Environmental Science
S. Saneha; T. Pattamapitoon; S. Bualert; O. Phewnil; W. Wararam; N. Semvimol; K. Chunkao; C. Tudsanaton; M. Srichomphu; U. Nachaiboon; O. Wongsrikaew; P. Wichittrakarn; C. Chanthasoon
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The bacterial community plays a crucial role in the nitrogen cycle. Oxidation ponds act as a natural treatment system for wastewater and are designed to promote the growth and activity of certain bacterial species that remove contaminants from the water. The nitrogen cycle ...
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BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The bacterial community plays a crucial role in the nitrogen cycle. Oxidation ponds act as a natural treatment system for wastewater and are designed to promote the growth and activity of certain bacterial species that remove contaminants from the water. The nitrogen cycle in these ponds involves the conversion of nitrogen compounds through biological processes by bacteria. The presence or absence of certain bacterial species can greatly influence the efficiency of the nitrogen cycle in these ponds. This research investigates the relationship between bacteria and nitrogen dynamics, the key components of wastewater treatment, in oxidation ponds. This work aims to identify the bacterial community composition in oxidation ponds, investigate the role of bacteria in the transformation and removal of nitrogen compounds from wastewater in oxidation ponds, and evaluate the impact of environmental factors on the microbial communities and nitrogen dynamics in oxidation ponds. This study was carried out in the oxidation wastewater treatment at the King’s Royally Initiated Laem Phak Bia Environmental Research and Development or LERD Project, in Phetchaburi, Thailand.METHODS: Wastewater samples were collected from the 1st–5th oxidation ponds at a depth of 30 centimeter from the water surface and analyzed for various quality parameters including temperature, dissolved oxygen, potential of hydrogen, biochemical oxygen demand, nitrates, ammonia, and total kjeldahl nitrogen. Next-generation sequencing by Illumina Miseq was used to examine the 16S ribosomal ribonucleic acid of bacteria in the collected samples. Correlation test was used for statistical analysis.FINDINGS: The temperature, potential of hydrogen (1st to 5th ponds), and dissolved oxygen (2nd to 5th ponds) in the oxidation ponds were within the standard value. Fifteen bacterial phyla were identified in the five oxidation ponds, with phylum Proteobacteria accounting for the highest population comprising 47.56% of the total bacterial population.CONCLUSION: Genera Novosphingobium (phylum Proteobacteria), Ammonia-11 (phylum Verrucomicrobiota), and Vicinamibacteraceae (phylum Acidobacteriota) have the strongest relationships with ammonia, nitrate, and total kjeldahl nitrogen (R2 = 0.9710, 0.986, 0.8124). The bacterial population is a crucial factor in nitrogen nutrient and water quality. Novosphingobium is involved in the removal of ammoniafrom wastewater, Verrucomicrobiota act as denitrifiers, and Vicinamibacteraceae increases the total kjeldahl nitrogen levels.
Environmental Management
R. Daneshvar rad; H. Heidari Sharifabad; M. Torabi; R. Azizinejad; H.R. Salemi; M. Heidari Soltanabadi
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The stress caused by dryness can affect plant growth and physiology. Several coping mechanisms (recovery, avoidance, tolerance and drought escape) have been developed to mitigate the impact of drought stress, and most strategies involve survival during stress condition. ...
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BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The stress caused by dryness can affect plant growth and physiology. Several coping mechanisms (recovery, avoidance, tolerance and drought escape) have been developed to mitigate the impact of drought stress, and most strategies involve survival during stress condition. The aim of this study was to compare the morphological and physiological characteristics of two varieties of sorghum forage (Pegah and Speedfeed) under drought stress conditions in order to provide beneficial and functional recommendations to farmers in the study area.METHODS: This study was performed as a spit-plot plot in a complete randomised design with 3 replications for two years in Esfahan, Iran. Experimental treatments included drought stress at three levels for two varieties of sorghum. Mechanisms of sorghum response to drought stress, including physiological and morphological alterations, were also proposed. Treatment means were compared by the Duncan test at 5% and 1% levels of probability. The statistical analysis was applied to the data using the R software.FINDING: Lower irrigation showed a gradual decrease in plants height, number of leaves per plant, stem diameter, nitrogen and crude protein, with an increase in the length and weight of their panicle. Compared to Pegah variety, Speedfeed cultivar with 12% increase enhanced the contents of chlorophyll (1.7 times) in the two years of experiment. It could be concluded that Speedfeed variety exhibited better yield and quality characteristics against drought stress compared to Pegah variety. Considering the tolerance index and the harmonic mean index, Pegah showed the highest sensitivity to drought stress.CONCLUSION: This study indicated that sorghum had several adaptive mechanisms for dealing with drought stress, so that it could be applied as a suitable alternative for other crops with higher water needs such as Zea.