title: Effects of industrial wastewater on growth and biomass production in commonly grown vegetables.
abstract: In developing countries like Pakistan, irrigation of crops with industrial and municipal wastewater is a common practice. However, the impact of wastewater irrigation on vegetables growth has rarely been studied. Therefore, the present study was conducted to determine the effect of industrial wastewater on the germination and seedling growth of some commonly grown vegetables in Pakistan. Wastewater samples were collected from two different industries (marble industry and match alam factory) at Hayatabad Industrial Estate (HIE) in Peshawar, Pakistan, and their effect on different growth parameters of four vegetables including Hibiscus esculentus, Lactuca sativa, Cucumis sativus, and Cucumis melo was investigated. The obtained results revealed that wastewater from marble industry did not affect seed germination except a minor inhibition in H. esculentus. Effluents from match alam factory stimulated seed germination in C. melo and C. sativus but had no effect on seed germination in the other two vegetables. Wastewater increased root and shoot length in H. esculentus, L. sativa and C. melo, but decreased it in C. sativus. Similarly, differential effects of wastewater were observed on fresh and dry biomass of seedlings in all vegetables. It can be concluded that wastewater may have different effects on different crops, depending upon the nature of wastewater and sensitivity of a plant species to wastewater.
authors.affiliation: Department of Botany, Kohat University of Science and Technology (KUST), 26000, Kohat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Syeda
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Uzma
authors.affiliation: Department of Botany, Kohat University of Science and Technology (KUST), 26000, Kohat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. azizswabi@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Azizullah
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Azizullah
authors.affiliation: Department of Botany, Kohat University of Science and Technology (KUST), 26000, Kohat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Roqaia
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bibi
authors.affiliation: Department of Botany, Kohat University of Science and Technology (KUST), 26000, Kohat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Farhat
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Nabeela
authors.affiliation: Department of Botany, Kohat University of Science and Technology (KUST), 26000, Kohat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Uzair
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Muhammad
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Kohat University of Science and Technology (KUST), 26000, Kohat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Imran
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ali
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Kohat University of Science and Technology (KUST), 26000, Kohat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Zia Ur
authors.initials: ZU
authors.lastname: Rehman
authors.affiliation: Department Biology, Emeritus of Friedrich-Alexander Universität, 91096, Möhrendorf, Germany.
authors.forename: Donat-Peter
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Häder
mesh_terms: D028483:Abelmoschus / Q000254:growth & development; D057914:Agricultural Irrigation / Q000379:methods*; D018533:Biomass; D028462:Cucumis / Q000254:growth & development; D018525:Germination; D007220:Industrial Waste; D018545:Lactuca / Q000254:growth & development; D010154:Pakistan; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000254:growth & development; D018520:Plant Shoots / Q000254:growth & development; D036226:Seedlings / Q000254:growth & development; D014675:Vegetables / Q000254:growth & development*; D062065:Wastewater
chemical_list: D007220:Industrial Waste; D062065:Wastewater
keywords: Biomass production; Germination; Pakistan; Vegetables; Wastewater