Growth and yield of tomato, Napier grass and sugarcane crops as influenced by wastewater irrigation in Mysore, Karnataka, India

Growth and yield of tomato, Napier grass and sugarcane crops as influenced by wastewater irrigation in Mysore, Karnataka, India
WRJAS
Growth and yield of tomato, Napier grass and
sugarcane crops as influenced by wastewater irrigation
in Mysore, Karnataka, India
Mohammed Abdullah Alghobar1
and Sidduraiah Suresha2*
1,2*
Department of Environmental Science, Yuvaraja's College, University of Mysore, Mysore 570005, Karnataka, India.
The effect of wastewater irrigation on plant growth and yield of tomato, Napier grass and
sugarcane crops was compared with that of ground water irrigation. Treatments included
untreated wastewater (UWW) treated wastewater (TWW) and ground water (GW) as control. The
results obtained, plant height, number of fruits/plant, dry biomass g/plant and number of
branches/plant of tomato (78.46 cm, 45.88, 15.49 and 11.41) and (75.13 cm, 41.48, 14.42 and
10.28) were significantly higher in the UWW and TWW compared to GW. The UWW and TWW
irrigated Napier grass gave the highest growth and yield, compared to that of GW irrigation.
Plant height, number of leaves/plant, leaf length, leaf width and number of tiller were 188.46 cm,
83.62, 93.62 cm, 2.52 and 13.2 in UWW and 182.68 cm, 69.75, 88.67cm, 2.29 and 10.39 in TWW
and these are significantly higher as compared to that of GW irrigation. Wastewater irrigation of
sugarcane increased cane length, number of nodes/cane, number of leaves, cane diameter and
cane weight significantly as compared to control GW are 191.86 cm, 22.48, 39.3 and 2.30 cm in
UWW and 149.4 cm, 20.54, 27.53 and 2.22 cm in TWW and compared to that of GW irrigation.
Keywords: Wastewater, groundwater, nutrient, heavy metal, cation exchange capacity, soil bulk density.
INTRODUCTION
The term wastewater agriculture refers to crop production
under wastewater irrigation. This practice is widely seen
in many cities of developing countries where urban
wastewater becomes the irrigation source for farmers in
urban and semi-urban areas (Raschid-Sally and
Jayakody, 2008). Wastewater use for agriculture is an
important management strategy in areas with limited
freshwater resources, yielding potential economic and
environmental benefits. The practice has manifold
benefits in the form of water conservation, nutrient
recycling and prevention of surface and ground water
pollution (Farahat and Linderholm, 2015). Irrigation of
olive trees with treated wastewaters in arid and semi-arid
regions is becoming a necessary alternative to
addressing issues of water shortages. The irrigation
requires a careful monitoring of soil and plants for a
range of parameters including salts, nutrients, micro-
elements, heavy metals, toxic pollutants (Petousi et al.,
2015). In agricultural soils, the presence of metals is of
increasing concern because they have the potential to
get accumulated in less soluble forms, get transferred
into soil solution, and subsequently deteriorate the
groundwater and crop quality (Kelepertzis, 2014).
*Corresponding author: Dr. Sidduraiah Suresha,
Department of Environmental Science, Yuvaraja's
College, University of Mysore, Mysore 570005,
Karnataka, India. Tel.: +91 9448755001, E-mail address:
sureshakumar12@yahoo.com
World Research Journal of Agricultural Sciences
Vol. 3(1), pp. 069-079, August, 2016. © www.premierpublishers.org. ISSN: 2326-7266x
Research Article

Alghobar et al. 069
Irrigation of rose flowers plants by raw wastewater
(RWW) every three days showed higher flower yields per
plant and improved flower quality parameters. RWW
frequencies imposed higher macro and micro nutrient
levels in leaves of rose plants (Rusan et al., 2008). The
results of Aghtape et al. (2011) and Tavassoli et al.
