Eight-year trial: treated wastewater grows lemons as well as desalinated groundwater
Oman’s Ministry of Agriculture and Nama Water Services found comparable tree growth and yield at the Al Rumais research farm in Barka.
Researchers at the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources’ Soil and Water Research Centre, working with Nama Water Services, compared Omani lemon trees irrigated with tertiary-treated wastewater against trees irrigated with desalinated groundwater. The eight-year trial ran at the Al Rumais Non-Conventional Water Research Farm in Barka, monitoring water, soil, plant and fruit quality.
- Tree growth and production were comparable between the two water sources, and fruit quality was largely similar, with microbiological tests meeting the study’s standards.
- The treated water supplied measurable nutrients, though the study did not determine how much fertiliser it could replace.
- Soil salinity rose in some periods and fell the next season; some sodium indicators were higher under treated wastewater, but there was no evidence of damage to soil structure.
The ministry and Nama Water Services plan to develop the farm into a research and guidance centre and to extend regenerated water to farmers in Al Shakhakhit, Barka, with continued periodic monitoring.
Source: Muscat Daily
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