Growth, Development and Productivity of Corn Under Irrigation

with Wastewater from Poultry Farms on Meadow Soils of Tashkent

Region

Mansur Tukhtamishev

, Nematulla Xudaybergenov

, Shavkat Abdurahimov

and Umbetali Sultanov

Tashkent State Agrarian University, 100140, University str. 2, Tashkent, Uzbekistan

Keywords: Corn Productivity, Poultry Wastewater, Irrigation Suitability.

Abstract:

The article highlights the composition of wastewater from poultry farms and their suitability for

irrigation of agricultural crops. It was found that the chemical demand of wastewater from poultry

farms is 480-850 mg O2/l, which indicates high pollution with organic products. Coarse and fine

substances vary within 430-720 mg/l, and the biochemical oxygen demand on the fifth day (BOD

)

is within 0.39-0.74 g O

/l, and at the time of mass discharges of wastewater it reached 15-1.6 g

/l. The titer of E. coli was equal to 10-6, the number of microbes fluctuated between 48.5 x 106

and 61.6 x 106. Determination of the suitability of wastewater based on generally accepted methods

showed that they are quite suitable for irrigation of agricultural crops without additional

melioration measures.

1 INTRODUCTION

Water for irrigation in the conditions of the arid zone

of Central Asia, including the Republic of

Uzbekistan, is a necessary factor in agriculture. In the

Republic of Uzbekistan, the main factor in food

security is irrigated agriculture. Free water resources

are needed to expand the area of irrigated agriculture,

although the existing water resources in the republic

can expand the area of irrigated agriculture by 4.8

million hectares. With the existing level of irrigation

technology, there is a severe shortage of irrigation

water (Tukhtamishev et al., 2021).

Anthropogenic transformations of water in the

region have already reached global proportions: the

intensive development of irrigated agriculture in the

second half of the 20th century led to a significant

increase in water withdrawal from the Syr Darya and

Amu Darya basins, which caused the shallowing of

the Aral Sea. Currently, the volume of the sea is only

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https://orcid.org/0009-0007-2412-6088

https://orcid.org/0009-0007-2372-9768

28% of the 1960 figure. A. Kurtov argues that the lack

of water for the Republic of Uzbekistan is a disaster

in the literal sense of the word: due to the lack of

water in a number of regions of the republic,

especially in Karakalpakstan, we can already talk

about a social and economic crisis (Tukhtamishev et

al., 2021). There is not enough water not only for

agricultural purposes, but also for purely domestic

needs. If before 2000, low-water years in the region

were observed every 6-8 years, then at present this

phenomenon is repeated every 3-4 years. In 2018 and

2019, water availability decreased significantly

(Tukhtamishev et al., 2022).

A pressing issue at the current stage of economic

and social development of the republic is

environmental protection and, in particular,

eliminating the danger of negative impact on it from

the growing volume of wastewater from poultry

enterprises. One of the polluters of the republic's

water bodies is the intensively developing poultry

Tukhtamishev, M., Xudaybergenov, N., Abdurahimov, S. and Sultanov, U.

Growth, Development and Productivity of Corn Under Irrigation with Wastewater from Poultry Farms on Meadow Soils of Tashkent Region.

DOI: 10.5220/0014268900004738

Paper published under CC license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

In Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Research of Agricultural and Food Technologies (I-CRAFT 2024), pages 345-350

ISBN: 978-989-758-773-3; ISSN: 3051-7710

345

farms and enterprises. The artificial treatment

facilities used are often ineffective, retaining only 50-

60% of the ingredients found in wastewater, since the

technological process of mechanical and biological

treatment at treatment facilities functions poorly due

to their unsatisfactory operation, imperfection of the

technological process of treatment itself, and they

operate with a greater overload. Therefore, soil

neutralization of wastewater and its use for irrigation

of fodder and grain crops seems very promising from

the national economic and hygienic positions, which

allows increasing water supply, land productivity and

is a powerful means of increasing soil fertility, as well

as an effective way of their additional purification in

natural conditions (Tukhtamishev et al., 2022). In

general, wastewater from poultry farms in the

republic can be used to irrigate and fertilize 10-12

thousand hectares of land. However, the problem of

using wastewater for irrigation of agricultural crops

requires a regional approach, i.e. it is necessary to

take into account the characteristics of the soil and

hydrogeological conditions of the territory

(Musirmonov et al., 2023, Juliev et al., 2023). In

connection with the above, special attention is paid to

the productive use of available water resources in the

republic. On November 27, 2017, the decree of the

President of the Republic of Uzbekistan "On the state

program for the development of irrigation in 2018-

2019 and improving the melioration state of irrigated

lands" was adopted. According to this decree, a

number of measures are being carried out, including

the introduction of water-saving irrigation

technologies.