(2010) experiments showed that irrigation with
wastewater significantly increased the fresh and dry
forage yield of corn than that of irrigation with well water.
Abu Nada (2009) undertook study to assess the long
term impacts of wastewater irrigation on different
parameters of soil and crop. Long term wastewater
irrigation increased salt, organic matter and plant
nutrients in both soil layers. Alfalfa yield increased as
long as the period of wastewater irrigation continued.
Alfalfa yield from wastewater irrigation was 240% higher
than that from groundwater irrigation in the first year.
Nadav et al. (2013) indicated that the physico-chemical
properties of soils were altered by wastewater irrigation,
as a result of long-term accumulation of organic matter in
the soil profiles. High level of organic matter in
wastewater acts as cement for the building up of soil
aggregates. Therefore, lower bulk density and higher
infiltration and water retention are the main features
under wastewater irrigation. However, suspended solids
in wastewater negatively affect the soil porosity. Khurana
and Singh (2012) summarized the available data on
chemical composition of different wastewaters and their
effects on soil fertility, soil heavy-metal content, crop yield
and quality. Field application of all types of wastewaters
significantly increased soil OC percentage and cation
exchange capacity (CEC).
Biswas et al. (2015) assessed the feasibility of using low-
cost filtered municipal wastewater for irrigation of red
amaranth (Amaranthus tricolor L cv. Surma). The
average plant height for T5 (8.097 in.) irrigated with
municipal wastewater was statistically identical to the
control (water from ponds and rivers). Gatta et al. (2015)
observed that the source of irrigation water did not affect
significantly tomato yield traits except tomato quality. Also
marketable fruit yield was higher with wastewater
compared to that from groundwater. According to Jou et
al. (2015) a 3-year monitoring of some parameters of
plant and leaves of olive trees in Crete, Greece was
conducted using trees being irrigated with both sewage
water and tape water. Plant growth was similar
irrespective of irrigation sources as indicated by
measured trunk diameter and plant height. In addition, no
significant differences in leaf mineral contents were
observed. Mahesh et al. (2015) reported that in many
urban and peri-urban areas of India, wastewater is less
considered as a major water resource for agricultural
purpose. The integrated approach showed that the
change in the total irrigated area was marginal over the
decade, whereas there was a distinct shift in cropping
patterns from paddy rice to paragrass and leafy
vegetables.
Nissim et al. (2015) showed that municipal wastewater
could be a valuable source of nutrients (especially N and
P) and water for plant growth. Wastewater Irrigation had
a positive effect on willow growth and biomass yield.
Gupta et al. (2015) evaluated the effect of irrigation
schedules of domestic wastewater on growth and yield of
fodder sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) in Karnal
(Haryana). Irrigation with wastewater resulted in
significant (P<0.05) increase in plant height, number of
leaves per plant, leaf area index, leaf to stem (green and
dry) biomass and green fodder yield. A significant
(P<0.05) decrease in dry matter content was observed in
wastewater fed plots as compared to that of tube well
water. Bedbabis et al.(2015) studied the long-term effects
of irrigation with treated municipal wastewater on soil,
yield and olive oil quality in Tunisia. Treated wastewater
irrigation of Chemlali olive trees result in significant yield
increase when compared to yields from plot irrigated with
water.
The purpose of the present work was to study the status
of plant growth with wastewater irrigation in
Vidyaranyapuram area of Mysore city, Karnataka, India,
with respect to growth and yield as compared to that of
ground water irrigated crops.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
The study area is located in the suburban area in the
south western part of Mysore city, Karnataka, India, near
Vidyaranyapuram sewage treatment plant (latitude
12.273681 to 12.270031 N and longitude 76.650737 to
76.655947 E) where the facility was constructed in 2002
with an area of 27.21 sq. km and a sewer length of 7000
m. Locations were selected to get information on the
effect of wastewater on soil and tomato (Lycopersicon
esculentum L.), Napier grass (P. purpureum) and
sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) crops in Mysore
city. The study also covered the physico-chemical
characteristics of water samples collected from
Vidyaranyapuram sewage treatment plant station. More
than fifty percent of the wastewater handled by Mysore
city is received by Vidyaranyapuram Sewage Treatment
Plant. The total sewage generation of sewage treatment
plant is 67.75 million liters per day. It is a biological
treatment plant situated next to the solid waste disposal
area at the foot of Chamundi Hills; the treated wastewater
of Vidyaranyapuram sewage treatment plant directly
reaches the Kabini River. The treated sewage water is
pumped out after sewage treatment to field channels for
direct use as irrigation water; also the farmers use this
untreated wastewater for irrigating various crops.
