The evaluation of sewage sludge application as a fertilizer for broad bean (Faba sativa Bernh.) crops

Abstract

Although several studies have examined the effect of sewage sludge (SS) application on various legume crops, there is insufficient information confirming the agronomic and environmental sustainability of SS usage in a broad bean cultivation systems.Therefore, a greenhouse experiment was completed to assess the soil heavy metal (HM) pools, growth, yield, and HM uptake of Faba sativa Bernh. (broad bean) grown in the agricultural soils supplemented with SS in comparison to control soils (nonamended). The experimental design was completely randomized with six replicates. The amendment with SS significantly elevated the organic matter (OM) content, soil salinity and Al, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn concentrations, although the soil pH decreased. As allowed by the Council of European Communities, the concentrations of the determined HMs were less than the accepted limit for SS used in agriculture. Generally, SS applications of up to 120 t/ha produced a considerable increase in the growth measurements and biomass of broad bean. However, the broad bean biomass, shoot height, number of branches, root length, absolute growth rate, number of leaves, and leaf area declined in reaction to a rate of 150 t/ha. The HM concentrations in various tissues of broad bean plants exposed to SS were significantly higher than those in the untreated plants. However, most HM concentrations were inside the permissible limits and did not overcome the maximum levels of phytotoxic. The broad bean was recognized by a bioaccumulation factor less than 1.0 for the majority of the HMs. The translocation factors for the determined HMs (excluding for Al, Co, and Pb in stems and leaves) were less than 1.0. Therefore, the SS utilized in this study could be used as a fertilizer for broad bean crops and could as well act as a replacement manner for SS elimination. K E Y W O R D Samendments, biosolids, growth parameters, soil quality, trace elements, Vicia bean

Uptake prediction of ten heavy metals by Corchorus olitorius L. cultivated in soil mixed with sewage sludge

“…Soil–SS combination that support s the growth of C. olitorius in the current study was alkaline (pH range is 7.2–8.4). Soil alkalinity decreases the mobility of HMs (Eid, Alrumman, El‐Bebany, et al, 2018, 2019; Eid, Alrumman, et al, 2017; Eid, El‐Bebany, et al, 2017; Eid, Hussain, et al, 2019; Zeng et al, 2011). Furthermore, high soil pH is known to increase the uptake of various HMs and in turn decrease its solubility in soil solutions (Chaudri et al, 2007).…”

“…In addition, the concentrations of all of the monitored HMs concentrations in C. olitorius shoots (except Fe) did not reach the critical levels proposed by Kabata‐Pendias (2011) (see Table 2). Although the amendment of agricultural soils using SS may be practical for some crops such as spinach, cucumbers, faba beans, wheat, and C. olitorius (Eid, Alrumman, El‐Bebany, et al, 2018, 2019; Eid, Alrumman, et al, 2017; Eid, El‐Bebany, et al, 2017; Eid, Hussain, et al, 2019), the consistent checking of the HMs levels in agricultural products is recommended to avoid their accumulation in the food chain.…”

“…SS is produced, as an organic by‐product after treating the municipal and industrial drainage water (Eid & Shaltout, 2016). Industries contribute in raising the toxic levels of HMs in SS, that may have lethal effects (e.g., As, Cd, Hg, Pb) on food chain, but some reports indicated that the amendment of agricultural lands with SS has significant positive influences on soil quality and plant nutrients (Antonious, Kochhar, & Coolong, 2012; Eid, Alrumman, El‐Bebany, et al, 2018, 2019; Eid, Alrumman, et al, 2017; Eid, El‐Bebany, et al, 2017; Eid, Hussain, et al, 2019; Kumar, Chopra, & Srivastava, 2016; Tamoutsidis, Papadopoulos, Tokatlidis, Zotis, & Mavropoulos, 2002; Waqas, Khan, Qing, Reid, & Chao, 2014). Zeng et al (2011) suggested that the reduction of the toxic impacts of HMs and their translocation to food chains needs impact assessment of different soil parameters on their accessibility and uptake by plants.…”

“…Since 2016, our team has started to publish a series of papers about the impact of varied amendment rates of SS on the plant growth and yield in addition to the accumulation of HMs in some economic plants (Eid, Alrumman, El‐Bebany, et al, 2018, 2019; Eid, Alrumman, et al, 2017; Eid, El‐Bebany, et al, 2017; Eid, Hussain, et al, 2019). According to the authors’ knowledge, no regression equations can be found in the literature for the uptake of HMs by C. olitorius grown in soil amended with SS.…”

A sustainable food security approach: Controlled land application of sewage sludge recirculates nutrients to agricultural soils and enhances crop productivity

“…In these cases, land application of SS represents a potential approach to recycle OM, in addition to other plant nutrients, to soils. Regarding the effects that SS soil application has on plant growth, many reports have found significant enhancements in the growth of various crop plants when grown in agricultural soils amended with SS, such as mung bean , faba bean (Eid et al, 2018), corn (Grotto et al, 2015), wheat (Eid et al, spinach , and cucumber .…”