Appraisal And Impact Of Paper Mill Effluent On Crop Growth And Soil Properties

With growing competition for water in different sectors, utilization of effluent water in agriculture is imperative. Paper mill effluent could be used in this sector as the effluents were found to be neutral, low saline and contained Na, Ca, Mg, Fe, F-, B, Cl-, SO42-, NO3-, CO32- and HCO3- ions at low to moderate concentrations. Irrigation by Emami paper mill effluent at different dilutions with fresh water had improved crops' yield attributes. No adverse impact on crop nutrients' uptake or soil properties was noticed. These depict that >60 to <= 80% dilutions of (Emami) paper mill effluent with fresh water is optimal for proper growth of blackgram and maize, >20% for greengram and <= 60% for rice and sunflower grown on acidic laterite soil in pots. Thus the study reveals that paper mill effluent holds promise for use in irrigation if diluted to levels within the acceptable limit of crops.