Irrigation water quality from wastewater reuse or groundwater sources: bridging the water–nutrient–food nexus

A field study is done to analyze the effects of water reuse for irrigation with a focus on seed germination, crop morphology, crop yield, nutritional values of edible parts, fertilizer reduction, and benefit–cost ratio. For the study, three different crops, Lablab bean, tomato, and chilli, are consi...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: B. Bharani Baanu, K. S. Jinesh Babu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: IWA Publishing 2023-12-01
Series:Aqua
Subjects:
Online Access:http://aqua.iwaponline.com/content/72/12/2377
_version_ 1797369575521648640
author B. Bharani Baanu
K. S. Jinesh Babu
author_facet B. Bharani Baanu
K. S. Jinesh Babu
author_sort B. Bharani Baanu
collection DOAJ
description A field study is done to analyze the effects of water reuse for irrigation with a focus on seed germination, crop morphology, crop yield, nutritional values of edible parts, fertilizer reduction, and benefit–cost ratio. For the study, three different crops, Lablab bean, tomato, and chilli, are considered and every crop type is irrigated with groundwater (GW), diluted treated wastewater (DTWW), and treated wastewater (TWW). The study reveals that the DTWW is optimal for seed germination. Crops irrigated with the TWW have the highest morphological characteristics. Crop yield is highest for the TWW-irrigated Lablab bean and DTWW-irrigated tomato. Chilli remains unproductive until the end due to thermal stress. Nutritional values of the edible parts of the DTWW- and TWW-irrigated crops are lower than the GW-irrigated crops. Crops irrigated with the DTWW and TWW are applied with the reduced quantities of N, P and K fertilizers. Indeed, even when the dosages are low those crops are able to produce higher yields than the GW-irrigated crops which are applied with full fertilization. As the crop yield is high and fertilizer cost is less, the benefit–cost ratio is higher for water reuse irrigation than the GW irrigation. HIGHLIGHTS Water reuse, use of treated wastewater, for agriculture is one of the sustainable adaptations to combat the climate crisis.; This approach can ensure food security of people while conserving freshwater resources but the nutrient satiety of edible parts of crops irrigated with reclaimed water must be verified.; The study presented in this paper made an attempt to bridge the gap between the water–nutrient–food nexus of water reuse irrigation.;
first_indexed 2024-03-08T17:49:49Z
format Article
id doaj.art-2636840ffdc0474ea43031f732261971
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 2709-8028
2709-8036
language English
last_indexed 2024-03-08T17:49:49Z
publishDate 2023-12-01
publisher IWA Publishing
record_format Article
series Aqua
spelling doaj.art-2636840ffdc0474ea43031f7322619712024-01-02T09:07:46ZengIWA PublishingAqua2709-80282709-80362023-12-0172122377239510.2166/aqua.2023.390390Irrigation water quality from wastewater reuse or groundwater sources: bridging the water–nutrient–food nexusB. Bharani Baanu0K. S. Jinesh Babu1 Department of Civil Engineering, Mepco Schlenk Engineering College, Sivakasi, Tamil Nadu 626005, India Department of Civil Engineering, Mepco Schlenk Engineering College, Sivakasi, Tamil Nadu 626005, India A field study is done to analyze the effects of water reuse for irrigation with a focus on seed germination, crop morphology, crop yield, nutritional values of edible parts, fertilizer reduction, and benefit–cost ratio. For the study, three different crops, Lablab bean, tomato, and chilli, are considered and every crop type is irrigated with groundwater (GW), diluted treated wastewater (DTWW), and treated wastewater (TWW). The study reveals that the DTWW is optimal for seed germination. Crops irrigated with the TWW have the highest morphological characteristics. Crop yield is highest for the TWW-irrigated Lablab bean and DTWW-irrigated tomato. Chilli remains unproductive until the end due to thermal stress. Nutritional values of the edible parts of the DTWW- and TWW-irrigated crops are lower than the GW-irrigated crops. Crops irrigated with the DTWW and TWW are applied with the reduced quantities of N, P and K fertilizers. Indeed, even when the dosages are low those crops are able to produce higher yields than the GW-irrigated crops which are applied with full fertilization. As the crop yield is high and fertilizer cost is less, the benefit–cost ratio is higher for water reuse irrigation than the GW irrigation. HIGHLIGHTS Water reuse, use of treated wastewater, for agriculture is one of the sustainable adaptations to combat the climate crisis.; This approach can ensure food security of people while conserving freshwater resources but the nutrient satiety of edible parts of crops irrigated with reclaimed water must be verified.; The study presented in this paper made an attempt to bridge the gap between the water–nutrient–food nexus of water reuse irrigation.;http://aqua.iwaponline.com/content/72/12/2377climate change adaptationcrop nutritionreclaimed water irrigationwater reuse
spellingShingle B. Bharani Baanu
K. S. Jinesh Babu
Irrigation water quality from wastewater reuse or groundwater sources: bridging the water–nutrient–food nexus
Aqua
climate change adaptation
crop nutrition
reclaimed water irrigation
water reuse
title Irrigation water quality from wastewater reuse or groundwater sources: bridging the water–nutrient–food nexus
title_full Irrigation water quality from wastewater reuse or groundwater sources: bridging the water–nutrient–food nexus
title_fullStr Irrigation water quality from wastewater reuse or groundwater sources: bridging the water–nutrient–food nexus
title_full_unstemmed Irrigation water quality from wastewater reuse or groundwater sources: bridging the water–nutrient–food nexus
title_short Irrigation water quality from wastewater reuse or groundwater sources: bridging the water–nutrient–food nexus
title_sort irrigation water quality from wastewater reuse or groundwater sources bridging the water nutrient food nexus
topic climate change adaptation
crop nutrition
reclaimed water irrigation
water reuse
url http://aqua.iwaponline.com/content/72/12/2377
work_keys_str_mv AT bbharanibaanu irrigationwaterqualityfromwastewaterreuseorgroundwatersourcesbridgingthewaternutrientfoodnexus
AT ksjineshbabu irrigationwaterqualityfromwastewaterreuseorgroundwatersourcesbridgingthewaternutrientfoodnexus