The expansion of arid and
semi-arid areas and consequently water scarcity are affected by climate change.
This can
influence on availability and quality
of water while demands on food and water are increasing. As
pressure on freshwater is increasing, utilization of saline water in a
sustainable approach is inevitable. Therefore, bioremediation using salt
tolerant plants that is consistent with sustainable development objectives
might be an alternative and effective approach. In this study, saline
wastewater from a local desalination treatment plant was utilized to irrigate
four halophyte plants, including Aloevera, Tamarix aphylla, Rosmarinus
officinalis and Matricaria chamomilla. A field experiment was
designed and conducted in Zarrindasht, south of Iran in years 2012-2013
accordingly. Two irrigation treatments consisting of freshwater with
salinity of 2.04 dS.m-1 and desalination wastewater with salinity of
5.77dSm-1 were applied. The experiment was designed as a split plot
in the form of randomized complete block design
(RCB) with three replications. The results of variance analysis, ANOVA, on salt
concentration in Aloevera showed that there was no significant
difference between the effects of two irrigation water qualities except for Na.
In Rosmarinus officinalis, only the ratio of K/Na showed a significant
difference. None of the examined salt elements showed a significant difference
in Tamarix aphylla irrigated with both water qualities. In Matricaria
chamomilla, only Mg and K/Na ratio showed a significant difference (Duncan
5%). As a result, no significant difference was
observed in salt absorption by the
examined plants in treatments which were irrigated by desalination wastewater and freshwater.
This could be a good result that encourages the
use of similar wastewater to save freshwater in a sustainable system.
Journal Section | Articles |
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Authors | |
Publication Date | January 1, 2018 |
Published in Issue | Year 2018 Volume: 7 Issue: 1 |