Field surveys were carried out in and around Mysore city,
to collect water and plant samples. Water samples
collected from different sources included untreated
wastewater, treated wastewater and ground water. On
the whole the samples were collected from untreated

World Res. J. Agric. Sci. 070
Table 1. Analyzed parameters for soil physical properties and methods were used for study of soil
Parameter Test method
Soil Texture % Mechanical analysis of soil by sieve method
Soil Color Munsell Soil Color Charts, 1954 edition
Determination of Cation Exchange
Capacity (CEC) Meq/100g
Determination of CEC by Ammonium Acetate method
Measurement of bulk density (Pb) of soil
g/cc
Determined using a clod by mercury displacement
method (Blake, 1985)
Calculation of porosity Calculation
wastewater, treated wastewater and ground water, along
with soil and crops samples from the fields irrigated with
these water sources.
The wastewater and ground water were analysed for
various, parameters of agricultural importance such as
pH, EC, nutrients and heavy metals as per standard
methods of APHA (2005). According to Soil and Plant
Analysis Laboratory Manual of International Center for
Agriculture Research in Dry Areas (ICARDA, 2001),
common soil physical measurements were conducted,
including particle size distribution, texture, porosity, bulk
density and infiltration rate as mentioned at Table 1.
Measuring plant growth and yield
Measurement of plant growth and yield of tomato, fodder
grass and sugarcane, grown on these fields and irrigated
with different water sources were done. The parameters
studied included plant height, number of leaves per plant,
stem diameter, tillers, primary branches, secondary
branches, flowers number/plant, number of fruits/plant,
total weight of fruit/plant, biomass, etc. Three replicates
were used for each treatment. Crop growth rate was
worked out as proposed by Hunt (1978).
Tomato crop growth and yield measurement
Five plants were selected at random from each replicate
treatment. The observations were recorded and the mean
values were statistically analyzed and expressed in
respective units. Height of plant was recorded from base
of the plant (fixed point) to the growing tip of the main
stem; the observations were recorded on five labeled
plants and are measured in centimeter. Fruits were
harvested at each picking and number of fruits obtained
from five plants was summed up. The average was
calculated and expressed as number of fruits per plant.
The average number of branches was counted at the end
of harvest stage and the observations were recorded
using five labeled plants and the average was worked out
and expressed in number. The mean fruit weight of five
fruits from each randomly selected observational plant
was during harvest period and the weight of fruit was
recorded by using electric balance and expressed as
gram/fruit. Five randomly selected plants were removed
from each treatment plot without damaging the roots and
washed to remove the soil particles. The samples were
kept in the air for drying, when the weight become stable,
the mean dry weight of the plants was calculated and
expressed as gram per plant.
Napier grass crop growth and yield measurement
All the measurements were recorded at harvest date
(eight weeks of re-growth), the recommended period for
feeding the Napier grass for animals. For collecting data
five plants were randomly and were uprooted from each
plot before harvesting for recording data. The total plant
height of Napier grass was determined basal by
recording circumference at 10 cm above ground level to
the top leaf by using measuring tape in cm. Total number
of leaves/plant was estimated from the tiller number/plant
and leaf number/tiller. The leaf length and width were
measured from five representative plants in each plot and
numbers of tillers per plant were calculated. Napier
fodder was harvested above the ground level (3-4 cm)
sample was taken for dry weight. Air dry weight dried
when was measured stability of weight was achieved and
recorded as gram per plant.
