Esgoto doméstico tratado como aporte hídrico e nutricional no cultivo de antúrio de corte

Abstract

In recent years, the agricultural sector has faced an increase in the demand for water resources and nutrients. However, human activities have impaired natural nutrient cycles, worsening the already uneven natural distribution of water. A sustainable option to mitigate water and fertilizer shortages is the use of treated domestic sewage, which, in addition to meeting the water demand of plants, provides nutrients and organic matter. This study evaluated the effects of the application of treated domestic sewage on the protected cultivation of anthurium. The experiment was conducted on suspended benches, where the plants were grown on coconut fiber substrate in Styrofoam gutters, within a protected environment. The treatments were: (TRA) treated domestic sewage supplemented with mineral fertilizers, (TA) drinking water supplemented with mineral fertilizers and (TR) exclusively treated domestic sewage. The experimental design was randomized blocks, with the data submitted to the Tukey test. The exclusive application of treated domestic sewage in the TR resulted in nutritional deficiency and below-average productivity for anthurium. The biometric parameters (length of stem, spadix, spathe, largest leaf, number of leaves, flowers and plant height) and productivity in TRA did not differ statistically from TA, indicating that the use of treated domestic sewage supplemented with nutrients showed high productivity compared to TR. Despite the presence of Escherichia coli in the treated sewage, the cultivation was safe, with no contamination in the plants. The TRA and TA treatments showed similar efficiency in water consumption, with averages of 1.9 and 1.8 mm per day, respectively, and higher water use efficiency (WUE) of 403 and 396 flowers m-3, due to fertilizer supplementation. The TR treatment had lower water consumption (1.5 mm per day) and lower efficiency (WUE of 343 flowers m-3), resulting in plants with inferior development and lower flower quality due to nutritional deficiency. Over two years, the TRA treatment had a productivity of 372,678 flowers per hectare, with no significant difference in relation to the TA treatment, which had 362,946 flowers per hectare. The TR treatment had a lower productivity of 257,767 flowers per hectare. It is concluded that the application of treated domestic sewage as an alternative and sustainable source of water and nutrients in coconut fiber substrate in a protected environment is viable for the cultivation of anthurium, without compromising the health safety of professionals and consumers.