INFLUENCE OF TREATED WASTEWATER IRRIGATION ON WHITE-CORN PLANT

Water shortage and environmental hazards of wastewater have increased the need of wastewater reuse to be used for agricultural irrigation. Experimental approach was used in order to examine the influence of applying treated wastewater as a source of irrigation on physical properties and chemical composition of white-corn, this experiment was performed on a land with an estimated area about 100 m2 behind the main wastewater treatment plant. The land was divided into three equal cells with different water irrigation types, fresh water, Treated wastewater, and finally alternating irrigation equally with both fresh water and treated wastewater. Physical and chemical tests for white-corn plant were conducted and then analyzed statistically. As a result of analysis, alternating irrigation with water and treated wastewater do not recorded significant difference in term of the physical properties comparing with water irrigation; nevertheless, the wastewater irrigation showed lower physical properties with significant differences. On the other hand, high level of the Total Kjehldal Nitrogen (TKN), Total Phosphorus (TP) and Potassium (K) concentrations found in plant’s leaves in case of alternating irrigation. They were evidenced during chemical analyses as the following, 14%, 20% and 33%, respectively.