Abstract
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The escalating demand for water-efficient practices in agriculture has prompted the exploration of unconventional water sources such as wastewater to alleviate water scarcity and ensure food security. However, the unregulated utilization of wastewater in irrigation poses environmental challenges, necessitating effective remediation strategies to restore affected ecosystems. Bioremediation, a biological approach employing various organisms like plants, fungi, and bacteria, offers a sustainable method to mitigate contaminants in soil and water. This study focuses on assessing the potential of three tomato varieties inoculated with bacterial consortia for the bioremediation of soils irrigated with wastewater. The investigation unfolds in three phases: firstly, exploring the viability of tomato seeds exposed to CuSO4 solutions, assessing the impact of pregerminative treatments, and examining seed responses to bacterial consortium inoculation. The second phase involves determining the vigor of tomato seedlings, while the third phase evaluates the performance of tomato plants in a greenhouse environment up to 120 days post-sowing in wastewater-irrigated soil. Results reveal that the germination process is influenced by factors such as temperature, seed hydration, and storage time. In both in vitro and greenhouse evaluations, bacterial consortia 1 and 3 demonstrate a positive impact on seedling development, validating their effectiveness. Specifically, in the R.G. 22 tomato variety, the use of bacterial consortium 1 leads to increased stem length and diameter, root length and volume, and dry biomass of the aerial part compared to the control. Bacterial consortium 3, applied to the R.G. 19 variety, results in an augmented stem and root length, aerial part dry biomass, and leaf area. For the Rn 22 variety, the application of consortia 1 and 3 leads to heightened leaf count, stem and root length, root biomass, and aerial part dry biomass compared to the control. These findings underscore the potential of selected bacterial consortia to enhance tomato plant development in wastewater-irrigated soil, suggesting a viable bioremediation strategy for sustainable agricultural practices. By elucidating the positive effects of bacterial consortia on seed germination, seedling vigor, and overall plant growth, this research contributes valuable insights to the ongoing discourse on the responsible use of wastewater in agriculture.
Keywords: water pressure, wastewater, bioremediation, bacterial consortia, tomato.
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