• ZAFAR IQBAL KHAN

• KAFEEL AHMAD

• KHALID NAWAZ

• MUHAMMAD NADEEM

• ASMA ASHFAQ

• BABAR MUNIR

• HAFSA MEMOONA

• MADIHA SANA

• FARZANA SHAHEEN

• NAUNAIN MEHMOOD

• HIRA MUQADAS

• MAHPARA SHEZADI

• HUMAYUN BASHIR

• IJAZ RASOOL NOORKA

• MUDASRA MUNIR

• ILKER UGULU

• YUNUS DOGAN

Abstract

Concentrations of heavy metals such as manganese, zinc, lead and nickel in the environment are currently increasing, mainly due to human activities. Zinc is essential element for several biochemical processes in plants. Any of these metals, at high concentrations in soil, can cause severe damage to physiological and biochemical activities of plants. Scarcity of fresh water in agricultural area enforced farmers to use industrial effluent and domestic wastewater for irrigation purpose. Ramzan sugar mill industry located at Chiniot discharges high amount of effluent which is used by farmers for irrigation purpose. Current experiment was conducted in Sargodha, Punjab, Pakistan to assess the level of different heavy metals such as Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn in wheat variety (Chagi-4) irrigated with varying quantity of sugar industry effluent. The water, soil and wheat grain samples were analyzed for heavy metals by Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer. Concentrations of Mn (0.29- 0.61), Ni (0.79-1.02), and Pb (0.01-0.42) mg/L in water samples were higher than the permissible limit of Mn (0.2), Ni (0.20), and Pb (0.1) mg/L given by FAO, while value (mg/L) of Zn (0.61-0.80 mg/L) was within the acceptable limit recommended for irrigation. In grain samples, values of all heavy metals such as Mn (0.18-0.75), Ni (0.32-0.77), and Zn (0.52-0.98) mg/kg were within acceptable range of Mn (500), Ni (67), Zn (99.4 mg/kg) suggested by FAO/WHO except for Pb whose concentration (0.19-0.83) mg/kg exceeded the permissible limit (0.3 mg/kg) given by FAO/WHO. The values of all heavy metals in water were beyond the acceptable limit but in wheat grains concentrations of heavy metals were within acceptable limit except for Pb, which indicate the lesser transfer of these metals from soil to the wheat plant. The analysis reveals that regular monitoring of sugar industry effluent is necessary to prevent the excessive buildup of metals in food chain which has broader implications in sustainable agricultural water management.

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