Assay on the Impact of Vegetable Oil Mill Effluent on Seed Germination and Seedling Growth of Brassica compestris L. and Oryza sativa L.

Abstract

Industries of any country are one of the key determinants of its economic wealth. Industries not only utilize a huge amount of water but also cause soil and water pollution by disposing of untreated industrial effluents in water bodies and agricultural land. The study aimed to test the impact of mustard oil effluent on seed germination and seedling growth of Brassica compestris L. and Oryza sativa L. and to evaluate the scope of industrial effluent as irrigation water. Different parameters like germination percentage, germination index, germination rate, and mean germination time were evaluated with different concentrations of effluent to analyze the impact effluent had on plant growth. The results of the study show that industrial effluents can be used for irrigation only after appropriate dilution, increasing the concentration of effluent in irrigation water can lead to a reduction in macro and micronutrients concentration as well as heavy metal accumulation which results in the inhibition of seed germination. Thus, careful monitoring of the effects of any industrial effluent on any particular crop is a must before its application as the response of crops may vary with single effluent also.