Prof. Hassan Hamza Abbas Ramdan :: Publications:

This study was conducted to monitor the impact of soils irrigation with sewage water for different period on both soil and plants. The obtained results showed that the values of total and AB-DTPA extractable amounts of heavy metals were around the normal level of the virgin soil. However, increasing the period of irrigation with sewage water resulted in an increase in both total and AB-DTPA extractable amounts of the considered heave metals. In all cases, concentrations of these metals tended to decrease with depth. This continuous irrigation with sewage water, therefore, is expected to enrich soils with heavy metals and this increase will be more obvious with time. Thus, it may results in more accumulation of heavy metals which will reach toxic levels in the long run. Prolonging the period of irrigation with sewage water decreased the dry matter weight as well as the weight of 1000-grain. Concentrations of Fe, Mn, Zn and Cu in wheat roots were highest followed by stem, leaves, and grains. Concentrations of these metals increased with increasing the period of irrigation with sewage water. While the highest concentrations of Pb, Cd and it were found in roots and leaves and the lowest ones were found in stems and grains (flour and bran) increasing the period of irrigation with sewage water increased the accumulation of Pb, Cd and Ni in the different segments of wheat plants.