Application of municipal solid waste compost reduces the negative effects of saline water in Hordeum maritimum L.
The efficiency of composted municipal solid wastes (MSW) to reduce the adverse effects of salinity was investigated in Hordeum maritimum under greenhouse conditions. Plants were cultivated in pots filled with soil added with 0 and 40tha(-1) of MSW compost, and irrigated twice a week with tap water at two salinities (0 and 4gl(-1) NaCl). Harvests were achieved at 70 (shoots) and 130 (shoots and roots) days after sowing. At each cutting, dry weight (DW), NPK nutrition, chlorophyll, leaf protein content, Rubisco (ribulose-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase) capacity, and contents of potential toxic elements were determined. Results showed that compost supply increased significantly the biomass production of non salt-treated plants (+80%). This was associated with higher N and P uptake in both shoots (+61% and +80%, respectively) and roots (+48% and +25%, respectively), while lesser impact was observed for K+. In addition, chlorophyll and protein contents as well as Rubisco capacity were significantly improved by the organic amendment. MSW compost mitigated the deleterious effect of salt stress on the plant growth, partly due to improved chlorophyll and protein contents and Rubisco capacity (-15%, -27% and -14%, respectively, in combined treatment, against -45%, -84% and -25%, respectively, in salt-stressed plants without compost addition), which presumably favoured photosynthesis and alleviated salt affect on biomass production by 21%. In addition, plants grown on amended soil showed a general improvement in their heavy metals contents Cu2+, Pb2+, Cd2+, and Zn2+ (in combined treatment: 190%, 53%, 168% and 174% in shoots and 183%, 42%, 42% and 114% in roots, respectively) but remained lower than phytotoxic values. Taken together, these findings suggest that municipal waste compost may be safely applied to salt-affected soils without adverse effects on plant physiology.
Lakhdar
Abdelbasset
A
Centre de Recherches et Technologies des Eaux, Technopole Borj Cedria, BP 273, Soliman 8020, Tunisia. abdelbassetlak@yahoo.fr
Hafsi
Chokri
C
Rabhi
Mokded
M
Debez
Ahmed
A
Montemurro
Francesco
F
Abdelly
Chedly
C
Jedidi
Naceur
N
Ouerghi
Zeineb
Z
D018533:Biomass; D002734:Chlorophyll / Q000378:metabolism; D001467:Hordeum / Q000201:enzymology / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D019216:Metals, Heavy / Q000378:metabolism; D010788:Photosynthesis; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D012037:Refuse Disposal / Q000379:methods*; D012273:Ribulose-Bisphosphate Carboxylase / Q000378:metabolism; D012965:Sodium Chloride / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D012987:Soil
D019216:Metals, Heavy; D010940:Plant Proteins; D012987:Soil; D002734:Chlorophyll; D012965:Sodium Chloride; D012273:Ribulose-Bisphosphate Carboxylase