Toxicity of landfill leachate with <i>Solanum lycopersicum</i>

This study aimed to analyse the landfill leachate toxic potential. In natura leachate and pond leachate (L1) samples were collected to carry out not only phytotoxicity tests on Solanum lycopersicum to evaluate the relative seed germination (RSG), the relative root growth (RRG) and the germination index (GI), seeds, but also the pH and total ammoniacal nitrogen (TAN) analysis. The leachate pH presented values above 7, inducing a greater dissolved substances load. The high TAN levels (mean values of 1,526.00 mgNL-1 in natura effluent and 888.30 mgNL-1 in L1), contributed to greater toxicity, reducing the relative tomato seed germination (RSG-T), indicating a highly phytotoxic leachate. There was a reduction in the relative tomato root growth (RRG-T), which ranged from moderately phytotoxic to phytotoxic. There was no statistically significant difference between the phytotoxicity of the in natura leachate and that from L1. The leachate treatment was not enough to adapt the effluent to the standards required by the Brazilian legislation, as well as to remove its toxic components.