In the conditions of a severe shortage of irrigation

water, the Tashkent State Agrarian University pays

special attention to conducting research work on

issues of more careful and productive use of the

existing water resources, including local runoff.Level

of study of the issue. In the CIS republics, including

the former All-Union Scientific and Production

Association VNPO Progress (All-Union Scientific

Research Institute for Agricultural Crops), Volgograd

Agricultural and Ukrainian Hydromelioration

Institutes, Uzbek Research Institute of Sanitation,

Hygiene and Occupational Diseases and other

institutions, numerous studies have been conducted to

study the suitability of domestic and livestock

wastewater for irrigation of agricultural crops.

However, scientific research on the issue of

utilization of wastewater from poultry farms has been

almost not conducted (Tukhtamishev et al., 2020).

The purpose of the research: to study the

composition and suitability of wastewater from

poultry farms for irrigation of agricultural crops in

various soil and hydrogeological conditions of the

republic as an effective measure to prevent pollution

of water resources and save river water, to determine

their impact on the growth, development and yield of

cultivated crops, the sanitary and hygienic condition

of irrigation fields.

Research objectives: to establish the influence of

irrigation with wastewater from poultry farms on the

growth, development and yield of cultivated forage

and grain crops.

Objects of research: the objects of research are

wastewater from poultry farms and feed and grain

crops irrigated by them in meadow and gray soil

conditions of the Tashkent region.

2 MATERIALS AND METHODS

The materials of the conducted research are wastewater

from the poultry farms Uzbekistan and

Urtachirchikparranda, located on gray and meadow

soils of the Tashkent region and the forage and grain

crops irrigated by them. The suitability of wastewater

for irrigation of agricultural crops was determined

according to Budanov, Mozheiko and Vorotnik,

Kelly, Eaton and Stebler, according to the method of

the US Department of Agriculture (SAR)

(Tukhtamishev et al., 2022).

3 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Long-term studies to determine the quality of

wastewater and their suitability for use in irrigation of

agricultural crops have shown the following:

wastewater from poultry farms is characterized by a

specific (often ammonia) odor, turbid color, slightly

alkaline reaction of the environment (pH = 7.1–7.3),

carbonate-sulphate, calcium-magnesium

composition, according to the classification of Yu. P.

Lebedev and had coarsely dispersed and finely

dispersed substances, which were contained in an

amount of 430–720 mg/l on average, therefore,

reusing wastewater in the production process or

discharging it into open water bodies without

thorough cleaning is unacceptable, since the

concentration of most ingredients in them exceeds the

maximum permissible for reuse and discharge into

water bodies (Tukhtamishev et al., 2020).

Oxidability (COD – chemical oxygen demand) is

of great importance when assessing the quality of

water for irrigation of agricultural crops. This

indicator characterizes the total content of organic

I-CRAFT 2024 - 4th International Conference on Research of Agricultural and Food Technologies

346

and inorganic substances in water that react with

strong oxidizers (Juliev et al., 2023). A high COD

value (480–850 mg O

/l) indicates high pollution of

wastewater (MPC for a reservoir is 30 mg/l) with

products of organic origin. The degree of pollution of

wastewater with organic matter contained in the form

of non-sedimenting suspended and colloidal particles

can also be determined by the content of oxygen

consumed for biochemical oxidation of these

substances in 1 liter of sample during the life of

aerobic bacteria. This indicator is called BOD –

biochemical oxygen demand – and it varied in the

discharged waters of poultry farms within the range

of 0.39–0.74 mg/l (the maximum permissible

concentration for a reservoir is 3 mg/l) on the fifth day

(BOD

), and at the time of salvo discharges of

wastewater it reached 1.5–1.6 g O

/l, i.e. the quality

of the discharged water deteriorated almost twofold

(Table 1).

Table 1: Characteristics of wastewater from poultry farms and river water supplied for irrigation of agricultural crops.

№ Indicators Unit of measurement

PF Uzbekistan

Urtachirchik Parranda

2018 y. 2019 y. 2020 y.

