IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/agiwat/v173y2016icp48-54.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Effects of wastewater applied with discrete irrigation techniques on strawberry plants’ productivity and the safety, quality characteristics and antioxidant capacity of fruits

Author

Listed:
  • Christou, Anastasis
  • Maratheftis, Grivas
  • Elia, Michael
  • Hapeshi, Evroula
  • Michael, Costas
  • Fatta-Kassinos, Despo

Abstract

Water scarcity renders wastewater (WW) reuse for irrigation an increasingly common practice worldwide. Comprehensive guidelines and criteria have been established to secure the safety of WW irrigation, especially for food crops or crops that are eaten raw. The aim of this short-term study was to assess the impacts of strawberry crop irrigation with tertiary treated wastewater (WW) using common irrigation techniques (Drip, sprinkler, drip under plastic mulch), as compared to potable water (PW) irrigation, on strawberry fruits’ quality and safety, and on crops’ productivity. The impacts on fruits’ weight and marketability, as well as on fruits’ taste (soluble solids, titratable acidity and soluble solids/titratable acidity ratio), antioxidant capacity (ascorbic acid concentration, FRAP, total phenolics and total anthocyanin content), heavy metal content (Cu, Zn, Mn, Co, Ni) and microbial contamination (total coliform, E. coli, Salmonella spp., Listeria spp), were evaluated. The results revealed that WW irrigation did not significantly affect the fruits’ marketability, taste and antioxidant capacity, as well as the heavy metal content, in comparison to controlled irrigation, regardless of the irrigation technique applied. Fruits heavy metal content was found to be below the maximum permissible levels (MPLs) set for fruit safety, whereas no microbiological contamination (total coliform, E. coli, Salmonella spp., Listeria spp.) of fruits was found in all irrigation water treatments. Overall, the results obtained with regard to the parameters examined highlight the potential for the reuse of the advanced tertiary treated effluent of good quality as a valid alternative for the irrigation of strawberry crops, even with sprinklers. However, further long-term studies are needed in order for such a practice to be regulated.

