Ecology, Environment and Conservation Paper

EFFECTS OF SOAPS AND DETERGENTS WASTES ON SEED GERMINATION, FLOWERING AND FRUITING OF TOMATO (LYCOPERSICON ESCULENTUM) AND OKRA (ABELMOSCHUS ESCULENTUS) PLANTS

P.O. Fatoba, K.S. Olorunmaiye and A.O. Adepoju

Abstract

The effects of wastes generated in Global Soaps and Detergents factory, Ilorin were investigated on the growth and fruitability of Lycopersicon esculentum and Abelmoschus esculentus .Viable seeds of these two fruit vegetables were sown in loamy soil stocked into pots perforated at the bottoms. The wastes were collected before the discharge to the water body, analysed for heavy metals electrometrically and were serially diluted with borehole water to give 100%,75%,50%,25%,20%,10% ,5%and 1% solutions. Each of these waste waters was used to irrigate four (4) pots, two (2) per plant, twice a week. The treatments were monitored for germination and growth and plant stands in each treatment thinned to two (2) after a week of germination. The experiment was carried out in the Screen house in the Biological Garden, University of Ilorin, Ilorin , Kwara State Nigeria. It was observed that only the waste water of less than 50% and less 25% concentrations supported the germination of Okra and Tomato seeds respectively. Moreover, only the Okra and Tomato plants irrigated with 1%, 5%, and 10% waste water flowered after 37 days and 76 days of planting respectively. In addition, only the plants in the 1% and 5% regimes fruited after 42 days and 81 days of planting respectively. Tomato fruits produced in 1% regime ripened after 96 days of planting like the Control regime while the 5% treatment ripened two days later. All the plants irrigated with 1%, 5% and 10% had greener colouration than the Control throughout the study period. Lower concentrations of this waste, 5% and less are recommended for irrigation in the production of these two vegetables. This shows that waste water that contains 0.029 mg/L Pb, 0.041 mg/L Zn, 0.332 mg/L Fe, 0.071 mg/L Cd, 0.076 mg/L Cu and 0,0015mg/L Hg or less were able to support the vegetative and reproductive growth of tomato and okra.