Effects of Treated and Untreated Wastewater from Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Leachates on the Nutritional State of Viola spp.: Sodium, Potassium, Calcium, and Magnesium

The scarcity of water for different uses has created a need for using nonconventional water resources, such as wastewater and saline water. Their use could contribute to reduced water resource consumption in arid areas and biosphere contamination. Wastewaters are normally unbalanced solutions rich in sodium (Na+), calcium (Ca2+), magnesium (Mg2+), sulfate (SO4 2−), and chloride (Cl−), which can cause damages to crops, but if they are treated, their quality can increase. The aim of this trial was to study the effects of pure, diluted, sand-filter depurated, and phytodepurated wastewater from municipal solid waste (MSW) leachates, compared with groundwater on the nutritional state of the ornamental plant Viola spp. The experimental design was unifactorial (type of irrigation water). Five treatments were tested: R9.0 [wastewater, electrical conductivity (EC) 9.0 dS m−1], R4.5 (wastewater, EC 4.5 dS m−1), D4.5 (depurated water, EC 4.5 dS m−1), FD4.5 (phytodepurated water, EC 4.5 dS m−1), and P (groundwater, E...