Phytotoxic Effect of Paperboard Effluent on Seed Germination and Seedling Growth of Gingelly Crop (Sesamum indicum L. Var. VRI 4)

Abstract

The present study has been conducted to assess the impact of treated paperboard effluent on the seed germination and seedling growth of the gingelly (Sesamum indicum L. var. VRI 4). This large amount of wastewater must be treated to meet environmental quality standards before reusing it. In the last ten years, many regions in India have experienced repeated droughts. Consequently, the shortage of irrigation water has prompted the search for alternative irrigation methods to sustain crop production. An experiment was conducted with the different concentrations viz., 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% along with a control. The treated paperboard effluent was analyzed for characteristics such as color, pH, electrical conductivity (EC), total solids (TS), total dissolved solids (TDS), total suspended solids(TSS), chemical oxygen demand (COD), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), dissolved oxygen (DO), calcium (Ca2+), magnesium(Mg2+), sodium(Na+), potassium(K+), chloride(Cl-), sulphate(SO42-), carbonate(CO32-), bicarbonate(HCO3-) and micronutrients. The growth parameters such as germination percentage, seedling vigor, shoot length, root length, fresh and dry weight, tolerance index, and phytotoxicity were measured at 14th DAS (days after sowing). The results indicate that lower concentrations of treated paperboard effluent significantly increase the percentage of seed germination and other growth parameters, but increasing concentrations decrease the germination and other growth parameters.