Municipal sewage sludge contains many valuable nutrients which can be used in the cultivation of energy crops. Application of large doses of sewage sludge can be a cause of environmental pollution, especially with nutrients. The multiflora rose and the Virginia fanpetals are plants with high nutritional requirements. The use of municipal sewage sludge in the cultivation of energy crops will allow recycling the nutrients from this organic waste. The aim of the study was to evaluate the use of macroelements from municipal sewage sludge by the multiflora rose var. "Jatar" (Rosa multiflora Thunb. ex Murray) and the Virginia fanpetals (Sida hermaphrodita Rusby). Four levels of sewage sludge fertilization were applied in the 6-year field experiment: 0, 10, 20, 40, 60 Mg DM sludge • ha-1. Sewage sludge was applied once before planting energy crops. Due to the low potassium content in sewage sludge, a single supplementary fertilization with 100 kg K • ha-1 in the form of 40% potassium salt (KCl) was applied on each plot. The study involved the evaluation of the yield, uptake and use by energy plants of N, P, K, Ca, Mg, and Na from sewage sludge. It was found that the increasing doses of sewage sludge significantly raised the multiflora rose and the Virginia fanpetals biomass yields. The yield of the Virginia fanpetals was one and a half times higher than that of the multiflora rose. The increasing doses of sewage sludge significantly raised the contents and uptake of N, P, K, Ca, Mg, and Na by these plants. The highest uptake of macronutrients by the multiflora rose and the Virginia fanpetals crops was determined for 60 Mg DM • ha-1 fertilization dose. The results show that the Virginia fanpetals used N, P, K, Ca, Mg, and Na from the sewage sludge to a greater extent than the multiflora rose. The analyses indicate that due to the greater yields, bioaccumulation and uptake of macronutrients, Virginia fanpetals is more effective in the 'purification' of the substrate from excess nutrients that may pose a threat to the environment.

This study investigated the influence of biological control agents and plant growth promoters on the chemical composition of the cultivars Panda and Kora buckwheat sprouts. Before sowing, seeds were soaked in solutions containing Bacillus subtilis bacteria, Pythium oligandrum oospores, Ecklonia maxima algae extract, and/or nitrophenols. The sprouts of the Panda displayed higher levels of protein, fat, and dietary fiber fractions than the Kora. Measurable effects of biological control agents (BCAs) and plant growth promoters (PGPs) on the chemical composition of sprouts were also confirmed. Soaking the seeds in a solution containing P. oligandrum oospores resulted in a decrease in the level of crude ash in sprouts, while the addition of nitrophenols increased the level of both crude ash and protein. We also found statistically significant effects of interactions between the cultivar and BCA and/or PGP for each of the examined components.

Environmental management of cellulose production waste and municipal sewage sludge appears to be substantiated due to various physicochemical properties of these wastes. The aim of the conducted research was to determine the effect of cellulose production waste and sewage sludge on yielding and heavy metal uptake by a plant mixture. The research was conducted under field experiment conditions, determining the fertilizer value of these wastes in the environmental aspect. The research was carried out in the years 2013-2016. Species composition of the plant mixture was adjusted to habitat conditions. It was established that, as compared with the cellulose production waste, the municipal sewage sludge used in the experiment had a higher content of macroelements. The content of heavy metals in the studied waste did not exceed the limits that condition their use in agriculture and reclamation. Applying only the cellulose production waste did not significantly decrease the yield of the plants. Municipal sewage sludge showed the highest yield-forming effect. Mixing the above-mentioned wastes and their application to soil had a significant effect on the increase in the plant mixture yield. The waste applied to soil also increased the content of Cr, Cd, Pb, Cu, and Zn in the plant mix. The level of heavy metal content in the plant mix did not exclude this biomass from being used for fodder or reclamation purposes. The cellulose production waste and municipal sewage sludge increased the heavy metal uptake by the plant mixture. The plant biomass extracted heavy metals from the sewage sludge more intensively than from the cellulose production waste. Among the analyzed heavy metals, the highest phytoremediation was recorded for Ni (30%), followed by Cd (20%), Cr (15%), Pb (10%), and the lowest for Cu (9%) and Zn (8%). Application of the cellulose production waste and sewage sludge to soil also increased the content of the studied heavy metals in soil. However, it did not cause deterioration of soil quality standards. Heterogeneity in the chemical composition of the wastes confirms that each batch intended to be used for environmental management should be subjected to chemical control.

No abstract

No abstract