Wastewater from poultr

farms

–

7,3 7,2 7,2 7,1

2 Suspended solids m

/l 430 650 720 580

3 COD m

/l 480 750 800 850

4 BPK

mg/l 1100

390

1500

680

1430

610

1200

760

5 Total nitro

en m

/l 70,7 61,4 56,5 66,4

6 Total phosphorus mg/l 0,2 0,2 0,4 0,6

7 Gross potassium m

/l 14,5 11,1 12,6 23,7

8 Calcium m

/l 58,5 50,0 53,5 69,2

9 Magnesiu

mg/l 68,4 75,6 54,3 30,6

10 Sodiu

/l 21,8 20,9 14,7 37,9

11 Chlorine m

/l 16,7 32,8 22,4 23,6

12 Sulfates mg/l 95,4 99,8 73,2 78,7

13 Bicarbonates m

/l 434,3 410,7 373,5 326,1

River wate

–

7,3 7,5 7,4 7,3

2 Suspended solids m

/l 236,3 208,5 310,6 274,4

3 COD m

/l 23,4 14,3 18,8 28,6

4 BPK

mg/l 960

280

1120

430

1080

390

980

280

5 Total nitro

en m

/l 5,9 4,5 4,0 5,1

6 Total phosphorus mg/l 0,05 0,03 0,04 0,04

7 Gross potassium m

/l 3,3 2,5 2,6 3,5

In terms of nitrogen content, the wastewater is

characterized by high fertilizing value - from 51 to 87

mg/l, the potassium content varied within 10-32 mg/l.

Qualitative assessment of wastewater by the total

concentration of dissolved salts, the content of

chlorides, hydrocarbonates, biogenic elements, toxic

salts, environmental reaction (pH), anion-cation

composition and sodium adsorption coefficient

(SAR) shows that the wastewater of poultry farms is

quite suitable for irrigating corn grown for grain and

silage, winter wheat, alfalfa, combined crops of

alfalfa + oats, corn + soybeans + sunflower without

dilution and in dilutions with river water in ratios of

1: 1 and 1: 2, fodder beet on meadow and sierozem

soils without additional melioration measures (Table

2).

Growth, Development and Productivity of Corn Under Irrigation with Wastewater from Poultry Farms on Meadow Soils of Tashkent Region

347

Table 2: Assessment of the suitability of wastewater from poultry farms for irrigation of forage crops

№ Name of the method and its essence Poultr

farms

Uzbekistan Urtachirchik Parranda

1. According to Budanov:

1) Na : (Ca + Mg) ≤ 0,7

)

Na : Ca ≤ 1

0,09–0,11

0,24

–

0,37

0,27

0,48

2 According to Mozheiko and Vorotnik:

(

К + Na

)

∙ 100 :

(

Ca + M

+ Na

)

≤ 65%

11,87

–

13,47

27,26

3 According to the US Department of

Defense (SAR) method:

Na :



(Ca + Mg) : 2 ≤ 8

0,34–0,46

27,26

4 According to Kelly: Сa ∙100 : (Ca + +

Mg + Na + K) ≥ 35%

24,95

–

32,68

41,50

5 According to Eton:

(

СО

+ НСО

)

–

(

Са + + М

)

< 2,5

1,5

–

2,1

0,68

6 According to Stabler (К > 6)

К = 288 : (rNa + 4rCl)

61,94

–

100

66,0

In addition to the above ingredients, waste and river

water contains a large number of microorganisms that

require careful study when using water for irrigation

of agricultural crops. The results of sanitary and

bacteriological studies indicate that waste water used

for irrigation of agricultural crops was significantly

contaminated according to the studied indicators.

Thus, the titer of E. coli was equal to 10-6, the number

of microbes fluctuated between 48.5 x 106 and 61.6 x

106. At the same time, with each cubic meter of waste

water, from 48.5 x 1012 to 61.6 x 1012

microorganisms entered the field (Juliev et al., 2001).

After purification in artificial structures, these

indicators were respectively equal: the titer of E. coli

- 10-4, the number of microbes in 1 ml of water - from

40.9 x 106 to 52.0 x 106 pcs. River water was

characterized by the following indicators: the number

of microbes in 1 ml of water - from 3.7 x 106 to 4.5 x

106, and the coli titer - 0.0004.

In conclusion, it should be noted that wastewater

from poultry farms is quite suitable for irrigation of

agricultural crops, but the final suitability of

wastewater in terms of mineralization must be

clarified in the process of constant monitoring of the

accumulation of salts in the soil during the cultivation

of agricultural crops.

In addition to the accumulation of salts in the soil,

wastewater also has a fertilizing value, which

depends on the presence of nutrients and beneficial

microorganisms in it. When undergoing purification

at artificial facilities, a significant amount of

nutritional elements is lost; when they are discharged

into open water bodies, thousands of tons of fertilizers

are carried away; they would play a major role in soil

fertility and increasing the yield of cultivated crops.

