Amendment of soil with sugar industry effluent and its effect on tomato plant development characteristics (Lycopersicon esculentum L.)

Plant science

Abstract

A B S T R A C T

Sugar industry effluent is a waste water of pure plant origin that contains a high concentration of soluble organic matter and plant nutrients. The byproducts of the sugar industry are utilized as raw materials in a variety of industries. The concern with sugar industrial wastewater includes high BOD, COD, and electrical conductivity. The problem could be solved by applying sugar factory effluent after suitable dilution with irrigation water, or by applying it prior to planting to allow for natural oxidation of organic matter in the soil. The study was done at a college campus located 2 kilometers distant from the sugar industry to investigate the physiochemical parameters of sugar industrial effluent treated with soil and its impact on tomato plants. Effluent from the sugar industry contains a high concentration of organic matter and nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, bicarbonate, and sulfur. Furthermore, it has an adequate number of micronutrients. Based on the above notion, a pot culture experiment was carried out to investigate the physiochemical parameters of soil with varying percentages of dilution of sugar industrial effluent and their effect on tomato plant growth parameters. The results showed that the physiochemical parameters of soil at different percentages of dilution of sugar industry effluent were raised (BD, OC, CO3, HCO3-, Total PO4-3, Total NO3-2, Total K+, Mg2+, Ca2+SO4-2, and Cl-) and decreased (pH, Soil Moisture, and WHC) compared to control soil. The vegetative development of 25-day-old plants, measured by shoot length, root length, shoot weight, and root weight, was highest in the 25% effluent treatment compared to the control group, followed by 50%, 10%, 75%, and 5%. 100% effluent treated soil had a negative growth parameter value compared to control. The pot experimental experiments suggest that the judicious application of sugar industrial effluent in agriculture could decrease fertilizer expenditures while also reducing pollution load on the environment.