AGRONOMIC PERFORMANCE AND NUTRITIONAL STATUS OF MOMBASA GRASS FERTIGATED WITH TANNERY WASTEWATER

Abstract

The objective of this study was to assess the productivity and nutritional status of Mombasa grass (Panicum maximum cv. Mombasa) when fertigated with the application of different doses of tannery wastewater (ARC). Based on the chemical composition of the wastewater, the following ARC application rates were established: T1: 0; T2: 1.5; T3: 3.0; T4: 5.0; T5: 10 and T6: 15 kg ha-1 of chromium. According to the results obtained, it was concluded that the application of wastewater was responsible for the increased crude protein content of grass in the first two cuts and also the dry matter yield. Both the productivity of dry matter as well as crude protein were higher in cut 2, where the highest values were estimated when applying the doses of 9.02 kg ha-1 of Cr (2,734 m3 ha-1 ARC) and 10.08 kg ha-1 of Cr (3,055 m3 ha-1 ARC), respectively. Increase in the ARC dose resulted in decreasing potassium concentrations and increases in sodium in the leaves of Mombasa grass. In relation to the behavior of chromium metal, no influence of the treatments was observed on its concentration in the leaves of Mombasa grass. In the specific case of the wastewater studied, because a large NaCl content is used for salting the skins, the increase in sodium concentrations in the plants is apparently a larger problem than that resulting from chromium.