ISHS Acta Horticulturae 559: V International Symposium on Protected Cultivation in Mild Winter Climates: Current Trends for Suistainable Technologies
EFFECTS OF WASTEWATER IRRIGATION ON MELON GROWTH UNDER GREENHOUSE CONDITIONS |
| Authors: | M.L. Segura, R. Moreno, S. Martínez, J. Pérez, J. Moreno |
| Keywords: | Cucumis melo L., ozone treated waste water, fertigation, sand mulch, heavy metals, salinity, nutrient concentration, pathogenic microorganisms |
| Abstract:
The increasingly water demand and the lack of natural resources in arid and semiarid areas justify the present interest in the re-use of waste water. Since 1995 purified and ozone- treated waste water from Almeria (Spain) has been used to irrigate greenhouse crops. This work presents the results of a study conducted on melon (Cucumis melo L.) cv. Galia on a sand-mulched soil under greenhouse conditions in a spring cycle (124 days), comparing the application of waste water with the ground water normally used in irrigation. The experiment was arranged in a randomized complete block design with two treatments (waste and ground water) and four replications. To prepare the nutritive solution, the chemical composition of each type of water was taken into consideration and N and K were added accordingly in order to obtain a similar nutrient solution. No significant differences were found among treatments on the tested production parameters, obtaining a yield of 8.97 and 7.98 kg m-2 with waste and ground water, respectively. The foliar concentration of N, P, K, Ca, Mg and Na were similar in both treatments. The analysis of heavy metals in soil and plant (leaf and fruit) showed no contamination of Fe, Cu, Zn, Mn, B, Cd, Pb, Cr, Co and Ni. The use of purified waste water to fertigate Cucumis melo had positive effects on the addition of fertilizer salts since the application of total N and K was reduced by 40.8 and 17.8%, respectively. Microbiological analysis of fruits showed no contamination by indicator microorganisms (E. coli) even in fruits in contact with soil. | |
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