SUITABILITY OF TWO WASTE PRODUCTS OF THERMAL POWER PLANT – WASTEWATER AND FLY ASH AS FERTILIZER AND IRRIGANTAFROZA AKHTERAbstract The reuse of two byproducts of thermal power plant viz, wastewater and fly ash in agriculture as substitute for an irrigant and fertilizer needs specific studies to evaluate their effects on different soils,crops and agro climatic conditions. However, fast depleting ground water resources coupled with Indiaâs severe water pollution has put India in a difficult position to provide sufficient water for agriculture. In order to mitigate the pollution effects of wastewater and fly ash and solve their disposal problem, a pot experiment was conducted in which an attempt was made to test the suitability of thermal power plant discharged wastewater and fly ash, supplemented with three doses,each of nitrogen, phosphorus and fly ash on leaf area, dry matter accumulation, yield and oil quality of flax (Linumusitatissimum L.) cv.Neelam. Wastewater application along with lower fertilizer and fly ash dose proved beneficial as it enhanced almost all parameters significantly as compared to higher doses applied with wastewater along with fly ash. Contrary to the physiological and yield characteristics, the iodine value was higher in plants irrigated with ground water. Wastewater met the irrigational quality requirement as its various physico- chemical characteristics were within the permissible limits of Indian standards and FAO. |