STUDIES ON THE EFFECTS OF BREWERY EFFLUENT ON THE GROWTH OF Pistia stratiotes Linn. (ARACEAE)

ABSTRACT

This study was conducted to assess the effect of brewery effluents on the growth of Pistia stratiotes Linn. The study was carried out ex situ, using planting bowls, the effluents was gotten directly from the point of discharge at Ikpoba river, then the effluents was diluted with different volumes of river water gotten upstream to get the various treatments (0, 10, 25, 50 and 100 %) concentration of brewery effluents, after which the test plant was transplanted into the growth medium, the growth parameters evaluated includes the chlorophyll content index, leaf number and longest root, the physicochemical parameters of the effluents was also evaluated intervals of 3 days after the first day of the experiment. The results showed that chlorophyll content of the plants in different concentration of brewery effluents ranged between (10.50 - 17.50 CCI), the leaf number count on the first day of the experiment and the average leaf number for all the concentration was 4 leaves, at the end of the experiment the control treatment showed the highest leaf number (13 leaves). The plants grown on the 100 % effluents concentration died due to the stress. The study revealed the impacts of brewery effluent on the growth parameters of P. stratiotes, it was observed that brewery effluents contains essential nutrients that when they are available at optimal concentration (50 %) they stimulates the positive growth of plant growth index like leaf number, chlorophyll content of the plants, and maximum root lengths. There is a need for remediation measures to ensure the reduced concentration of effluents that are being discarded into Rivers and the environments at large to prevent both environmental and health related problem and subsequently to reduce the present physicochemical parameters to be within safe limits.