Effects of sewage sludge compost on the growth and photosynthetic characteristics of turfgrass
Wang, J.; Tang, F.-D.; Yi, Y.-L.
Ying Yong Sheng Tai Xue Bao 25(9): 2576-2582
2014
ISSN/ISBN: 1001-9332 PMID: 25757308 Document Number: 678465
The effects of different dosages (0, 0.8%, 2%, 6% and 10%) of sewage sludge compost on the growth and photosynthetic characteristics of three turfgrass, i. e., Festuca arundinacea, Lolium perenne and Poa pratensis were studied. The results showed that the dosage of 6% had the optimal effects. The plant height, leaf area and dry biomass of three turfgrass increased significantly with the increasing sewage sludge compost dosage, while the root/shoot ratio decreased obviously. Compared with the control, the plant height of F. arundinacea, L. perenne and P. pratensis increased by 64.9%-180.8%, 97.3%-200.9% and 39.1%-156.5%, the leaf area per plant increased by 91.3%-417.4%, 186.4%-394.9% and 164.6%-508.3% and the dry biomass per plant increased by 333.4%-867.6%, 138.4%-445.1% and 316.3%-669.2%, respectively. With the increasing dosage of sewage sludge compost, the net photosynthetic rate (Pn), transpiration rate (Tr), intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci) and water use efficiency (WUE) of F. arundinacea increased first and decreased then, the Pn, Tr and WUE of P. pratensis showed a significantly increasing trend, while the Ci decreased after an initial increase, and the Pn and WUE of L. perenne increased gradually, while the Ci and Tr decreased after a gradual increase. With the in- creasing sewage sludge dosage, the contents of chlorophyll a and b of the three turfgrass species increased markedly, and then decreased when the dosage was more than 6%, but the ratio of chlorophyll a/b was little changed.