Abstract
An Eutric Histosol soil was irrigated for 4 years with municipal wastewater to compare its characteristics with a soil under natural rainfall that had never received wastewater and a soil that was irrigated with normal tap water. Four years irrigation of the soil with wastewater caused significant (P<0.001) increase in dehydrogenase, urease, acid and alkaline phosphate activities and CO2 evolution, and reduced the redox potential (P<0.05). The influence of treatments and plant cover on soil properties were significant (P<0.05) under both salix and grasses, except for few properties (redox potential and urease and alkaline phosphatase activities). It is suggested that, although different toxicants, e.g. heavy metals, may accumulate in wastewater-treated soils, enrichment of soil with organic substances and nutrients stimulated CO2 evolution and enzyme activities in the irrigated soil.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
References
Aronsson P, Heinsoo K, Perttu K, Hasselgren K (2002) Spatial variation in above-ground growth in unevenly wastewater-irrigated willow Salix viminalis plantations. Ecol Eng 19:281–287
Bååth E (1989) Effects of heavy metals in soil on microbial processes and population, a review. Water Air Soil Pollut 47:335–379
Bonmanti M, Pujola M, Sana J, Soliva M, Felipo MT, Garan M, Ceccanti B, Nannipieri P (1985) Chemical properties, populations of nitrite oxidizers, urease and phosphatase activities in sewage sludge amended soils. Plant Soil 84:79–91
Brzezińska M, Stępniewska Z, Stępniewski W (2001) Dehydrogenase and catalase activity of soil irrigated with municipal wastewater. Pol J Environ Stud 10:307–311
Casida LE Jr, Klein DA, Santoro T (1964) Soil dehydrogenase activity. Soil Sci 98:371–376
Filip Z, Kanazawa S, Berthelin J (1999) Characterization of effects of a long-term wastewater irrigation on soil quality by microbiological and biochemical parameters. J Plant Nutr Soil Sci 162:409–413
Filip Z, Kanazawa S, Berthelin J (2000) Distribution of microorganisms, biomass ATP and enzyme activities in organic and mineral particles of a long term wastewater irrigated soil. J Plant Nutr Soil Sci 163:143–150
Goyal S, Chander K, Kaboor K (1995) Effect of distillery wastewater application on soil microbiological properties and plant growth. Environ Ecol 13:1–89
Kandeler E, Tscherko D, Wessolek G (1998) Reaktion der Bodenmikroorganismen auf Kontamination im Boden. In: Bodenőkologie und Bodengenese. TU Berlin, Heft 26:100–107
Kannan K, Oblisami G (1990) Influence of paper mill effluent irrigation on soil enzyme activities. Soil Biol Biochem 22:923–926
Kapusta AW, Bielińska EJ, Baran S (2001) Changes in the content of copper and zinc and in the enzymatic activity in light soil fertilized with sewage sludge under wicker cultivation. Pol J Soil Sci 34:65–72
Kotowski M, Stepniewski W, Saczuk M, Kotowaska U, Pastelan M (1999) The influence of irrigation of industrial crops with municipal wastewater on the change of biogenic elements in soil and drainage water. Acta Agrophys 22:93–113
Meli S, Porto M, Belligno A, Bufo SA, Mazzatura A, Scopa A (2002) Influence of irrigation with lagooned urban wastewater on chemical and microbiological soil parameters in a citrus orchard under Mediterranean conditions. Sci Total Environ 285:69–77
Monnett GT, Reneau RB, Hagedon C (1995) Effects of domestic wastewater spray irrigation on denitrification rates. J Environ Qual 24:940–946
Niewolak S, Tucholski S (1999) The effect of meadow irrigation with biologically treated sewage on the occurrence of microorganisms indicatory of pollution and sanitary pathogenic bacteria in the grass. Pol J Environ Stud 8:39–46
Rajannan G, Oblisami G (1979) Effect of paper factory effluents on the soil and crop plants. Indian J Environ Health 16:120–130
Ramirez-Fuentes E, Lucho-Constantino C, Escamilla-Silva E, Dendooven L (2002) Characteristics, and carbon and nitrogen dynamics in soil irrigated with wastewater for different lengths of time. Bioresour Technol 85:179–187
Ross DJ, Cainrs A, Speir TW (1978) Effect of irrigation with municipal water or sewage effluent on the biology of soil cores. NZ J Agric Res 21:411–417
Schipper LA, Wiliamson JC, Kettles HA, Speir TW (1996) Impact of land applied tertiary treated effluent on soil biochemical properties. J Environ Qual 25:1073–1077
Speir TW (2002) Soil biochemical properties as indices of performance and sustainability of effluent irrigation systems in New Zealand—a review. J R Soc NZ 32:535–553
Tabatabai MA, Bremner JM (1969) Use of p-nitrophenyl phosphate for assay of soil phosphatase activity. Soil Biol Biochem 1:301–307
Tam NFY (1998) Effects of wastewater discharge on microbial populations and enzyme activities in mangrove soils. Environ Pollut 102:233–242
Acknowledgements
The authors are thankful to the Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland and DST, Government of India for the financial assistance.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Brzezinska, M., Tiwari, S.C., Stepniewska, Z. et al. Variation of enzyme activities, CO2 evolution and redox potential in an Eutric Histosol irrigated with wastewater and tap water. Biol Fertil Soils 43, 131–135 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00374-006-0113-6
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00374-006-0113-6