Irrigation of vegetables by family farmers: a physical, chemical and microbiological analysis of water

Abstract

Irrigated agriculture provides an increase in productivity in agricultural systems, however, there is a need to observe both the quantity and the quality of the water available, as the quality of the water to be used can make agricultural products and food security unfeasible, leading to contamination and problems in the irrigation system. Water quality indices provide a simple way to analyze and understand the real situation, to take the necessary measures to avoid contamination and losses in the quality of irrigated water in production. Therefore, this work aimed to analyze the main physical-chemical (turbidity, total solids, and pH) and microbiological (thermotolerant coliforms) variables that define the water quality for irrigation of vegetables consumed raw from family farming, the water samples were collected in two replicas on each property. The results of the analyzes were compared with CONAMA Resolution No. 357/05, for Class 1 waters, which are intended for irrigation of vegetables consumed raw. To better characterize the water quality, a Pearson (r) correlation was made to analyze the relationship between the physical parameters. The results obtained showed that, except for pH, the other variables did not present a risk of damage to the irrigation system and the quality of the irrigated water.