EFFECT OF LEATHER INDUSTRIAL EFFLUENT ON THE GERMINATION AND SEEDLING GROWTH OF SELECTED MEDICINAL PLANTS

Abstract

This study evaluated the effect of leather industrial wastewater on the germination and seedling development of three medicinal plants. Andrographis paniculata, Emilia sonchifolia and Tridax procumbens are the medicinal plants that were selected for this study. Leather tanning includes different procedures which required large quantities of water so the amount of wastewater production by this industry is dangerously high. Different steps in the tanning process like liming and chrome tanning and rechromming produce an immense amount of effluent water which contains many hazardous chemicals. the chemical contents present in the tanning industrial effluent is potential to cause a serious threat to the ecosystem. The current study is aimed to evaluate the effect of leather industrial effluents on the germination and seedling development of three selected medicinal plants. Before the germination experiment, the effluent sample collected from a leather industry located at Pullepady, Kochi Eranakulam. Kerala, India was analyzed for different chemical and physical parameters. After the analysis of effluent water, it was used to conduct a seed germination experiment on 3 test plants. The concentrations of effluent used were 10%, 20%, 40%, 60%, 80% and 100% distilled water was used as control after 7 days of germination treatment germination percentage, Vigour index, and Phytotoxicity were calculated. The study reveals that even at the lowest concentration effluent sample adversely affects all three selected medicinal plants, and the negative effects intensified as the concentration of the effluent sample increases. At 100 % concentrations, all three test plants failed to germinate. Emilia sonchifolia is found to be most sensitive to tanning industrial effluent compared to Andrographis paniculata and Tridax procumbens.