The effects of different sewage sludge amendment rates on the heavy metal bioaccumulation, growth and biomass of cucumbers (Cucumis sativus L.)

When sewage sludge is incorrectly applied, it may adversely impact agro-system productivity. Thus, this study addresses the reaction of Cucumis sativus L. (cucumber) to different amendment rates (0, 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 g kg −1 ) of sewage sludge in a greenhouse pot experiment, in which the plant g...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environmental science and pollution research international 2017-07, Vol.24 (19), p.16371-16382
Main Authors: Eid, Ebrahem M., Alrumman, Sulaiman A., El-Bebany, Ahmed F., Hesham, Abd El-Latif, Taher, Mostafa A., Fawy, Khaled F.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agriculture
Aquatic Pollution
Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution
Bioaccumulation
Biomass
Cadmium
Chromium
Copper
Cucumbers
Cucumis sativus
Earth and Environmental Science
Ecotoxicology
Electrical conductivity
Electrical resistivity
Environment
Environmental Chemistry
Environmental Health
Environmental science
Fruits
Greenhouses
Growth rate
Heavy metals
Iron
Lead
Leaf area
Leaves
Manganese
Metal concentrations
Metals, Heavy
Nickel
Organic matter
Organic soils
Plant growth
Plants (botany)
Research Article
Roots
Saudi Arabia
Sewage
Sewage disposal
Sewage sludge
Sludge
Sludge disposal
Soil amendment
Soil chemistry
Soil pH
Soil Pollutants
Stems
Waste Water Technology
Water Management
Water Pollution Control
Water treatment
Zinc
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Summary:When sewage sludge is incorrectly applied, it may adversely impact agro-system productivity. Thus, this study addresses the reaction of Cucumis sativus L. (cucumber) to different amendment rates (0, 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 g kg −1 ) of sewage sludge in a greenhouse pot experiment, in which the plant growth, heavy metal uptake and biomass were evaluated. A randomized complete block design with six treatments and six replications was used as the experimental design. The soil electrical conductivity, organic matter and Cr, Fe, Zn and Ni concentrations increased, but the soil pH decreased in response to the sewage sludge applications. As approved by the Council of European Communities, all of the heavy metal concentrations in the sewage sludge were less than the permitted limit for applying sewage sludge to land. Generally, applications of sewage sludge of up to 40 g kg −1 resulted in a considerable increase in all of the morphometric parameters and biomass of cucumbers in contrast to plants grown on the control soil. Nevertheless, the cucumber shoot height; root length; number of leaves, internodes and fruits; leaf area; absolute growth rate and biomass decreased in response to 50 g kg −1 of sewage sludge. All of the heavy metal concentrations (except the Cu, Zn and Ni in the roots, Mn in the fruits and Pb in the stems) in different cucumber tissues increased with increasing sewage sludge application rates. However, all of the heavy metal concentrations (except the Cr and Fe in the roots, Fe in the leaves and Cu in the fruits) were within the normal range and did not reach phytotoxic levels. A characteristic of these cucumbers was that all of the heavy metals had a bioaccumulation factor
ISSN:0944-1344
1614-7499
DOI:10.1007/s11356-017-9289-6