1 Effects of Phosphate-rock Mining Wastewater Fertigation on Chickpea (Cicer arietinum) Cultivation and Soil Microbial Diversity

1 Effects of Phosphate-rock Mining Wastewater Fertigation on Chickpea (Cicer arietinum) Cultivation and Soil Microbial Diversity | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article 1 Effects of Phosphate-rock Mining Wastewater Fertigation on Chickpea (Cicer arietinum) Cultivation and Soil Microbial Diversity Imran Hammami, Nouha Ferchichi, Wael Toukebri, Wissal M’sehli, and 6 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3976007/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 28 Oct, 2024 Read the published version in International Journal of Environmental Research → Version 1 posted 5 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The conventional intensive use of chemical fertilizers poses significant threats to agro-ecosystem sustainability, leading to soil deterioration and environmental pollution. This study explores the potential of utilizing phosphate-rock mining wastewater (MWw) as a sustainable alternative for fertigation in chickpea cultivation. The investigation, conducted under both greenhouse and field conditions, evaluates the impact of raw and diluted MWw on chickpea growth, yield, and soil microbial diversity. In greenhouse experiments, chickpea plants subjected to MWw fertigation exhibited enhanced root and shoot growth, increased seed and pod production, and improved chlorophyll content. The inclusion of the Mesorhizobium mediterraneum strain "C11" further augmented these positive effects. Principal component analysis revealed a clear positive influence of MWw and inoculation on chickpea yield. Field trials conducted in a semi-arid region demonstrated that MWw fertigation significantly increased shoot dry weight, with variations observed between chickpea cultivars. Meta-genomic analysis of soil microbial communities indicated a substantial impact of fertigation on bacterial phyla composition, particularly an increase in Proteobacteria abundance. The induced and inhibited bacterial spectra highlighted the influence of MWw on specific bacterial families, including Rhodanobacteraceae and Dongiaceae. The MWw used in the study exhibited slightly alkaline pH and contained essential micronutrients. The study emphasizes the potential of MWw, combined with microbial inoculation, as a sustainable source of water and nutrients for chickpea cultivation. The positive effects on plant growth and soil microbial diversity suggest that MWw fertigation could contribute to more environmentally friendly agricultural practices. Overall, this research provides valuable insights into utilizing phosphate-rich wastewater for sustainable agriculture, particularly in regions facing water scarcity and environmental challenges. Phosphate-rock Mining wastewater C. arietinum Metagenomic Figures Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5 Figure 6 Full Text Supplementary Files Highlights.pdf Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 28 Oct, 2024 Read the published version in International Journal of Environmental Research → Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Major revisions 12 Jul, 2024 Reviewers agreed at journal 22 Mar, 2024 Reviewers invited by journal 23 Feb, 2024 Editor assigned by journal 21 Feb, 2024 First submitted to journal 20 Feb, 2024 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-3976007","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":274629725,"identity":"9dcd3666-0b6a-43e3-89d5-cca2b2f808e9","order_by":0,"name":"Imran 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14:52:06","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-3976007/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-3976007/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[{"content":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s41742-024-00679-2","type":"published","date":"2024-10-28T16:20:23+00:00"}],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":51708646,"identity":"f188d7dc-6b50-4444-81cc-07ebb6e0d847","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-02-27 17:13:41","extension":"jpg","order_by":1,"title":"Figure 1","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":278083,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eEffect of fertigation and inoculation alone or combined on: (A) Root weight, (B) Root length and (C) Shoot weight. PWD: Diluted mining wastewater; RPW: Raw mining wastewater; TSP: Triple superphosphate.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"Fig1.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-3976007/v1/11de6a13b2f742c1ec444da2.jpg"},{"id":51708647,"identity":"5a38406e-9d35-4bc0-9286-2fa50417b260","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-02-27 17:13:41","extension":"jpg","order_by":2,"title":"Figure 2","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":319737,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eEffect of fertigation and inoculation alone or combined on: (A) Seed weight, (B) Seed number and (C) Pod weight. PWD: Diluted mining wastewater; RPW: Raw mining wastewater; TSP: Triple superphosphate.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"Fig2.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-3976007/v1/f9549b320de5e6cf5a7d1acb.jpg"},{"id":51708649,"identity":"0172a824-c1f9-44e5-9bda-f23e862afaba","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-02-27 17:13:41","extension":"jpg","order_by":3,"title":"Figure 3","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":376431,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003ePrincipal component analysis; (A) Correlations between original variables and principal components, (B) Position of the original variables in relation to their correlation with axes and projection of cloud points representing the treatments in the plane formed by the axes Dim 1 and Dim 2.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"Fig3.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-3976007/v1/d03204aa039a40521abaa044.jpg"},{"id":51708648,"identity":"3e2d0fe9-e976-46d9-ae57-40beb94d6fca","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-02-27 17:13:41","extension":"jpg","order_by":4,"title":"Figure 4","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":178281,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eFertigation effect on two chickpea varieties, BOCHRA and RABHA, under field conditions. (A) Fertigation effect on Nodular cluster; (B) Fertigation effect on shoot dry weight (SDW); (C) Fertigation effect an branch number. NP: non-fertigated plots; P: fertigated plots. Treatment boxplot followed by different letters are significantly different (Tukey method, p \u0026lt; 0.05).\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"Fig4.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-3976007/v1/0b5b46766416c36d4d89678f.jpg"},{"id":51708650,"identity":"96d02bd1-0d4d-4887-90a1-0095d9abf2db","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-02-27 17:13:41","extension":"jpg","order_by":5,"title":"Figure 5","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":501951,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eMetagenomic analysis of the fertigation effect on the soil microbial diversity. The alpha diversity was determined at OTU level: (A) Observed richness; (B) Shannon index. (c) the microbial community composition was examined at phylum level based on 16S rRNA gene profiling. (D) Venn diagram of the different bacterial families among fertigated and not fertigated soils, the number and the percentage designate the number and the percentage of families hits in each category.