EFFECT OF LEATHER INDUSTRIAL EFFLUENT ON THEGERMINATION AND SEEDLING GROWTH OF SELECTEDMEDICINAL PLANTSHRIDHYA M.J. AND C.T. ANITHAAbstract This study evaluated the effect of leather industrial wastewater on the germination and seedlingdevelopment of three medicinal plants. Andrographis paniculata, Emilia sonchifolia and Tridaxprocumbens are the medicinal plants that were selected for this study. Leather tanning includesdifferent procedures which required large quantities of water so the amount of wastewaterproduction by this industry is dangerously high. Different steps in the tanning process like limingand chrome tanning and rechromming produce an immense amount of effluent water whichcontains many hazardous chemicals. the chemical contents present in the tanning industrialeffluent is potential to cause a serious threat to the ecosystem. The current study is aimed toevaluate the effect of leather industrial effluents on the germination and seedling development ofthree selected medicinal plants. Before the germination experiment, the effluent sample collectedfrom a leather industry located at Pullepady, Kochi Eranakulam. Kerala, India was analyzed fordifferent chemical and physical parameters. After the analysis of effluent water, it was used toconduct a seed germination experiment on 3 test plants. The concentrations of effluent used were10%, 20%, 40%, 60%, 80% and 100% distilled water was used as control after 7 days of germinationtreatment germination percentage, Vigour index, and Phytotoxicity were calculated. The studyreveals that even at the lowest concentration effluent sample adversely affects all three selectedmedicinal plants, and the negative effects intensified as the concentration of the effluent sampleincreases. At 100 % concentrations, all three test plants failed to germinate. Emilia sonchifolia isfound to be most sensitive to tanning industrial effluent compared to Andrographis paniculata andTridax procumbens. |