Assessment of the Nitrogen and Potassium Fertilizer in Green Bean Irrigated with Disinfected Urban Wastewater

• Published in: Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis 2012, Vol.43 (1-2), p.426-433
• Main Authors: Segura, M. L, Contreras París, Juana Isabel, Plaza, Blanca María, Lao, M. T
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: absorption; Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions; autumn; Biological and medical sciences; calcium; Dry matter; electrical conductivity; fertigation; fertilizer rates; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General agronomy. Plant production; green beans; greenhouses; irrigated farming; leaves; macronutrients uptake; magnesium; nitrates; nitrogen; Nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium fertilizations; nitrogen-potassium fertilizers; NK rates; ozone; phosphorus; potassium; sand mulch; sandy loam soils; soil salinity; Soil-plant relationships. Soil fertility. Fertilization. Amendments; wastewater
• ISSN: 1532-2416; 0010-3624; 1532-2416; 1532-4133
• DOI: 10.1080/00103624.2011.638604

Green bean Helda in autumn cycle (118 days) was grown under greenhouse conditions in sand-mulched sandy loam soil. The crop was irrigated with disinfected urban wastewater (DUW) obtained from ozone from the Almería Purifying Plant. The average nutrient parameters of DUW were 0.4 mM of nitrate (NO₃⁻), 2.1 mM of ammonium (NH₄⁺), 0.8 mM of potassium (K⁺), and electrical conductivity (EC) 1.6 dS m⁻¹. Three different treatments were established: DUW without additional fertilization (FDUW), DUW with fertilization until the recommended rate was obtained (10.0 mM of N and 3.4 mM of K) (FNK), and DUW with fertilization until 1.5 FNK rate (15.0 mM of N and 5.1 mM of K) (F₁.₅NK) was obtained. The dry-matter production was not conditioned by the fertilizer level. Treatments FNK and F₁.₅NK showed the greatest yield and uptake of N and K independent of the fertilizer level. The most nitrogen (N), calcium (Ca), and magnesium (Mg) were in the leaf, phosphorus (P) was high in fruit, and K was similar in leaf and fruit. With regard to the macronutrient absorption efficiency, the F₁.₅NK treatment showed the least N and K efficiency and the greatest soil salinity.