Environmental Assessment of Rice Grains (Oryza sativa L.) Depending on Cultivars and Quality of Irrigation Water

Abstract

The main goal of our study was to determine the environmental feasibility of growing rice varieties under conditions of irrigation using water of different qualities that were obtained by mixing rice systems effluents with pure water from the Dnipro River, and conclude whether or not the effluents are suitable for crop irrigation after previous amelioration, and to determine the level of quality and ecological danger of rice grains for further processing. Field experiments were conducted from 2012 to 2015 at the rice checks of the Institute of Rice at the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences (NAAS) of Ukraine. We studied the effect of mixed water containing 25% of the effluent and drainage water diluted with the pure water of the Dnipro River on the quality indices (content of protein, fat, starch) and the content of heavy metals, residues of pesticides, and nitrates of different rice cultivars, such as Prestyzh, Serpnevyi, Ontario, and Vikont. The results of the study proved the possibility of reuse of the mixed effluent and drainage water for the irrigation of rice. We recommend reuse of the effluent and drainage water for the irrigation of rice in the check systems, which will not affect the yield nor quality of rice grains and related crops, and will provide a high economic effect, ecological balance of the water resources of the Black Sea, and will become a guarantor of quality recreation of people in the recreational zone.