Water shortage is one of the important issues in the coming century. Thus, many countries are forced towards using non-conventional water sources such as wastewaters. Compared with fresh waters, treated wastewaters usually contain higher contents of plant nutrients. To assess the implications of using wastewater of Belbais drain for complimentary irrigations of wheat, ten locations along the drain were selected for water sampling. Soil and wheat samples were also collected from the nearby farms at the aforementioned locations. There were no specific trends or distribution patterns detected for contents of each of NO 3 -N, P, B and As along the drain. NO 3 -N in water had a slight to moderate degree of restriction on use. Also, P-content exceeded its normal range in irrigation water. In spite of that, contents of N and P in wheat were within the normal range in shoot and grain. Content of B in water had a slight to moderate degree of restriction on use, but plants did not exhibit B toxicity symptoms. Contents of As in water of many locations exceeded the permissible level of 0.1 mg As L -1 . Contents of As in soil (2.1 -3.7 mg As kg -1) did not exceed the permissible level of 10 mg kg -1 , but As in grains exceeded the permissible level of 1 mg kg -1 for food stuff. The calculated elemental grain/shoot ratio varied between 0.5439 and 0.8299. Individual practices of farmers on lands nearby Belbais drain are most certainly behind the increase in contents of the investigated elements in water of the drain. Efficient management of irrigation using wastewater of agricultural Drains in Egypt cannot be attained without increasing farmers' awareness of the negative aspects that may arise due to the unmanaged agricultural practices. |
