Abstract
This research aimed to monitor watermelon development, variety Crimson Sweet, irrigated with treated sewage, in comparison with a control irrigated with fresh water. Additionally, the sanitary aspects regarding the reuse of effluents in irrigation were evaluated, based on detection of pathogens in the fruits, and physical-chemical characterization of the waters. The productivity obtained with drip irrigation and furrow methods, was compared. The experimental set-up was in random blocks, with four repetitions and four treatments, consisting of irrigation with raw water and soil fertilization (T1); irrigation with treated wastewater and soil fertilization (T2); irrigation with treated wastewater without soil fertilization (T3); irrigation with treated wastewater and half of soil fertilization (T4). In the furrow system the highest productivity occurred in the treatment T4, while for the other parameters there was no difference among the treatments. For the watermelon irrigated with drip system, no significative difference occurred among the treatments and parameters analysed. The similiar results obtained between effluent-irrigated and water-irrigated systems, demonstrate the potential and technical feasibility of reuse. Thus, the cultivation of other fruits crops and creepers with treated sewage is possible, but monitoring is necessary.
Key words:
Citrillus lanatus; productivity; effluents; irrigation management; fertilization
