Asian Journal of Agriculture & Life Sciences Vol. 3(2), April 2018: 25-31

Website: www.crsdindia.com/ajals.html e-ISSN: 2455-6149 ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Irrigation Effect of Concentration of Sugar Mill Effluents on Growth Parameters of Wheat

Crop (Triticum Aestivum L.)

Sangeeta1 and Gita Rani2

1Department of Energy and Environmental Sciences, Chaudhary Devi Lal University, Sirsa, Haryana 2Department of Chemistry, Chaudhary Devi Lal University, Sirsa, Haryana

Email: gtcdlu@gmail.com

Received: 26th Dec. 2017, Revised: 28th Jan. 2018, Accepted: 4th Feb. 2018

INTRODUCTION The sugar industries play an important role in the development our country, India. Sugar industry effluents have an unpleasant odour and pollute water and soil of nearby areas when discharged into nearby areas. Farmers are using these wastes for irrigation and the effect of these effluents on crops has been studied by many researchers (Ozoh, 1984). But not much work has been done on effect of sugar mill effluents on wheat crop. In this study an effort has been done to study the effect of different concentration of these effluents on different parameters of wheat crop. MATERIALS AND METHODS The sugar mill waste was taken from Cooperative Sugar Mills, Meham, Haryana, India which is located at 28°59'49.2"N 76°14'30.1"E and it was used in different concentrations for studying their effect on growth parameters of wheat crop. Seeds of Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) were purchased from market and sown in different pots filled with field soil and irrigated with different concentrations (0 %, 25 %, 50 % and 100 %) of sugar mill effluents for seven days before sowing. The wheat plants of all pots were examined regularly for various growth parameters of wheat plants/crop (Pandey, 2007; Siva and Suja, 2012). All the pots were irrigated in equal volume twice a week till the harvest stage. Pots were regularly monitored and various parameters were determined. RESULT AND DISCUSSION When all the spikes of wheat became mature and straw color, then harvesting was carried out. The harvested crop was collected properly in separate bundles and labeled correctly showing both the parameters (water and soil). Before drying in sunlight, plant height and number of tillers per plant for each pot were recorded. Height of the plant was recorded from ground level to the tip of the longest spike. Length of the spike was also noted in the same manner. The important parameters measured after harvesting and drying of wheat plants were- Plant height, Length of the spike, Number of spikes per plant and Spikelet per spike. Grains per spike and Grain yield (Clean dry grains were counted per plant, sun dried and weighted) was estimated. The grain yield per 10 plants were measured and converted into final yield per replicate and average yield per pot was recorded. Similar to the grain yield, the straw yield was also determined after drying of straw in sun. Both grain yield and straw yield collectively are termed as biological yield. When all the spikes became straw color then harvesting was carried out and were collected properly in separate bundles and labeled correctly. Before drying in sunlight, plant height and number of tillers per

ABSTRACT These days use of sugar mill effluents for irrigation is in practice due to insufficiency of water internationally. In this study effect of different concentration of sugar mill effluents on growth parameters of wheat crop was observed in a pot culture experiment. The experiment was conducted by taking sugar mill waste from Cooperative Sugar Mills, Meham, Haryana, India. Sixteen different pots were taken in set of triplets and fifteen wheat seeds were sown in them which were irrigated with different concentration of sugar mill effluents at regular intervals. The higher concentration has negative effect on different parameters whereas low concentration gives better results even than control. Key words: concentration, growth, irrigation, sugar mill effluents

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plant for each pot were recorded. Height of the plant was recorded from ground level to the tip of the longest spike. Length of the spike was also noted in the same manner which is given in Table 1.

PLANT HEIGHT AND LENGTH OF THE SPIKE A comparative analysis of Figure 1 and Figure 2, it was found that the plant height and length of spikes are lowest for S4W3 and S4W4 and highest for S3W2 and S3W3 and which clearly shows that effluent with low concentration (up to 50 percent) are suitable for better growth over that of plant grown under control condition. Same kinds of observations were also made by Suresh, et al., 2014 and Srivastava, et al., 2015.

