PJB-2024-1547
Exploring tolerable and sensitive canola varieties for cultivation with Pb contaminated municipal wastewater by using irrigation dilution technique
Hafeez Ullah, Nosheen Noor Elahi and Muhammad Imtiaz
Abstract
Agriculture and food security are seriously threatened by water shortage, a worldwide problem that is quickly becoming more of a concern in many countries. By reducing water shortages and enhancing soil fertility by recycling nutrients and organic matter found in the wastewater, using municipal wastewater as an irrigation source offers the potential to address this issue. However, the high contamination of heavy metals in such wastewater is also a major concern for its usage. Despite ongoing efforts to treat municipal wastewater for agricultural use through physical, chemical, and biological methods, the use of dilution techniques remains a crucial area of study. It can minimize the toxic concentration of heavy metals in municipal wastewater via the dilution effect. In this regard, a laboratory screening experiment was conducted to determine the effectiveness of municipal wastewater irrigation (WWI) on the growth of 15 varieties of canola plants. The diluted WWI was applied at a rate of control (no wastewater and 1000 ml of tap water), 20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, and 100%. The findings showed that Punjab Canola and Dunkeld seedlings had the best growth outcomes at all irrigation levels. On average, 60% of WWI emerged as the optimal dilution for enhancing canola seedling's growth and minimizing stress caused by contaminations in WWI. CON-III and AC Excel were found to be more sensitive to stress, while Punjab Canola and Dunkeld showed resistance to 100% WWI. Further investigation under pot and field conditions is required to determine the best varieties of canola and to declare 60% WWI as the appropriate dilution for using municipal wastewater as irrigation
To Cite this article:
Ullah, H., N.N. Elahi and M. Imtiaz. 2024. Exploring tolerable and sensitive canola varieties for cultivation with Pb contaminated municipal wastewater by using irrigation dilution technique. Pak. J. Bot., 56(5): DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.30848/PJB2024-5(8)
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