Effects of grey water irrigation on the cultivation of African spinach (Amaranthus hybridus)

Water is a limited resource, hence there is a need for its judicious use. This study was designed to investigate the utilization and the effects of grey water irrigation on the growth parameters of African spinach (Amaranthus hybridus) and its soil properties when planted in a green house. The irrigation treatment consisted of Tap water (TW) and grey water (GW) collected from Akindeko Hostel in Federal University of Technology, Akure. The vegetables were planted in five bucket samples for each irrigation treatment. The water samples were assessed to determine chemical properties, while soil samples were collected and analysed before irrigation application and after harvest. Crop morphology that includes the plant height, number of leaves and stem girth parameters were recorded weekly after emergence. Our results indicate that the grey water type has the highest chemical parameters. These included TSS, SAR, pH, HCO3ˉ, Ca2+, Mg2+, and Na+. What is more, soil pH decreased in all the soil samples after the different water applications, the lowest pH being from grey water. The sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) also decreased in all the irrigation treatments. In addition, the plant height, number of leaves and stem girth of the crop were affected by the water type used. Herein, the crop irrigated with grey water had the highest morphology parameters. Furthermore, soil chemical properties were significantly affected by the use of grey water, hence, appropriate wastewater treatment and water management practices have to be followed to remove the toxic elements that could be hazardous to human health when crops produced on them are consumed