Table 1: Harvested Plant height and length of the spikes (cm) of various wheat samples with different treatments (Mean±SD of six values)

Samples Plant Height

(cm) Length of spike

(cm) S1W1 73.84±0.85 10.23±0.24 S1W2 70.12±1.04 11.15±0.38 S1W3 68.32±2.61 11.25±0.58 S1W4 34.42±1.58 4.58±0.38 S2W1 70.35±1.23 8.78±0.36 S2W2 77.36±1.36 9.73±0.27 S2W3 85.36±1.39 13.59±0.4 S2W4 29.59±1.24 5.57±0.36 S3W1 70.75±1.55 8.36±0.36 S3W2 66.15±1.49 9.37±0.15 S3W3 88.62±1.13 12.55±0.39 S3W4 26.28±1.39 8.15±0.47 S4W1 30.79±1.78 3.67±0.2 S4W2 32.52±1.26 2.89±0.26 S4W3 32.12±1.35 2.32±0.31 S4W4 23.12±0.99 1.56±0.43

Fig. 1: Comparative analysis of plant heights of various wheat samples with different treatments after harvesting

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Fig. 2: Comparative analysis of length of spikes of various wheat samples with different treatments

after harvesting

Fig. 3: Comparative analysis of number of spikes/plant of various samples wheat samples with different treatments

Number of Tillers or Spikes/Plant, Spikelets/Spike and Grains/Plant: The number of tillers or spikes per plant, spikelets/spike and grains/spike had been analysed and are shown in Table 2 along with values of standard deviations of various wheat samples with different treatments of effluent. The comparative analysis of number of tillers or spikes per plant, spikelets/spike and grains/spike are shown in Figure 3, Figure 4 and Figure 5 and found that number of tillers/spikes per plant, spikelets/spike and grains/spike were maximum for samples S3W3 and S2W3, number of spikelets/spike were maximum for samples S1W3 and S2W3 and number grains/spike were maximum for samples S3W3 and S3W2 indicating that some quantity of effluent concentration (upto value of 50 per cent) is beneficial and concentration higher than this leads to reduction number of tillers or spikes per plant, spikelets/spike and grains/spike.

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Table 2: Number of tillers or spikes/plant, spikelets/spike, grains/spike wheat samples under various treatment conditions (Mean±SD of six values)

Samples No. of Tillers/Plant Spikelets/spike Grains/spike

S1W1 4.66±0.82 15.5±1.05 35.16±2.79 S1W2 4.83±0.75 15±0.89 34.5±3.27 S1W3 4.93±0.52 17.66±0.52 36.83±2.63 S1W4 2.5±0.55 7.83±0.75 15.66±2.73 S2W1 3.833±0.75 15.5±1.37 34.66±3.5 S2W2 4.66±0.82 15.66±1.03 32.5±3.62 S2W3 4.98±0.98 17.33±0.82 35.66±3.26 S2W4 2.16±0.75 7.83±1.17 13.33±2.34 S3W1 4.5±0.54 15.66±1.63 34.83±2.93 S3W2 4.66±0.52 16.5±1.05 36.66±2.58 S3W3 5.16±0.51 16.83±1.17 38±2.6 S3W4 2.3±0.84 8.66±0.82 15±2.36 S4W1 1.83±0.75 6.83±1.17 11.66±1.75 S4W2 1.23±0.75 5.83±1.17 8.83±2.86 S4W3 1.23±0.98 5.76±0.75 8.59±1.67 S4W4 1.166±0.75 5.33±0.82 8.34±2.1

Fig. 4: Comparative analysis of number of spikelets/spike of various samples wheat samples with different treatments

Fig. 5: Comparative analysis of number of grains/spike of various samples wheat samples with

different treatments

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Yield And Yield Components (Grain Yield, Straw Yield And Biological Yield): Grain yield, straw yield and total biological yield in grams per pot is given in Table 3 along with values of standard deviations of various wheat samples with different treatments. Both grain yield and straw yield collectively make biological yield. It was observed that S3W3 and S2W2 are best conditions for grain yield and S3W3 and S2W2 for straw yield. The comparative analysis of grain yield and straw yield is shown in Figure 6 and Figure 7 and found that some quantity of effluent concentration (upto value of 50 per cent) is beneficial and concentration higher than this leads to reduction of wheat yield. As mentioned in other parameters also, the diluted effluents result in increase in crop yield while increase in concentration of effluents cause reduction in yield of crops.