Sugarcane plant growth and yield measurement
For data collection five sugarcane plants from each
treatment were randomly selected for different
parameters, like cane length (cm), number of
nodes/cane, number of leaves, cane diameter (cm) and
cane weight (g). These were recorded according to the
procedure given by (Beadle, 1987). Millable cane height
of sugarcane plant was measured from the ground level
(base of plant) up to the highest visible transverse mark
below the green tops. The millable cane height was
measured by using a measuring and recorded tape in
cm. The numbers of visible nodes on five sample
sugarcane plants were counted by visual counting
method; the mean values obtained were recorded. The
average number of leaves was counted for five
sugarcane plants by visual counting method, the mean
values obtained were recorded and expressed in number.
The diameter of centrally located inter nodes was
measured by simple scale measuring method in
centimeter. The mean values obtained were calculated.
After harvesting millable cane green top was separated

Alghobar et al. 071
Table 2. Parameters of physicochemical properties of waters used in the experiments
Parameter UWW TWW GW
pH 7.50 8.13 8.30
EC µS/cm 1032 1225 1099
DO mg/l Nil 2.3 6.9
COD mg/l 964 145 16
BOD mg/l 650 30 2
TDS mg/l 560 624 696
Ca mg/l 43.37 62.64 56.22
Mg mg/l 27.01 28.89 68.50
Na mg/l 48 60 56
K mg/l 24 20 20
CO3 mg/l Nil Nil 40
HCO3 mg/l 296 392 544
Cl mg/l 93 115 17
TN mg/l 78.4 61.6 0.56
TP mg/l 4.55 2.40 0.053
SO4 mg/l 24 20 52
Fe mg/l 2.93 2.48 0.075
Mn mg/l 0.157 0.041 0.043
Cu mg/l <0.05 <0.05 <0.05
Zn mg/l 0.133 0.278 0.363
Cd mg/l 0.047 0.047 0.047
Ni mg/l 0.040 0.036 0.034
Pb mg/l 0.053 0.053 0.051
Co mg/l 0.055 0.054 0.054
Cr mg/l 0.032 0.031 0.032
from each other. The wet weight of millable cane per
plant was determined by electronic balance.
Statistical analysis
The recorded data were subjected to an analysis of
variance (ANOVA) as described by Steel et al. (1997).
Least significance difference test was applied to assess
significant differences between the means at 5% level of
probability. All statistical analyses were carried out using
the SAS program, Version 9.1 (SAS System, 2004).
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Water quality parameters
Data presented in Table 2 show physico-chemical
properties of untreated wastewater (UWW), treated
wastewater (TWW) and ground water (GW), which were
used for irrigating of tomato, Napier grass and sugarcane
crops. The chemical parameters measured were
temperature, pH, EC, DO, COD, BOD, TDS, Ca, Mg, Na,
K, CO3, HCO3, Cl, N, P, S, Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn, Cd, Ni, Pb,
Co and Cr. There were obvious differences in several
measured parameters when the results were compared
from between sites. The BOD and COD presented in
Table 2 show that UWW the values were very high when
compared to the FAO values (1992). The DO and TDS
content of UWW, TWW and GW were very low when
compared to the FAO values (1992).
