The use of sewage sludge as a source of nutrients and organic matter for agricultural soils is a well-established practice. However, few reports highlight the effect of the nutrients and potentially toxic elements provided by organic wastes application on the plant physiological parameters, such as photosynthetic activity and stomatal conductivity. We performed a greenhouse experiment with maize exposed to a dystrophic red Latosol amended with mineral fertilizer and different rates of sewage sludge with the following objectives: i) assess the nutrients and metal uptake translocation and distribution in plants and ii) evaluate the relationship between plant physiological parameters and yield indicators under the study conditions. The application of sewage sludge increased the soil organic matter, pH, and the amounts of available Ca, S, and Mg, comparing to the mineral fertilizer treatment. The plants promote a higher translocation of macronutrients to the shoots in the sewage sludge treatments, which results in higher photosynthetic activity, stomatal conductivity, and maize yield parameters. Moreover, the trace elements, which can cause toxicity in small concentrations, were founded mainly in the roots, which indicates a plant defense mechanism.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.