Impacts of treated greywater on soil properties, growth and yield of irrigated pepper (Capsicum annum) in Akure Nigeria

Abstract

Abstract This study focuses on the impact of treated greywater (TG) on the yield, growth and soil properties of irrigated pepper in Akure, Nigeria. Raw greywater was acquired from the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA) hall of residence. Fresh water (FW) was obtained from the FUTA water reservoir. FW and TG were used for irrigation in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three treatments and three repetitions in years 2016, 2017, and 2018 respectively. Soil samples were collected to determine the soil physico-chemical properties including Soil pH, macronutrients and fertility status. The growth parameters of pepper considered are fruit's number, fruit’s width and number of leaves. Results of the soil analysis revealed improvement in the fertility status of the soil with respect to macronutrients after harvest of hot pepper. TG resulted in remarkable increase in pepper yield from 0.19 kg/m 2 to 0.405 kg/m 2 , 0.208 kg/m 2 to 0.423 kg/m 2 , and 0.175 kg/m 2 to 0.353 kg/m 2 in 2016, 2017, and 2018 respectively. At 5% probability value, TG significantly improved the growth and yield of pepper. The findings of this study strongly emphasize that effective wastewater management will enhance irrigated agriculture and FW conservation.