Utilization of fishery wastewater as a fertilizer and its impact on the growth performance of Spinacia oleracea (Spinach)

¹ M. Tech, Chemical Engineering Department, Marwadi University, Rajkot, Gujarat, India
² Faculty of Science, Marwadi University, Rajkot, Gujarat, India
³ B. Pharma, Department of Pharmacy, Marwadi University, Rajkot, Gujarat, India
⁴ PhD. Scholar, Environmental Engineering, Marwadi University, Rajkot, Gujarat, India

^* Corresponding author: archana.sharma@marwadieducation.edu.in

Abstract

Aquaculture produces fishery wastewater (FWW), has polluted the environment and negatively impact the aquatic life. Utilizing FWW as a nutrient will promote sustainable agriculture and offer alternatives to conventional fertilizers. Some of the techniques used in water treatment, mainly the elimination of contaminants includes the use of screening, equalization tanks, aeration tanks, and sludge settling tanks before the treated water is released back to the environment or to be reused as a fertilizer. To evaluate the effects of the different FWW concentrations on the growth of spinach, the present study was carried out for 3.5 months using a complete randomized design with six groups of pot treatments that gave rise to 18 experimental units. Parameters such as height of plant, length of the root, number of leaves, fresh weight and the dry weight measurements were recorded. According to the experiments the pots which were treated with 20 ml FWW showed the best growth performance measures where shoot length was increased by 30% and root length by 60% compared to the control implying the prospect of the wastewater as a source of nutrients for agriculture. This research has implications toward the development of sustainable practices for both aquaculture and agriculture, in terms of reduction of global warming and climate change.