Application of fly ash on the growth performance and translocation of toxic heavy metals within Cajanus cajan L.: implication for safe utilization of fly ash for agricultural production.

The present study was undertaken to examine the influence of the application of fly ash (FA) into garden soil for Cajanus cajan L. cultivation and on accumulation and translocation of hazardous metals from FA to edible part. Numerous studies have been reported on the growth and yield of agricultural crops under FA stress; however, there is a dearth of studies recommending the safe utilization of fly ash for crop production. Pot experiments were conducted on C. cajan L., a widely cultivating legume in India for its highly nutritious seeds. C. cajan L. were grown in garden soil and amended with varying concentrations of FA in a weight/weight ratio (0%, 25%, 50% and 100%; w/w). Incorporation of fly ash from 25% to 100% in garden soil increases the levels of pH, particle density, porosity and water holding capacity from 3.47% to 26.39%, 3.98% to 26.14%, 37.50% to 147.92% and 163.16% to 318.42%, respectively, than the control while bulk density decrease respectively from 8.94% to 48.89%. Pot experiment found that accumulation and translocation of heavy metals in tested plant depends on the concentration of FA. Addition of FA at lower concentration (25%) had shown positive results in most of the studied parameters of growth and yield (14.23% than control). The experimental results confirmed that lower concentration of FA (25%) is safe for C. cajan cultivation, which not only enhanced the yield of C. cajan L. significantly but also ensured the translocation of heavy metals to edible parts within the critical limits.

[1]  A. E. Greenberg,et al.  Standard methods for the examination of water and wastewater : supplement to the sixteenth edition , 1988 .

[2]  R. D. Tripathi,et al.  Metal accumulation and growth performance of Phaseolus vulgaris grown in fly ash amended soil. , 2007, Bioresource technology.

[3]  Anders Lagerkvist,et al.  Stabilization of Pb- and Cu-contaminated soil using coal fly ash and peat. , 2007, Environmental pollution.

[4]  M. Shukla,et al.  Growth performance and biochemical responses of three rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivars grown in fly-ash amended soil. , 2007, Chemosphere.

[5]  R. D. Tripathi,et al.  Biochemical Responses of Cassia siamea Lamk. Grown on Coal Combustion Residue (Fly-ash) , 2002, Bulletin of environmental contamination and toxicology.

[6]  S. Karmakar,et al.  Fly ash—a potential source of soil amendment and a component of integrated plant nutrient supply system , 2005 .

[7]  Z. Siddiqui,et al.  Effects of fly ash and Helminthosporium oryzae on growth and yield of three cultivars of rice. , 2003, Bioresource technology.

[8]  Vinod Kumar,et al.  Flyash as a soil conditioner and fertilizer , 1998 .

[9]  P. Mishra,et al.  Soil biochemical activity and growth response of rice Oryza sativa in flyash amended soil. , 2001, Bioresource technology.

[10]  D. Gupta,et al.  Impacts of fly-ash on soil and plant responses , 2002, Journal of Plant Research.

[11]  N. Keren,et al.  Metal Homeostasis in Cyanobacteria and Chloroplasts. Balancing Benefits and Risks to the Photosynthetic Apparatus1 , 2006, Plant Physiology.

[12]  R. Keefer,et al.  Erodibility of fly ash used as a topsoil substitute in mineland reclamation , 2000 .

[13]  J. Tadmor.  Radioactivity from coal-fired power plants: A review , 1986 .

[14]  P. Aravind,et al.  Cadmium-Zinc interactions in a hydroponic system using Ceratophyllum demersum L.: adaptive ecophysiology, biochemistry and molecular toxicology , 2005 .

[15]  Domy C. Adriano,et al.  Assessing the feasibility of land application of fly ash, sewage sludge and their mixtures , 2003 .

[16]  O. H. Lowry,et al.  Protein measurement with the Folin phenol reagent. , 1951, The Journal of biological chemistry.

[17]  M Yunus,et al.  Efficacy of various amendments for amelioration of fly-ash toxicity: growth performance and metal composition of Cassia siamea Lamk. , 2004, Chemosphere.

[18]  A. L. Page,et al.  Physical and chemical properties of fly ash from coal-fired power plants with reference to environmental impacts , 1979 .

[19]  A. Walkley,et al.  AN EXAMINATION OF THE DEGTJAREFF METHOD FOR DETERMINING SOIL ORGANIC MATTER, AND A PROPOSED MODIFICATION OF THE CHROMIC ACID TITRATION METHOD , 1934 .

[20]  A. C. Chang,et al.  Utilization and Disposal of Fly Ash and Other Coal Residues in Terrestrial Ecosystems: A Review , 1980 .

[21]  Dinesh Goyal,et al.  Fly ash as a soil ameliorant for improving crop production--a review. , 2006, Bioresource technology.

[22]  B. C. Ghosh,et al.  Effect of fly ash, organic wastes and chemical fertilizers on yield, nutrient uptake, heavy metal content and residual fertility in a rice-mustard cropping sequence under acid lateritic soils. , 2003, Bioresource technology.

[23]  W. Rees,et al.  Plant nutrition on fly-ash , 1956, Plant and Soil.

[24]  D. Arnon.  COPPER ENZYMES IN ISOLATED CHLOROPLASTS. POLYPHENOLOXIDASE IN BETA VULGARIS. , 1949, Plant physiology.

[25]  Manoj Prasad,et al.  Heavy metal stress in plants : from biomolecules to ecosystems , 2010 .

[26]  J. Wong,et al.  Germination and seedling growth of vegetable crops in fly ash-amended soils , 1989 .

[27]  K. J. Ahmad,et al.  Growth response and element accumulation in Beta vulgaris L. raised in fly-ash-amended soils , 1994, Ecotoxicology.

[28]  Robert B. Finkelman,et al.  Radioactive Elements in Coal and Fly Ash: Abundance, Forms, and Environmental Significance , 1997 .

[29]  J. B. Kenworthy,et al.  Chemical Analysis of Ecological Materials. , 1976 .

[30]  Raimondo Ciccu,et al.  Heavy metal immobilization in the mining-contaminated soils using various industrial wastes , 2003 .

[31]  B. Kansal,et al.  Effect of fly-ash application on yield and nutrient composition of rice, wheat and on pH and available nutrient status of soils , 1995 .

[32]  M. Fulekar,et al.  Fly ash dynamics in soil‐water systems , 1989 .

[33]  H. Marschner.  Mineral Nutrition of Higher Plants , 1988 .