Nutrient Content of Vineyard Leaves after Prolonged Treated Wastewater Irrigation

Abstract

Water is essential for agricultural productivity and is a vital component of food security. In areas with limited water supplies, new water resources must be identified. Given these challenges, we attempted to determine whether the use of treated wastewater for vineyard irrigation is compatible with sensible agricultural methods within the context of a circular economy, where resource sustainability is a key tenet of foodtech. The main purpose of this study was to determine whether using treated wastewater for vineyard irrigation influences foliar nutrient content identifying differences according to irrigation water. A field experiment was designed to compare vineyards that had been irrigated with treated wastewater for years to those that had been irrigated with conventional well water. For characterization, water and soil were analyzed. Furthermore, the macro and micronutrient contents of vine leaves, as well as chlorophyll (SPAD units) measured directly in the field, were tracked over several seasons to determine the relationship between them. We found no nutritional imbalances in the crop at the end of the study, although there were improvements in the concentrations of some nutrients (Mg, Mn and Zn). It was also noticed that plots irrigated with treated wastewater run the risk of increasing soil saline concentrations.

Keywords

• vineyard
• nutrients
• reclaimed wastewater
• soil