As a result of the influx of large amounts of

nutrients and beneficial microorganisms during

irrigation of lands with wastewater, microbiological

processes are significantly enhanced, resulting in

improved soil fertility.

In our experiments, wastewater that underwent

mechanical treatment was used for irrigation of corn.

During the water supply, the amount of nutrients

(total nitrogen, phosphorus, and total potassium) was

determined. The data presented in Table 1 show that

the concentration of total nitrogen varied widely and

was from 51.3 to 86.8 mg/l during the irrigation

period, phosphorus was contained in insignificant

quantities – 0.2–0.8 mg/l, and potassium – 10.2–31.8

mg/l. Or: with each 1000 m3 of wastewater, 50–90 kg

of nitrogen, about 1 kg of phosphorus, and 10–32 kg

of potassium per hectare entered the field.

According to the classification of V.T. Dodolina

(1975), the wastewater from the Tashkent Poultry

Farm and the Urtachirchikparranda poultry farm, in

terms of nitrogen content, is classified as wastewater

of medium fertilizing value, and in terms of

potassium and phosphorus content, it is classified as

low.

These nutrients are in a dissolved and accessible

form, getting into the soil, they are easily absorbed by

plants, simultaneously solving the problems of water

and food regime for corn plants. In addition, many

organic substances and microorganisms get into the

soil with waste water, as a result of which

microbiological processes are activated and the

potential and effective fertility of the soil increases.

The calculations performed to determine the

amount of nutrients supplied to the field with

irrigation water showed that when irrigating corn with

wastewater at an irrigation rate of 3650–3900 m3/ha,

179–220 kg of nitrogen and 42–92 kg of potassium

were supplied to each hectare of crops (taking into

account the coefficient that takes into account the loss

I-CRAFT 2024 - 4th International Conference on Research of Agricultural and Food Technologies

348

of nutrients from runoff during irrigation, which is

0.85 for nitrogen and 1 for phosphorus and potassium.

At an irrigation rate of 4400–4650 m3/ha, 218–264

and 51–110 kg per hectare, respectively; under

dilution conditions at an irrigation rate of 3700–3930

m3/ha – 98–122 kg of nitrogen and 16–53 kg of

potassium, and at an irrigation rate of 4550–4620

m3/ha at 118–150 and 31–63 kg per hectare.

phosphorus was supplied with irrigation water in

insignificant quantities.

The use of poultry wastewater for feeder and

vegetation irrigation during winter wheat cultivation

on sierozem soils contributed to the improvement of

plant growth and development, and significantly

increased the yield of grain and straw. If, when

carrying out feeder and vegetation irrigation with

river water, the grain yield on average for 3 years was

45.2 c/ha and straw 56.5 c/ha, in the variant with

feeder irrigation with river water and vegetation

irrigation with wastewater, it was 51.0 and 64.2 c/ha,

respectively. In the variant where feeder irrigation

was carried out with wastewater and vegetation

irrigation with river water, 3.7 c of grain and 7.6 c of

straw were obtained more than in the control variant.

The highest yield – 55.5 c/ha of grain and 70.2 c/ha

of straw was obtained in the variant with feeder and

vegetation irrigation with wastewater. When feeder

irrigation was carried out with river water, and

vegetation irrigation with wastewater diluted with

river water and vegetation irrigation with wastewater,

40.2 c/ha of grain and 50.9 c/ha of straw were

obtained, which is 5.0 and 5.6 c/ha less, respectively,

than in the control variant.

Diluted with river water and undiluted wastewater

from poultry farms, when used for irrigation in

combination with mineral fertilizers on meadow soils,

contributed to obtaining high yields of silage, grain

and air-dry leaf-stem mass of corn. The yield of silage

mass reached 530.6–608.3 and 564.2–641.1 c/ha,

respectively, against 508.4–564.3 c/ha, and grain –

77.8–82.9 and 80.6–86.4 c/ha against 68.6–74.6 c/ha;

air-dry leaf-stem mass – 191.4–208.8 and 204.1–

255.3 c/ha against 182.3–198.4 c/ha in the control

variant.

It has been established that in the hot climate of

Uzbekistan, soils irrigated with wastewater become

clean to standard 10-15 days after irrigation. With

proper organization and implementation of surface

irrigation with wastewater, contamination of above-

ground plant organs and groundwater is completely

eliminated. In case of accidental contamination of

individual parts of plants, they can be considered

clean to standard 10-15 days after irrigation.

4 CONCLUSIONS

Our long-term studies confirm the feasibility and high

efficiency of cleaning and recycling wastewater in

agriculture by using it for irrigation of agricultural

lands, especially in the arid zone of Uzbekistan.

