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Publication
Sewage sludge fertilization—A case study of Sweet Potato yield and heavy metal accumulation
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Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
Sewage sludge (SS) is derived from wastewater treatment plants and can be used as a
biofertilizer when properly stabilized. This work aimed to evaluate SS application for agricultural
production improvement. SS was tested on Porto Santo Island (Portugal). The experiment was
randomly designed with three 25 m2 plots for each treatment (2 SS concentrations + control without
SS) and performed in two consecutive cycles. For the first cycle, dehydrated sludge was mixed with
soil, obtaining final concentrations of 0.8 kg/m2
(C1) and 1.6 kg/m2
(C2). Half of the concentration
was used for the second cycle. Fifty-eight sweet potato plants were used in each plot. SS application
boosted the agronomic parameters of biomass, productivity, and shoot biomass. Furthermore,
improvements in soil properties were observed, mainly for pH, CEC, and NO3
-N, with no significant
increase in heavy metals. For the edible parts, heavy metal concentrations decreased, and Pb was the
only one that still exceeded the maximum limits. The results demonstrated that SS application to
low-fertility soil is effective in improving the agronomic parameters of sweet potato and enhancing
soil features. Further studies considering other variables, i.e., SS origin, soil properties, and the crop,
must be carried out to propose custom applications.
Description
Keywords
Agronomic parameters Production Soil properties Soil amendment Bioaccumulation Translocation factors . Faculdade de Ciências da Vida Escola Superior de Tecnologias e Gestão
Citation
Ragonezi, C.; Nunes, N.; Oliveira, M.C.O.; de Freitas, J.G.R.; Ganança, J.F.T.; de Carvalho, M.Â.A.P. Sewage Sludge Fertilization—A Case Study of Sweet Potato Yield and Heavy Metal Accumulation. Agronomy 2022, 12, 1902. https:// doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12081902
Publisher
MDPI