Response of Eucalyptus Camaldulensis to Irrigation With the Hudiara Drain Effluent

Abstract

A pot experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of the industrial effluent of the Hudiara drain on the growth and element accumulation by Eucalyptus camaldulensis at early growth stage. Plants were irrigated for 18 months with effluent diluted with tap water at 0% (T₀), 25% (T₁), 50% (T₂), 75% (T₃), and 100% effluent (T₄). Results showed that the maximum growth in terms of stem height (260 cm), number of branches (29), stem fresh weight (436.67 g), stem dry weight (203.33 g), total seedling length (344 cm), number of leaves (825), leaf fresh weight (195 g), and leaf dry weight (100 g) were recorded in plants treated with T₂. However, maximum seedling collar diameter (2.25 cm), root fresh weight (230 g), and root dry weight (103.33 g) were observed in T₃ treated plants. On the other hand, seedlings attained maximum root length (100.67 cm) at T₁ treatment. Chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b and total chlorophyll increased up to T₂, declining beyond that treatment. The accumulation of Na, Cd, and Cr in tissues increased with increasing concentrations of the effluent. However, the increase in effluent concentration decreased K and P in roots, and increased Fe in roots and stems, while T₁ and T₂ increased Mg in stems. The results suggest that mixing the wastewater of the Hudiara drain with tap water (50:50v/v) benefits the growth of E. camaldulensis.

KEYWORDS:

• wastewater
• Eucalyptus
• phytoremediation
• metal toxicity
• biomass production
• chlorophyll

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This study was financially supported by the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan under the Indigenous Ph.D. fellowship program. The authors highly acknowledge the help of the botanical garden staff of University of the Punjab in the experimental setup. Thanks are also due to the Soil and Water Testing Laboratory staff (Agriculture Department) for providing analytical facilities. J.R. Peralta-Videa acknowledges the Department of Chemistry of the University of Texas at El Paso. Special thanks are due to Dr. Amanda Stiles, Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, USA for improving the language of the manuscript.