78.13 tons/fed. for the Giza sludge and 94.7 tons/fed. for Suez sludge. The addition may be divided into small amounts over a long period.
 

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