Abstract:
Periodic removal of sediment from aquaculture ponds is practiced to maintain their productivity
and animal welfare. The recovery of sediment as a plant fertilizer could alleviate the costs
of sediment removal. The objective of this study was to test the effects of a dried sediment, extracted
from an aquaculture pond used for common carp cultivation, on the growth and physiology of potted
wheat grass and the quality of the juice obtained from wheat grass. The results showed that sediment
application did not produce significant morphological changes, although the values for plant height
(16.94–19.22 cm), leaf area (19.67–139.21 mm2), and biomass (3.39–4.26 g/plant) were higher in
sediment-grown plants. However, at a physiological level, the effect was negative, decreasing photosynthesis
(0.82–1.66 mol CO2 m2s1), fluorescence FPSII (0.737–0.782), and chlorophyll content
(1.40–1.83 CCI). The juice yield was reduced in the sediment treatments (46–58 g/100 g), while the
quality was improved by increasing the content of phenols (2.55–3.39 g/mL gallic acid equivalent),
flavonoids (1.41–1.85 g/mL quercetin equivalent), and antioxidant activity (47.99–62.7% inhibition
of; 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl). The positive results obtained in this study can be attributed to the
moderate nutrient content of the sediment and a negligible concentration of heavy metals.