Wastewater from poultry farms is quite suitable for

irrigation of fodder and industrial crops without

additional melioration measures.

When irrigating with wastewater, a significant

amount of nutrients enters the field, which play a

major role in providing plants and improving soil

fertility. It is advisable to use the following

wastewater disposal scheme: sewerage - mechanical

treatment facility - storage ponds - irrigation fields.

Wastewater from poultry farms is quite suitable for

irrigating forage crops used to produce vitamin flour,

haylage, silage, forage, and forage root crops. The

most acceptable option for irrigation is the use of

diluted wastewater with river water in a 1:1 ratio in

combination with mineral fertilizers, since the soil

self-cleaning process occurs on the 15th day after

irrigation. Under the same conditions, for irrigation of

alfalfa in the 2nd and 3rd years of standing, diluted

wastewater from poultry farms with river water in a

1:1 or 1:2 ratio (one part wastewater and 1 or 2 parts

river water). In this case, the irrigation rate should be

set according to the alfalfa's need for water. In this

case, the irrigation scheme is 1-2-2-1. A single

irrigation rate is 900-1100 m3/ha.

On meadow soils with groundwater at a level of

2-2.5 m in the Chirchik-Angren Valley, it is advisable

to use wastewater from poultry farms diluted with

river water in a ratio of 1:1 for irrigation of corn

grown as a second crop after winter crops and the use

of mineral fertilizers (at a rate of N - 180, P

- 100

O - 90 kg / ha). The timing of irrigation should be

determined by the lower threshold of moisture in the

active soil layer of 70-75-65% of the soil's FPV. The

irrigation rate should be within 4.4-4.6 thousand m3 /

ha, inter-irrigation periods of 15-20 days. Vegetation

irrigation should be completed 15-20 days before

harvesting.

Irrigation and irrigation rates for cultivated crops

are determined by their total water consumption, and

irrigation times are determined by the moisture deficit

in the active soil layer. Irrigation rates for silage corn

are calculated at a lower soil moisture threshold of

75–80% of the maximum permissible moisture

content, for grain corn – 70–75–65%. Irrigation rates

in meadow soil conditions should be 3.4–4.0 and 4.4–

4.6 thousand m3/ha, respectively. For forage alfalfa

of the first year of standing with four cuts on meadow

soils, the irrigation scheme should be 1-1-1-1, and for

Growth, Development and Productivity of Corn Under Irrigation with Wastewater from Poultry Farms on Meadow Soils of Tashkent Region

349

alfalfa of the second year and subsequent years with

five and six cuts 0-1-1-1-1 and 0-1-1-1-1-1 with

irrigation rates of 1000–1100 m3/ha and irrigation

rates from 4.0–4.4 to 5.0–5.5 thousand m3/ha.

The irrigation scheme for alfalfa in its first year of

growing on sierozem soils with deep groundwater

should be 1-2-2-1 with irrigation rates of 900–1100

m3/ha and irrigation rates of 5.4–6.6 thousand m

/ha,

and for alfalfa in its second year of growing and

subsequent years – 0-1-2-2-1 with irrigation rates of

1000–1200 m

/ha and irrigation rates of 6.0–7.0

thousand m

/ha.

The irrigation regime for fodder beets consists of

5 irrigations with irrigation rates of 800–1300

thousand m3/ha and irrigation rates of 6.0–7.0

thousand m3/ha.

In conditions of meadow soils with groundwater

at a level of 1.5–1.8 m, after sowing wheat, it is

necessary to carry out feeder irrigation with

wastewater at a rate of 700–730 m

/ha and vegetation

irrigation with wastewater diluted with river water in

a ratio of 1:1 at a rate of 700–850 m

/ha and an

irrigation rate of 3080 (taking into account feeder

irrigation 3810) m

/ha.

Moisture-charging and fertilizing irrigation on gray

soils should be carried out in deep furrows according

to a dead-end scheme at a rate of 800-1000 m

/ha, and

they are stopped 2-3 weeks before sowing.

Monitoring the sanitary and hygienic condition of the

soil when using wastewater for irrigation is carried

out on the 15th day after irrigation. When irrigating

with wastewater, it is necessary to comply with

sanitary and anti-epidemic rules, especially in the first

20 days. When using wastewater for irrigation, the

inter-irrigation periods should be at least 15-20 days

to ensure the normal course of soil self-purification

processes. In case of a delay in the process of soil self-

purification from pathogenic microorganisms,

irrigation should be carried out with river water.

Vegetative irrigation with wastewater is completed

15-20 days before harvesting.

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