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"Fig5.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-3976007/v1/215da69193d6f4dabcb6ba78.jpg"},{"id":51708652,"identity":"a5c3e49d-a3c4-4ad0-883b-ee1e02839698","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-02-27 17:13:41","extension":"jpg","order_by":6,"title":"Figure 6","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":603543,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eKrona plot representing an overview of bacterial sequencing identified by MiSeq\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003einstrument (Illumina, San Diego, CA) using 300-bp paired-end mode. Taxonomy nodes are shown as nested sectors arranged from the top level of the hierarchy at the center and progressing outward. (A) induced bacteria by fertigation application; (B) inhibited bacteria by fertigation application.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"Fig6AB.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-3976007/v1/b4042c9fa2a52254775b2665.jpg"},{"id":68207284,"identity":"b28e2c6c-8c69-4b7b-b08c-d53cad60f91b","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-11-04 16:36:28","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":2574212,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"PhosphatRockWastewater.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-3976007/v1_covered_5b73c553-8940-465a-8824-e0b6487894c3.pdf"},{"id":51708651,"identity":"2ce5e964-01f6-4fda-8fcb-7b3e571b63a4","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-02-27 17:13:41","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":21671,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Highlights.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-3976007/v1/be9f1e64cd2ad7b1e1cec52f.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"","formattedTitle":"1 Effects of Phosphate-rock Mining Wastewater Fertigation on Chickpea (Cicer arietinum) Cultivation and Soil Microbial Diversity","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":true,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":true,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"international-journal-of-environmental-research","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"IJER","sideBox":"Learn more about [International Journal of Environmental Research](https://www.springer.com/journal/41742)","snPcode":"41742","submissionUrl":"https://www.editorialmanager.com/ijer/default2.asp...\n","title":"International Journal of Environmental Research","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false},"keywords":"Phosphate-rock, Mining wastewater, C. arietinum, Metagenomic","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-3976007/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-3976007/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"The conventional intensive use of chemical fertilizers poses significant threats to agro-ecosystem sustainability, leading to soil deterioration and environmental pollution. This study explores the potential of utilizing phosphate-rock mining wastewater (MWw) as a sustainable alternative for fertigation in chickpea cultivation. The investigation, conducted under both greenhouse and field conditions, evaluates the impact of raw and diluted MWw on chickpea growth, yield, and soil microbial diversity. In greenhouse experiments, chickpea plants subjected to MWw fertigation exhibited enhanced root and shoot growth, increased seed and pod production, and improved chlorophyll content. The inclusion of the Mesorhizobium mediterraneum strain \"C11\" further augmented these positive effects. Principal component analysis revealed a clear positive influence of MWw and inoculation on chickpea yield. Field trials conducted in a semi-arid region demonstrated that MWw fertigation significantly increased shoot dry weight, with variations observed between chickpea cultivars. Meta-genomic analysis of soil microbial communities indicated a substantial impact of fertigation on bacterial phyla composition, particularly an increase in Proteobacteria abundance. The induced and inhibited bacterial spectra highlighted the influence of MWw on specific bacterial families, including Rhodanobacteraceae and Dongiaceae. The MWw used in the study exhibited slightly alkaline pH and contained essential micronutrients. The study emphasizes the potential of MWw, combined with microbial inoculation, as a sustainable source of water and nutrients for chickpea cultivation. The positive effects on plant growth and soil microbial diversity suggest that MWw fertigation could contribute to more environmentally friendly agricultural practices. Overall, this research provides valuable insights into utilizing phosphate-rich wastewater for sustainable agriculture, particularly in regions facing water scarcity and environmental challenges.","manuscriptTitle":"1 Effects of Phosphate-rock Mining Wastewater Fertigation on Chickpea (Cicer arietinum) Cultivation and Soil Microbial Diversity","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2024-02-27 17:13:36","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-3976007/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"decision","content":"Major revisions","date":"2024-07-12T10:34:32+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"","date":"2024-03-22T14:56:24+00:00","index":0,"fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2024-02-23T06:26:02+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2024-02-21T12:54:47+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"International Journal of Environmental Research","date":"2024-02-20T07:39:27+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"international-journal-of-environmental-research","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"IJER","sideBox":"Learn more about [International Journal of Environmental Research](https://www.springer.com/journal/41742)","snPcode":"41742","submissionUrl":"https://www.editorialmanager.com/ijer/default2.asp...\n","title":"International Journal of Environmental Research","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"329b7cf8-64f5-439f-a4df-85b81559a9e6","owner":[],"postedDate":"February 27th, 2024","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"published-in-journal","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2024-11-04T16:27:48+00:00","versionOfRecord":{"articleIdentity":"rs-3976007","link":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s41742-024-00679-2","journal":{"identity":"international-journal-of-environmental-research","isVorOnly":false,"title":"International Journal of Environmental Research"},"publishedOn":"2024-10-28 16:20:23","publishedOnDateReadable":"October 28th, 2024"},"versionCreatedAt":"2024-02-27 17:13:36","video":"","vorDoi":"10.1007/s41742-024-00679-2","vorDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s41742-024-00679-2","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-3976007","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-3976007","identity":"rs-3976007","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"FbvkV6FR0MCFSLy54lSbu","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}