Fig. 6: Comparative analysis of grain yield/pot of various wheat samples with different treatments

Table 3: Grain yield/pot, straw yield/pot, biological yield/pot of wheat samples under various

treatment conditions (Mean ± SD of six values)

Samples Grain yield/pot Straw yield/pot Biological yield/pot S1W1 95.88±2.42 185.68±12.31 281.56±14.53 S1W2 94.26±2.97 168.22±4.235 262.48±7.21 S1W3 99.67±2.93 177.08±8.84 276.76±6.03 S1W4 38.313±3.86 90.29±5.00 128.60±4.09 S2W1 99.09±2.23 182.81±7.37 281.90±6.41 S2W2 101.66±3.01 213.44±8.01 311.71±10.73 S2W3 105.303±4.62 98.366±4.01 318.74±12.42 S2W4 33.503±3.95 93.43±5.28 126.93±6.48 S3W1 95.96±2.11 189.97±6.91 285.94±5.68 S3W2 94.81±1.78 190.28±9.75 285.1±10.05 S3W3 102.006±1.72 210.0433333±7.74 295.76±5.65 S3W4 52.53±1.11 193.76±4.54 150.89±3.39 S4W1 65.716±2.92 99.073±1.55 164.79±3.04 S4W2 65.99±1.14 91.9±2.63 157.89±2.88 S4W3 68.13±2.55 97.42±4.82 165.5±8.19 S4W4 22.71±2.41 86.61±4.15 109.3±5.94

In Figure 6, which represents grain yield, S2W3 and S3W3 have highest yield, which is even higher than the normal field soil whereas S2W4 and S4W4 have lowest yield due to contamination of soil. Similarly in Figure 7 S4W2 and S4W4 are on lowest side and S2W2 and S2W3 have highest yield. These results indicate that high concentration of nutrients in the effluents cause increase in the yield of grain and straw as well. Figure 8 represents biological yield of the wheat crop for different samples. It is again clearly indicated in the figure that S4W4 and S2W4 samples have the lowest

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values due to contamination of soil resulting reduced growth, which are represented in red colored lines whereas S2W2 and S2W3 have shown the highest yield represented in green colored lines. Variation in Length of spikes, Plant Height and yield with variation in concentration of SME utilized for treatment of seeds clearly revealed that effluents exhibit profound effect on the above mentioned parameters. Observations made from the experiments conducted indicate clearly that with gradual increase in concentration of the effluents (50-100 per cent), a gradual decrease in Length of spikes, Plant Height and yield of crop was observed. Among various concentrations of effluents which were utilized during the study, 25 and 50 per cent concentration of effluents was found to be most effective in increasing various parameters in wheat plant.

Fig. 7: Comparative analysis of straw yield/pot of various wheat samples with different

treatments

Fig. 8: Comparative analysis of biological yield/pot of various wheat samples with different treatments

The results are in concordance with the work done by (Ezhilvannan, et al., 2011, Nath, et al., 2007, Siva and Suja, 2012, Saini and Pant, 2014), which also indicated that lower concentration of effluents favored the plant growth with increased chemical content. The effects on germination percentage are also reported in literature (Kalaiselvi, et al., 2010, Orhue, et al., 2005, Osaigbovo, et

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al. 2006 and Pandey, et al., 2008). The effects of sugarcane pressmud had been observed on soil characteristics and growth of eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) and it was reported (Kumar and Chopra, 2016) that sugarcane pressmud upto concentration of 40 per cent improves the yield of this crop, S. melongena. The growth and germination percentage of seed inhibited at higher concentration of effluents may be due to osmotic pressure of high dose, which make imbibitions more difficult and reduce oxygen uptake by seedling (Khatoon, et al., 2010), while diluting the effluent enhance the plant activities by providing required amount of nutrients present. Srivastava, et al., (2015), elaborated the response of sugar mill effluent (SME) on the crop Vigna unguiculata L. (Cowpea) irrigated with five rates of SME viz. 10, 25, 50, 75 and 100 % concentrations; Di-ammonium phosphate (DAP) treatment (applied @100Kg/ha i.e. 0.7g / per 5 Kg) and control. It was observed that the stimulation in agronomical parameters such as shoot length, root length, number of leaves, flowers, pods, dry weight, fresh weight, chlorophyll content, leaf area index, and crop yield of V. unguiculata were inversely proportional to the concentrations of SME, with the best results being obtained at a dilution of 50 per cent of SME concentration after 90 days of SME irrigation than DAP and BWW in both the seasons of Kharif and Zaid. CONCLUSION It was observed that various harvesting parameters like plant height, length of spikes and yield of the wheat seeds are reducing with the increase in effluent concentration but showed good yield at low concentration. Samples with 100 per cent concentration of SME showed almost negligible yield. So it has been noticed that effluent concentration is beneficial up to value of 50 per cent and after this concentration there is reduction in different parameters of the wheat crop. There is requirement of further study in this field so as to utilize the sugar mill waste for benefit of farmers. REFERENCES 1. Ezhilvannan D., Sharavanan P.S. and Vijayaragavan M., (2011): Effect of sugar mill effluents on changes of growth

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