Effects of Different Treated Wastewater Levels on Maize Germinated in Hydroponic Environment

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of different treated wastewater levels on maize germination in a hydroponic system. The experiment was conducted in the plant growth chamber of Bilecik Şeyh Edebali University laboratories using a randomized complete block design. Five irrigation treatments were applied, consisting of treated wastewater levels of 0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%. The results demonstrated that higher levels of treated wastewater (75% and 100%) negatively impacted parameters such as green forage yield, shoot length, and root length. Conversely, the best outcomes were observed at the 25% treated wastewater level, which significantly enhanced plant growth metrics. The highest green fodder yield as 13745.9 g m-2, dry matter yield as 1559.54 g m-2 and plant height as 15.99 cm were obtained from TWW25 subject. These findings indicate that moderate levels of treated wastewater can be effectively utilized in hydroponic systems to optimize maize growth while minimizing potential adverse effects associated with higher wastewater concentrations.