The pH of UWW, TWW and GW were 7.50, 8.13 and
8.30 respectively. According to the FAO (1992) the
tolerance limit of pH of water samples for irrigation should
be 6.50 to 8.40. The EC values were 1032, 1225 and
1099 µS/cm, the range based on salinity classes of
irrigation waters (Environment Protection Authority 1991),
is 780-2340 µS/cm of irrigation water. It is not advisable
to use more saline water on soils with restricted drainage,
even with adequate drainage, best management practice
for salinity controls may be required, and the salt
tolerance of the plants to be irrigated must also to be
considered. The sewage water is an important source of
nutrients and can be used for irrigation under controlled
condition (Angin et al., 2005). Wastewater contains
considerable amounts of N (78.4 mg/l), P (4.55 mg/l), and
K (24 mg/l) which are considered as essential nutrients
for maintaining productivity levels (crops growth) and soil
fertility. All heavy metals analysed in irrigation water were
not at elevated levels except Cd, which was elevated in
wastewater and ground water (Table 2). In comparison
with the standard guideline for irrigation water
(FAO1992), it was found that the mean concentrations of
Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn, Ni, Pb, Co, and Cr were within the safe
limits. The level of Cd is more than 4 times in the
irrigation water than the recommended level of 0.1 mg/l
as prescribed by FAO (1992).

Table 3. Physical parameters of soil samples of tomato, Napier grass and sugarcane
Crops Treatment Particle Size
distribution, %
Texture
class
Colour Bulk density
(g/cm³)
Calculation of
porosity %
CEC
Meq/100g
Sand Silt Clay
Tomato UWW 77.91 11.15 10.94 Sandy
Loam
Light
grey
1.57 41 16.27
TWW 84.03 9.89 6.08 Loamy
sand
Light
grey
1.67 37 13.76
GW 88.46 10.63 0.91 Sandy Red 1.54 42 5.12
Napier
grass
UWW 76.48 19.63 3.89 Loamy
Sand
Black 1.49 44 12.49
TWW 90.00 6.61 2.71 Sandy Light
grey
1.58 40 11.33
GW 89.34 7.29 3.37 Sandy Red 1.64 38 8.22
Sugarcane UWW 87.01 6 6.99 Loamy
sand
grey 1.65 38 13.93
TWW 88.61 10.78 0.61 Sandy grey 1.57 41 10.51
GW 89.97 7.91 2.13 Sandy Red 1.55 42 6.53
Physical parameter of soil
Trace metal mobility depends on soil characteristics
including soil pH and texture. Soil texture affects how well
nutrients and water are retained in the soil (Marcussen et
al., 2009). Hardy et al. (2013) reported that, sandy soils,
by nature, have low CEC, and little can be done to
change it. The CEC will vary with changes in soil pH,
organic matter and clay contents. The data on colour and
soil texture of soils are presented in (Table 3), the soils of
the sites are classified as red sandy soil in GW irrigated
soils used for tomato, fodder grass and sugarcane crops
while UWW and TWW irrigated soils were light gray
loamy sand and sandy loam, respectively, except UWW
irrigated soil used for fodder grass which is black loamy
sand. The colour of soils may be due to the organic
matter content in UWW and TWW.
The bulk density and porosity of soil samples were 1.54 -
1.67 g/cm³ for tomato soil (1.49 - 1.64 g/cm³) for fodder
grass and (1.55 - 1.65 g/cm³) for sugarcane. Porosity of
soils samples for tomato, Napier grass and sugarcane
were 37-42%, 38 - 44% and 38 - 42% respectively.
These results are in conformity with the findings of Tunc
and Sahin (2015), who through their study on soil
physical properties like (bulk density, particle density,
total porosity) observed that these are affected
significantly from wastewater irrigation to cauliflower and
red cabbage planting. Mollahoseini (2013) observed that
use of untreated wastewater increased bulk density of top
soil significantly (p<0.05). Several studies have shown
that wastewater irrigated soils have higher aggregate
stability and porosity and lower bulk density compared to
freshwater irrigated soils (Mojiri, 2011; Mojid and
Wyseure 2013; Vogeler, 2009). Nadav et al. (2013)
indicated that lower bulk density was obtained under
wastewater irrigation conditions. The suspended solids in
wastewater negatively affect soil porosity. Kumar and
Chopra (2013), revealed that, insignificant changes in
bulk density of the soil were observed after irrigation with
paper mill effluent. Kumar and Chopra (2011) found that
the effluent of the Doon distillery Dehradun (Uttarakhand)
increased bulk density of soil.
Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC) was higher with UWW
and TWW as compared to control GW in soils of tomato,
Napier grass and sugarcane. The values of CEC for
UWW, TWW and GW irrigated soils were16.27, 13.76
and 5.12 Meq/100g for tomato, 12.49, 11.33 and 8.22
Meq/100g for Napier grass and13.93, 10.51 and 6.53
Meq/100g for sugarcane, respectively. From the data in
Table 4.2 it is clear that, the CEC concentration in soils
irrigated with wastewater was more as compared with
ground water. The sandy soil has a good permeability
and a low CEC (few exchange sites), retains less water
and naturally loses water as well as soluble salts from the
root zone (Kallel et al. 2012). A low CEC means the soil
has a low resistance to changes in soil chemistry that are
caused by land use (Hazelton and Murphy, 2007).
Khurana and Singh (2012) reported that, field application
of all types of wastewaters significantly increased soil
cation exchange capacity (CEC). Astera (2014) reveled
that; no clear effect could be established about
wastewater irrigation on CEC.
Effect of wastewater irrigation on growth and yield
characters of tomato
The effect of wastewater irrigation on growth and yield
parameters of tomato has been given in Figures 1 and 2
which include plant height, number of fruits/plant, dry
biomass (g)/plant, fruit mean weight and number of
branches/plant. From the Figure 1 it is evident that the
plant height, number of fruits/plant and dry biomass
g/plant were 78.46 cm, 45.88 and 15.49 g/plant in UWW
and 75.13 cm, 41.48 and 14.42 g/plant in TWW sites.
Whereas in control ground water GW the corresponding

Alghobar et al. 073
Figure 1. Plant height, number of fruits/plant and dry biomass g/plant of tomato irrigated
with untreated, treated wastewater and groundwater.
Figure 2. Fruit mean weight and number of branches/plant of tomato irrigated with untreated,
treated wastewater and groundwater.
figures were 61.83 cm, 36.67 and 10.61 g/plant. The
increase in UWW and TWW may be due to nutrient
enrichment in the irrigated wastewater. Fruit mean weight
and number of branches/plant of tomato are presented in
Figures 2 Fruit mean weight of tomato was not
significantly influenced by irrigation with wastewater. But
number of branches/plant increased significantly with
wastewater irrigation and they were 11.41, 10.28 and
8.66 for UWW, TWW and GW, respectively.
Results revealed that UWW and TWW irrigation always
gave the highest growth and yield, compared to ground
water (GW). Similar effects on growth and yield
parameters by wastewater irrigation were observed in
tomato crop by Gatta et al. (2015). Christou et al. (2014)
revealed that the wastewater irrigation did not
significantly affect mean fruit weight and fruit diameter of
tomato, as compared to control fresh water irrigation.
Bedbabis et al. (2015) found that wastewater irrigation of
olive trees resulted in significant yield increase when
compared to yields from plot using well water. Qaryouti et
al. (2015) concluded that, raw wastewater irrigation
increased significantly tomato crop parameters,

Figure 3. Plant height, Number of leaves/plant and Leaf length of Napier grass irrigated with
untreated, treated wastewater and groundwater.
Figure 4. Leaf width, Number of tiller/plant and dry weight of Napier grass irrigated with untreated,
treated wastewater and groundwater.
cucumber plant height and fruit yield and average fruit
weight, and tomato leaf area and plant dry weight. Jiu-
sheng et al. (2012) evaluated and found that, chlorine
injection intervals and concentrations, and their
interactions, had no significant difference on tomato plant
height and leaf area of tomato when irrigated by
wastewater effluent is applied through drip irrigation
system.
