Biofertilizers from wastewater treatment as a potential source of mineral nutrients for growth of amaranth plants

Exploring alternative fertilizers is crucial in agriculture due to the cost and environmental impact of inorganic options. This study investigated the potential of sewage-derived biofertilizers on the growth and physiology of Amaranthus cruentus plants. Various treatments were compared, including co...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	PloS one Vol. 18; no. 12; p. e0295624
Main Authors:	Ferreira, Elisa Teófilo, Barrochelo, Sarah Corrêa, de Melo, Sarah de Paula, Araujo, Thainá, Xavier, Augusto Cesar Coelho, Cechin, Inês, da Silva, Gustavo Henrique Ribeiro
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	United States Public Library of Science 20-12-2023
Subjects:	Agreements Agricultural practices Agricultural wastes Agriculture Agrochemicals Algae Amaranth Amaranthus Amaranthus cruentus Aquatic microorganisms Biofertilizers Biology and Life Sciences Biomass Biosolids Carotenoids Chlorophyll Copper Crops Dietary minerals Effluents Energy consumption Engineering and Technology Environmental impact Evaluation Fertilizers Flowering Gas exchange Growth Influence Leaves Medicine and Health Sciences Microalgae Mineral fertilizers Minerals Natural resources Nutrient concentrations Nutrients Organic fertilizers Phosphatic fertilizers Photosynthesis Photosynthetic pigments Physical Sciences Physiological aspects Pigments Plant growth Plants Plants (botany) Productivity Properties Purification Reclaimed water Reclamation Sewage Sewage treatment Sewage treatment plants Sludge Solid wastes Sustainable agriculture Sustainable practices Tertiary treatment Wastewater treatment Water Water Purification Water reclamation Water treatment Zinc Zinc in the body Brazil
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Summary:	Exploring alternative fertilizers is crucial in agriculture due to the cost and environmental impact of inorganic options. This study investigated the potential of sewage-derived biofertilizers on the growth and physiology of Amaranthus cruentus plants. Various treatments were compared, including control treatments with inorganic fertilizer and treatments with biofertilizers composed of microalgae, biosolids and reclaimed water. The following traits were investigated: photosynthetic pigments, gas exchange, growth, and leaf nutrient concentrations. The results showed that the concentrations of N, P, Cu, Fe Zn and Na nutrients, in the dry microalgae and biosolids, were quite high for the needs of the plants. The wet microalgae presented high concentration of Cu, Fe and Zn nutrients while reclaimed water contained high concentration of N, K, Ca and S. Na and Zn nutrients increased in the leaf of plants treated with dry microalgae and biosolid, respectively. At the beginning of the flowering phase, total chlorophyll and carotenoids contents were lower for plants grown with wet microalgae while for plants grown with higher doses of biosolid or reclaimed water total chlorophyll was increased, and carotenoids were not affected. Lower photosynthetic pigments under wet microalgae resulted in lower photosynthetic rates. On the other hand, amendments with dry microalgae and biosolid increased photosynthetic rates with the biosolid being the most effective. Higher applications of biosolid, wet and dry microalgae produced a considerable increase in shoot biomass of amaranth, with the dry microalgae being the most effective. Additionally, reclaimed water obtained after tertiary treatment of sewage with microalgae and biosolids applied alone showed promising effects on plant growth. Overall, these findings suggest that organic fertilizers derived from sewage treatment have the potential to enhance plant growth and contribute to sustainable agricultural practices.
Bibliography:	ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
ISSN:	1932-6203 1932-6203
DOI:	10.1371/journal.pone.0295624