A comparative study of plant growth affected by soil amendments with recovered nutrients, drought conditions, and seasonal temperatures

Nutrients recovered from municipal and dairy wastewaters in a bioelectrochemical system constructed with terracotta and biochar were used in different soil amendments. These amendments included terracotta addition (TS), biochar (BS), terracotta and biochar nutrient-rich mixtures from bioelectrochemical systems, DWW, and SWW, respectively. Corn growth affected by these amendments wascompared with straight soil (SS). The first experimental setup consisted of 60 plants, four replications per group, and nutrient loadings (0%, 50%, and 100% Hoagland Nutrient Solution, HNS). The experiment lasted 38 days at Mississippi State University in the fall season. The plants were grown under a prefabricated mini-hoop module with two heaters at each end to minimize the weather effects. After harvesting, the plants and soil were analyzed by various methods. At the 100% nutrient treatment, the TS soil had the best yielding plants. The plants grown in the DWW and SWW soil with the 0% and 50% nutrient treatment had the best results in plant height, total plant dry weight, the average number of leaves per plant, leaf surface area, shoot dry weight, root/shoot ratio, root surface area, and NBI when compared to the control group. Following this test, another test consisted of 80 corn plants grown using five different soil mediums and using four different nutrient treatments in the spring season. Twentyof the plants were put through a simulated drought to see how well the different soil mediums can resist the negative effects caused by droughts. In this test, the SWW soil amendment had a negative effect at 0% HNS and in warm weather. The SWW soil medium had a large retention in soil moisture, which had a negative growth effect. It is recommended that the irrigation be monitored closely when applying the SWW soil amendment to avoid overwatering. This presentation will provide critical insights and will highlight future recommendations.