Abdoulkader et al. (2015) determined the use of
untreated wastewater and treated wastewater in irrigation
which significantly increased stem height and dry matter
of Panicum maximum compared to other treatments,
whereas irrigation with saline well water and well gave
lowest measured values. Osman et al. (2006) showed
that, irrigation of plants by untreated or treated
wastewater caused stimulation in the measured growth
parameters of Zea mays and Phaseolus vulgaris. On the
other side, there was a slight inhibitory effect of
wastewater on some measured growth parameters of
plants. Bourazanisa et al. (2015) observed that
application of treated wastewater slightly increased fruit
production during the year of high tree yield and
increased the oil content, during the year of low yield
under fresh water irrigation.
Effect of wastewater on growth and yield characters
of Napier grass
parameters of Napier grass has been presented in
Figures 3 and 4, which include plant height, number of
leaves/plant, leaf length, leaf width, number of tiller/plant

Alghobar et al. 075
Figure 5. Cane length, Number of nodes/cane and Number of leaves of sugarcane irrigated with
untreated, treated wastewater and groundwater
and dry weight. From the (Figure 3) it is revealed that the
plant height, number of leaves/plant and leaf length were
188.46 cm, 83.62 and 93.62 cm in UWW and 182.68 cm,
69.75 and 88.67cm in TWW and these are significantly
higher as compared to control ground water which has
reached the values as 173.69 cm, 52.50 and 81.78 cm.
This may be due to nutrient enrichment in the irrigated
wastewater. Leaf width, number of tiller/plant and dry
weight of Napier grass are shown in (Figure 4) Leaf width
of Napier grass were significantly influenced by irrigation
with wastewater which were 2.52, 2.29 and 1.91 cm for
UWW, TWW and GW respectively. Number of tiller/plant
for UWW, TWW and GW were 13.2, 10.39 and 7.99
respectively. Whereas, dry weight of Napier grass
increased significantly with wastewater irrigation which
was 186.76 and 163.3 g/plant, for UWW and TWW, as
compared to control treatment (GW) (142.6 g/plant).
Results revealed that UWW and TWW irrigation of Napier
grass always gave higher growth and yield, as compared
to ground water (GW).
The values for growth and yield parameters of Napier
grass irrigated with wastewater reported in this study
were higher than those reported by Munir et al. (2005)
who obtained high yields of forage crops such as corn
and vetch by wastewater irrigation and recommended for
successful use to irrigate and enhance growth of forage
crops. Nissim et al. (2015), showed that, irrigation with
wastewater had a positive effect on willow growth and
biomass yield. Jiménez et al. (1999) concluded that,
reuse wastewater increased significantly crop productivity
to five crops/year of alfalfa, fodder oats, tomato, barley
and maize and the yield was higher than those obtained
with rain. According to El Youssfi et al. (2012) studied the
effect of wastewater irrigation on three varieties of
quinoa. The salinity caused the depression of plant's
height, and reduced fresh and dry weights of different
parts of three varieties of plants tested. Golchin et al.
(2013) indicated that use of wastewater could improve
morphological characters, yield and yield components of
alfalfa as compared to control treatment. Increasing
wastewater concentration more than 45 % caused
poisoning effects on plants which decreased biological
yield. Gupta et al. (2015) irrigated with wastewater which
resulted in significant increase in plant height, number of
leaves per plant, leaf area index, leaf to stem (green and
dry) biomass and green fodder yield of fodder sorghum
and significant decrease in dry matter content as
compared to well water. Zema et al. (2012) investigated
the biomass yield of T. latifolia which increased by
irrigation with wastewater, while A. donax showed
greatest capacity to survive after transplanting.
Herbaceous crops irrigated with wastewater can produce
appreciable biomass and energy yields.
Effect of wastewater on growth and yield characters
of sugarcane
parameters of sugarcane are given in Figures 5 and 6,
which include cane length, number of nodes/cane,
number of leaves, cane diameter and cane weight. From
Figure 5 it is revealed that the cane length, number of
nodes/cane and number of leaves are 191.86 cm, 22.48
and 39.3 in UWW and 149.4 cm, 20.54 and 27.53 in

Figure 6. Cane diameter and cane weight of sugarcane irrigated with untreated, treated wastewater
and groundwater.