Suggested Citation

  • Christou, Anastasis & Maratheftis, Grivas & Elia, Michael & Hapeshi, Evroula & Michael, Costas & Fatta-Kassinos, Despo, 2016. "Effects of wastewater applied with discrete irrigation techniques on strawberry plants’ productivity and the safety, quality characteristics and antioxidant capacity of fruits," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 173(C), pages 48-54.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:agiwat:v:173:y:2016:i:c:p:48-54
    DOI: 10.1016/j.agwat.2016.04.027
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378377416301524
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.agwat.2016.04.027?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Aiello, Rosa & Cirelli, Giuseppe Luigi & Consoli, Simona, 2007. "Effects of reclaimed wastewater irrigation on soil and tomato fruits: A case study in Sicily (Italy)," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 93(1-2), pages 65-72, October.
    2. Cirelli, G.L. & Consoli, S. & Licciardello, F. & Aiello, R. & Giuffrida, F. & Leonardi, C., 2012. "Treated municipal wastewater reuse in vegetable production," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 104(C), pages 163-170.
    3. Lonigro, Antonio & Rubino, Pietro & Lacasella, Vita & Montemurro, Nicola, 2016. "Faecal pollution on vegetables and soil drip irrigated with treated municipal wastewaters," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 174(C), pages 66-73.
    4. Al-Lahham, O. & El Assi, N. M. & Fayyad, M., 2003. "Impact of treated wastewater irrigation on quality attributes and contamination of tomato fruit," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 61(1), pages 51-62, June.
    5. Bedbabis, Saida & Trigui, Dhouha & Ben Ahmed, Chedlia & Clodoveo, Maria Lisa & Camposeo, Salvatore & Vivaldi, Gaetano Alessandro & Ben Rouina, Béchir, 2015. "Long-terms effects of irrigation with treated municipal wastewater on soil, yield and olive oil quality," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 160(C), pages 14-21.
    6. Forslund, A. & Ensink, J.H.J. & Battilani, A. & Kljujev, I. & Gola, S. & Raicevic, V. & Jovanovic, Z. & Stikic, R. & Sandei, L. & Fletcher, T. & Dalsgaard, A., 2010. "Faecal contamination and hygiene aspect associated with the use of treated wastewater and canal water for irrigation of potatoes (Solanum tuberosum)," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 98(3), pages 440-450, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Nikolaos Tzortzakis & Christos Saridakis & Antonios Chrysargyris, 2020. "Treated Wastewater and Fertigation Applied for Greenhouse Tomato Cultivation Grown in Municipal Solid Waste Compost and Soil Mixtures," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-21, May.
    2. Gatta, Giuseppe & Libutti, Angela & Gagliardi, Anna & Beneduce, Luciano & Brusetti, Lorenzo & Borruso, Luigimaria & Disciglio, Grazia & Tarantino, Emanuele, 2015. "Treated agro-industrial wastewater irrigation of tomato crop: Effects on qualitative/quantitative characteristics of production and microbiological properties of the soil," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 149(C), pages 33-43.
    3. Nicoleta Ungureanu & Valentin Vlăduț & Gheorghe Voicu, 2020. "Water Scarcity and Wastewater Reuse in Crop Irrigation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(21), pages 1-18, October.
    4. Odone, Giordano & Perulli, Giulio Demetrio & Mancuso, Giuseppe & Lavrnić, Stevo & Toscano, Attilio, 2024. "A novel smart fertigation system for irrigation with treated wastewater: Effects on nutrient recovery, crop and soil," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 297(C).
    5. Suhad A.A.A.N. Almuktar & Miklas Scholz, 2016. "Experimental Assessment of Recycled Diesel Spill-Contaminated Domestic Wastewater Treated by Reed Beds for Irrigation of Sweet Peppers," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-20, February.
    6. Ben Hassena, Ameni & Zouari, Mohamed & Trabelsi, Lina & Khabou, Wahid & Zouari, Nacim, 2018. "Physiological improvements of young olive tree (Olea europaea L. cv. Chetoui) under short term irrigation with treated wastewater," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 207(C), pages 53-58.
    7. Jeong, Hanseok & Bhattarai, Rabin & Adamowski, Jan & Yu, David J., 2020. "Insights from socio-hydrological modeling to design sustainable wastewater reuse strategies for agriculture at the watershed scale," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 231(C).
    8. Oliver Maaß & Philipp Grundmann, 2018. "Governing Transactions and Interdependences between Linked Value Chains in a Circular Economy: The Case of Wastewater Reuse in Braunschweig (Germany)," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(4), pages 1-29, April.
    9. Mahmoud S. Hashem & Wei Guo & Xuebin Qi & Ping Li, 2022. "Assessing the Effect of Irrigation with Reclaimed Water Using Different Irrigation Techniques on Tomatoes Quality Parameters," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-19, March.
    10. Libutti, Angela & Gatta, Giuseppe & Gagliardi, Anna & Vergine, Pompilio & Pollice, Alfieri & Beneduce, Luciano & Disciglio, Grazia & Tarantino, Emanuele, 2018. "Agro-industrial wastewater reuse for irrigation of a vegetable crop succession under Mediterranean conditions," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 196(C), pages 1-14.
    11. Gao, Yang & Shao, Guangcheng & Wu, Shiqing & Xiaojun, Wang & Lu, Jia & Cui, Jintao, 2021. "Changes in soil salinity under treated wastewater irrigation: A meta-analysis," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 255(C).
    12. Maaß, Oliver & Grundmann, Philipp, 2016. "Added-value from linking the value chains of wastewater treatment, crop production and bioenergy production: A case study on reusing wastewater and sludge in crop production in Braunschweig (Germany)," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 107(C), pages 195-211.
    13. Carmelo Maucieri & Valeria Cavallaro & Caterina Caruso & Maurizio Borin & Mirco Milani & Antonio C. Barbera, 2016. "Sorghum Biomass Production for Energy Purpose Using Treated Urban Wastewater and Different Fertilization in a Mediterranean Environment," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 6(4), pages 1-15, December.
    14. Demetrio Antonio Zema & Bruno Gianmarco Carrà & Agostino Sorgonà & Antonino Zumbo & Manuel Esteban Lucas-Borja & Isabel Miralles & Raúl Ortega & Rocío Soria & Santo Marcello Zimbone & Paolo Salvatore , 2023. "Sustainable Use of Treated Municipal Wastewater after Chlorination: Short-Term Effects on Crops and Soils," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(15), pages 1-23, July.
    15. Almuktar, S.A.A.A.N. & Scholz, M. & Al-Isawi, R.H.K. & Sani, A., 2015. "Recycling of domestic wastewater treated by vertical-flow wetlands for irrigating Chillies and Sweet Peppers," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 149(C), pages 1-22.
    16. Al-Absi, K.M. & Al-Nasir, F.M. & Mahadeen, A.Y., 2009. "Mineral content of three olive cultivars irrigated with treated industrial wastewater," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 96(4), pages 616-626, April.
    17. Pedrero, Francisco & Grattan, S.R. & Ben-Gal, Alon & Vivaldi, Gaetano Alessandro, 2020. "Opportunities for expanding the use of wastewaters for irrigation of olives," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 241(C).
    18. Styczen, M. & Poulsen, R.N. & Falk, A.K. & Jørgensen, G.H., 2010. "Management model for decision support when applying low quality water in irrigation," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 98(3), pages 472-481, December.
    19. Tekaya, Meriem & Mechri, Beligh & Dabbaghi, Olfa & Mahjoub, Zoubeir & Laamari, Salwa & Chihaoui, Badreddine & Boujnah, Dalenda & Hammami, Mohamed & Chehab, Hechmi, 2016. "Changes in key photosynthetic parameters of olive trees following soil tillage and wastewater irrigation, modified olive oil quality," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 178(C), pages 180-188.
    20. Urbano, Vanessa Ribeiro & Mendonça, Thaís Grandizoli & Bastos, Reinaldo Gaspar & Souza, Claudinei Fonseca, 2017. "Effects of treated wastewater irrigation on soil properties and lettuce yield," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 181(C), pages 108-115.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:agiwat:v:173:y:2016:i:c:p:48-54. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/agwat .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.