The effect of sewage sludge on improving the growth characteristics of the medicinal plant Hibiscus sabdariffa L. under drought stress

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 M.Sc. in Medicinal and Industrial plants, Faculty of Natural Resources and Desert Studies, Yazd University, Yazd, Iran

2 Associate professor, Department of Rangland and Watershed Management, Faculty of Natural Resources and Desert Studies, Yazd University, Yazd, Iran

3 Associate Professor, Department of Desert Management, Faculty of Natural Resources and Desert Studies, Yazd University, Yazd, Iran

10.29252/aridbiom.2024.21043.1983

Abstract

The lack of fresh water resources in arid and semi-arid regions is the most important factor limiting agricultural activities. On the other hand, one of the challenges that exist in cities is the accumulation of sludge resulting from urban sewage treatment. According to the available sources, the sludge obtained from urban sewage treatment contains large amounts of mineral and organic substances, which can improve soil fertility and water retention and are useful for agricultural products. In this regard, in order to investigate the effect of sewage sludge in reducing the effects of drought stress on the growth characteristics of Hibiscus sabdariffa L., a study was conducted in the form of a completely randomized design in a factorial format and under greenhouse conditions. The test factors included drought stress with four levels (100, 75, 50 and 25% of crop capacity) and sewage sludge with two levels (zero and 10 grams per kilogram of soil) and four replications. During the six-month growth period of the plants in the greenhouse, dry treatments were applied using tap water with a salinity of 700 micro Siemens per meter, based on the weighing of the pots. After the plants reached the stage of flowering and boll production, morphological traits such as plant height, shoot weight, stem diameter, number of bolls, root weight and number of leaves were measured. The results showed that the effect of sewage sludge application on the wet and dry weight of shoot, height, number of bolls, stem diameter and root wet weight at the level of one percent (p<0.01) and the dry weight of the root at the level of five percent (p>0.05) was significant. Using sewage sludge increased plant dry weight by 46%, height by 24%, stem diameter by 14%, and root dry weight by 50% compared to the control treatment.​ The investigation of the interaction effect of drought and sludge on the morphological characteristics of the plant showed that the application of sewage sludge at stress levels of 100, 70 and 50% of the field capacity increased the fresh weight of aerial parts by 118, 90 and 75%, respectively, compared to the control. The interaction effect of drought and sludge on the number of plant bolls showed that the highest amount of this trait was obtained with an average of 25 numbers in the treatment of sewage sludge application and 100% field capacity, and the lowest amount was equal to 1.25 in the treatment of 25% field capacity and no sewage sludge application. The interaction effect of drought and sewage sludge on plant physiological traits such as proline, sugar, chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b and carotenoid levels was not significant. In general, the results of this research show the positive role of sewage sludge on improving the growth and performance of this plant under drought stress conditions.

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References

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Journal of Arid Biome
Volume 14, Issue 1
March 2024
Pages 21-33

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