Maa. Gadallah, EFFECTS OF INDUSTRIAL AND SEWAGE WASTE-WATERS ON THE CONCENTRATION OFSOLUBLE CARBON, NITROGEN, AND SOME MINERAL ELEMENTS IN SUNFLOWER PLANTS, Journal of plant nutrition, 17(8), 1994, pp. 1369-1384
The effect of three waste waters from two factories, Manquabad (fertil
izer) and Bani Quara (detergents and oils), and a sewage effluent from
Arab El-Madabegh (sewage effluent) on the soluble nitrogen and carbon
fractions in sunflower plants was studied. In addition, tissue concen
trations of sodium (Na), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg),
chloride (Cl), sulfur (S), phosphorus (P), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn),
copper (Cu), and iron (Fe) were determined Plants analyzed monthly tha
t were grown in waste waters were found to have significantly higher s
oluble sugar, hydrolysable carbohydrate, and soluble protein in both t
heir shoots and roots than plants grown in tap water (control). No def
inite pattern was noted for amino acid responses to the waste water tr
eatment. Element concentrations in the plants were variable, affected
by the pollution source differences and monthly sampling. Waste waters
significantly enhanced the accumulation of most elements in both shoo
ts and roots. The most notable effect was the increase in the Na, Cl,
and Zn concentrations. In addition, waste waters significantly decreas
ed the K content in both shoots and roots, Plants growing in Manquabad
waste waters have the highest concentration of Zn, Mn, and Fe. The in
ternal concentration for the mineral elements in the plant tissue was
postively and negatively correlated with that found in the waste water
s. The negative correlations existed with most elements in the plant t
issue and waste waters, indicating the presence of an active regulatio
n system that influenced the element uptake from the waste waters.