Abstract
Sewage sludge has fertilizer properties and can supply a large amount of necessary nutrients to the crops, because it is full of organic matter, carbon, nitrogen and other nutrients, but on the other hand, it also contains a lot of toxic compounds, derived from its origin, such as heavy metals, antibiotics and microplastics. Effective microorganisms are a collection of naturally occurring beneficial microorganisms that are able to coexist and are commonly used in agriculture and gardening to improve plant performance and production. In this study, increasing concentrations of sewage sludge alone and added with effective microorganisms were evaluated in a short exposure on Lepidium sativum L. Parameters that were evaluated are: (i) percentage inhibition of germination, (ii) root length, (iii) biomass, (iv) soil pH, (v) total organic carbon and nitrogen both at soil and at root level. Results carried out from our experiment highlighted that effective microorganisms when coupled with sludge are able to restore biometric parameters by resetting seeds germinability inhibition and improving root elongation more than 50% when compared with plants added only with sludge, restoring the values almost of those to the control plants, as well as for soil pH values. Total organic carbon and total nitrogen are boosted at soil level almost at 50% when compared with the same concentrations added only with sludge, while at root level they appear decreased only in plants directly added with sludge treated with effective microorganisms.
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Authors are grateful to University of Nova Gorica to be supported this research through the individual student project program.
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TB performed experimentation and biometrical analyses and first drafted he paper; LG provided EMs, designed experimental plan, and contributed to revision of the first and final draft of the paper; DR performed TOC and TN analyses; PM performed TOC and TN analyses; SP designed experimental plan and contributed to statistical analyses and revision of the final draft of the paper for the production of the submitted version.
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Buh, T., Goljat, L., Rampih, D. et al. Effective microorganisms technology applied to sewage sludge and tested in short exposure on Lepidium sativum. Int. J. Environ. Sci. Technol. 21, 481–492 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-023-04991-w
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-023-04991-w