TWW and with respect to control ground water (GW) it is
168.42 cm, 18.7 and 22.64 this may be due to nutrient
enrichment in the irrigated wastewater. Cane diameter
and cane weight of Cane diameter (Figures 6) was
significantly influenced by irrigation with wastewater and
the values were 2.30, 2.22 and 2.01 cm for UWW, TWW
and GW respectively. Also cane weight showed highly
significant difference for UWW, TWW and GW the values
were 884.2, 723.34 and 654.78g respectively.
Results also revealed that UWW and TWW irrigated
sugarcane gave highest growth and yield for UWW and
TWW parameters, as compared to ground water (GW).
The results of growth and yield parameter values for
sugarcane crop irrigated with wastewater are closely in
accordance with the findings of by Biswas et al. (2015)
who assessed the average plant height and average
number of leaves of red amaranth (Amaranthus tricolor L
cv. Surma) cultivated by irrigation with wastewater which
were statistically identical to the control fresh water.
Ahmed et al. (2011) noted that, use of wastewater in
sugar beet irrigation led to increase in dry matter content.
Jun et al., (2015), irrigated olive trees with treated
wastewater and tap water. Plant growth was similar
irrespective of irrigation source as indicated by trunk
diameter and plant height. Ghorab and Safaa (2011)
investigated the effect of different irrigation by treatments
by wastewater which gave high growth parameter and
total dry weight in three shrubs and seven timber tree
seedlings. According to Paliwal et al. (1998), wastewater
irrigation significantly influenced growth performance of
Hardwickia binata. Shoot length, root length and root
collar diameter of H. binata seedlings increased by 25, 50
and 75% as the result of use of wastewater in different
treatments. The fresh weight of stem, root and leaves
increased with increase in the sewage water
concentration. The dry weight of plant components
increased in lower concentrations of wastewater (25 and
50%) but decreased in 100% of wastewater
concentration. Ntzala et al. (2015) found that the treated
wastewater affected significantly the dry matter yield and
non-significantly the plant height on Lactuca sativa L.
crop.
CONCLUSION
The results of this study showed the effects of irrigation
with wastewater on growth and yield of tomato, Napier
grass and sugarcane crops as compared to control grown
crops. From the above mentioned results, it can be seen
that, the effect of wastewater irrigation on growth and
yield parameters of tomato, it is observed that the plant
height, number of fruits/plant and dry biomass g/plant this
may be due to nutrient enrichment in wastewater
irrigation. Mean fruit weight of tomato was not
significantly influenced by wastewater irrigation. While
number of branches/plant increased significantly with
wastewater irrigation. From growth and yield parameters
of Napier grass it revealed that UWW and TWW irrigation
of Napier grass gave higher growth and yield, compared
to groundwater irrigation. In Napier grass plant height,
number of leaves/plant, leaf length, leaf width, number of
tillers/plant and dry weight, were significantly higher with
UWW and TWW irrigation as compared to that of
groundwater. Results from sugarcane crops showed that
UWW and TWW irrigated sugarcane gave higher growth

Alghobar et al. 077
and yield or yield traits as compared to that of
groundwater irrigation. It could be suggested that usage
of wastewater could affect positively on growth and yield,
these effects could be attributed to increase of nutrients
like N, and P in wastewater, so that as a function could
improve plant growth and yield of Napier grass and
sugarcane crops could be improve with UWW and TWW
compared to that of groundwater irrigation.
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Accepted 28 June, 2016.
Citation: Alghobar MA, Suresha S (2016). Growth and
yield of tomato, Napier grass and sugarcane crops as
influenced by wastewater irrigation in Mysore, Karnataka,
India. World Research Journal of Agricultural Sciences,
3(1): 069-079.
Copyright: © 2016 Alghobar and Suresha. This is an
open-access article distributed under the terms of the
Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits
unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any
medium, provided the original author and source are
cited.

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