Ecology, Environment and Conservation Paper

UTILIZATION OF QUARRY DUST FOR THE BETTERMENT OF PLANT GROWTH AND PRODUCTIVITY

Paramesha Naik and D. Ushainalini and R.K. Somashekar

Abstract

Generation of quarry dust has become a major issue with respect to pollution. Study on utilization of quarry dust for the better growth and productivity has been made on Cajanus indicus L and Vigna mango L. Experimental plants were grown on quarry dust: Garden soil mixture in the ratio of 100: 1000g; 250: 1000g; 500: 1000g; 750: 100<4J; and 1000: 1000g and quarry dust alone for a period of 45 days.Agrobotonical characters such as root length, shoot length, number of nodules, fresh and dry weight of shoot and roots and biochemical composition were analyzed in control and experimental plants. Increase in quarry dust concentration in soil decreased the shoot and root lengths, fresh and dry weights and number of nodules, chlorophyll pigments, protein, total soluble sugar and nitrogen content.Amendment of 100g and 250g of quarry dust /kg of soil showed better effect in all the parameters studied.