Paper · 2025 · Plant Science Today

Integrated use of sewage sludge and chemical fertilizers enhances growth, biochemical traits and stress tolerance in the rice-wheat cropping system

Singh Pavan; Arvind; Aakash; et al.

11
claims
22
verbatim quotes
0
citations
2
research areas
✓
Open access · cc-by

Abstract

Sewage sludge (SSL), historically regarded as an environmental challenge, is increasingly recognized as a nutrient-rich organic amendment with considerable potential for sustainable agricultural use. This study evaluated the combined effects of SSL and chemical fertilizers (CF) on the growth, physiological performance and biochemical characteristics of rice (Oryza sativa L.) and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivated under a rice-wheat cropping system. The experiment, conducted over two consecutive cropping seasons, demonstrated that integrated nutrient management involving SSL and CF significantly improved plant height, tiller number, chlorophyll concentration, protein and starch contents, membrane stability index (MSI) and chlorophyll stability index (CSI). The most pronounced improvements were observed under the treatment comprising 30 t ha-1 SSL in combination with 100 % of the recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF). Furthermore, stress-associated metabolites such as proline, phenolics and malondialdehyde (MDA) were significantly lower under SSL-CF treatments, indicating reduced oxidative and abiotic stress and enhanced physiological resilience. These findings reveal that SSL not only supplies essential nutrients but also enhances physiological efficiency and stress tolerance in cereal crops. Nonetheless, the potential risks associated with heavy metal accumulation underscore the need for systemic monitoring and regulated application strategies. Collectively, the study provides robust evidence that the integration of SSL with CF improves soil fertility, maintains crop productivity and supports environmentally sound nutrient management for long-term agricultural sustainability in intensive cereal-based systems.

Abstract from the paper’s OpenAlex record; open copy licensed cc-by. Read at the source ↗

The text the model read, with the source record’s inline markup (italics, sub- and superscripts) rendered and its character entities decoded; quote offsets refer to the raw text.

Claims 11

Intervention effectobservedoriginal resultpositivesignificant (as stated)measured

Claim · model-written summary

Integrated sewage sludge and chemical fertilizer management significantly improved plant height and tiller number in rice.

Treatment
integrated nutrient management involving SSL and CFe1
Outcome
plant height, tiller numbere1
Direction
improvede1

Not reportedComparator

Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Oryza sativa
Oryza sativa · Taxon · picture from its Wikimedia Commons categoryDesmanthus4food · CC BY-SA 3.0 us · Wikimedia Commons ↗

Verbatim

e0

“rice (Oryza sativa L.) and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 355–410 · show in text ↑
e1

“integrated nutrient management involving SSL and CF significantly improved plant height, tiller number, chlorophyll concentration, protein and starch contents, membrane stability index (MSI) and chlorophyll stability index (CSI)”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 541–769 · show in text ↑
Intervention effectobservedoriginal resultpositivesignificant (as stated)measured

Claim · model-written summary

Integrated sewage sludge and chemical fertilizer management significantly improved chlorophyll concentration, protein and starch contents in rice.

Treatment
integrated nutrient management involving SSL and CFe1
Outcome
chlorophyll concentration, protein and starch contentse1
Direction
improvede1

Not reportedComparator

Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Oryza sativa
Oryza sativa · Taxon · picture from its Wikimedia Commons categoryDesmanthus4food · CC BY-SA 3.0 us · Wikimedia Commons ↗

Verbatim

e0

“rice (Oryza sativa L.) and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 355–410 · show in text ↑
e1

“integrated nutrient management involving SSL and CF significantly improved plant height, tiller number, chlorophyll concentration, protein and starch contents, membrane stability index (MSI) and chlorophyll stability index (CSI)”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 541–769 · show in text ↑
Intervention effectobservedoriginal resultpositivesignificant (as stated)measured

Claim · model-written summary

Integrated sewage sludge and chemical fertilizer management significantly improved membrane stability index and chlorophyll stability index in rice.

Treatment
integrated nutrient management involving SSL and CFe1
Outcome
membrane stability index (MSI) and chlorophyll stability index (CSI)e1
Direction
improvede1

Not reportedComparator

Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Oryza sativa
Oryza sativa · Taxon · picture from its Wikimedia Commons categoryDesmanthus4food · CC BY-SA 3.0 us · Wikimedia Commons ↗

Verbatim

e0

“rice (Oryza sativa L.) and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 355–410 · show in text ↑
e1

“integrated nutrient management involving SSL and CF significantly improved plant height, tiller number, chlorophyll concentration, protein and starch contents, membrane stability index (MSI) and chlorophyll stability index (CSI)”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 541–769 · show in text ↑
Intervention effectobservedoriginal resultpositivesignificant (as stated)measured

Claim · model-written summary

Integrated sewage sludge and chemical fertilizer management significantly improved plant height and tiller number in wheat.

Treatment
integrated nutrient management involving SSL and CFe1
Outcome
plant height, tiller numbere1
Direction
improvede1

Not reportedComparator

Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Triticum aestivum
Triticum aestivum · TaxonRasbak · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons ↗

Verbatim

e0

“rice (Oryza sativa L.) and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 355–410 · show in text ↑
e1

“integrated nutrient management involving SSL and CF significantly improved plant height, tiller number, chlorophyll concentration, protein and starch contents, membrane stability index (MSI) and chlorophyll stability index (CSI)”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 541–769 · show in text ↑
Intervention effectobservedoriginal resultpositivesignificant (as stated)measured

Claim · model-written summary

Integrated sewage sludge and chemical fertilizer management significantly improved chlorophyll concentration, protein and starch contents in wheat.

Treatment
integrated nutrient management involving SSL and CFe1
Outcome
chlorophyll concentration, protein and starch contentse1
Direction
improvede1

Not reportedComparator

Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Triticum aestivum
Triticum aestivum · TaxonRasbak · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons ↗

Verbatim

e0

“rice (Oryza sativa L.) and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 355–410 · show in text ↑
e1

“integrated nutrient management involving SSL and CF significantly improved plant height, tiller number, chlorophyll concentration, protein and starch contents, membrane stability index (MSI) and chlorophyll stability index (CSI)”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 541–769 · show in text ↑
Intervention effectobservedoriginal resultpositivesignificant (as stated)measured

Claim · model-written summary

Integrated sewage sludge and chemical fertilizer management significantly improved membrane stability index and chlorophyll stability index in wheat.

Treatment
integrated nutrient management involving SSL and CFe1
Outcome
membrane stability index (MSI) and chlorophyll stability index (CSI)e1
Direction
improvede1

Not reportedComparator

Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Triticum aestivum
Triticum aestivum · TaxonRasbak · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons ↗

Verbatim

e0

“rice (Oryza sativa L.) and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 355–410 · show in text ↑
e1

“integrated nutrient management involving SSL and CF significantly improved plant height, tiller number, chlorophyll concentration, protein and starch contents, membrane stability index (MSI) and chlorophyll stability index (CSI)”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 541–769 · show in text ↑
Intervention effectobservedoriginal resultpositivemeasured

Claim · model-written summary

The most pronounced improvements in rice occurred under 30 t ha-1 SSL combined with 100 % of the recommended fertilizer dose.

Treatment
30 t ha-1 SSL in combination with 100 % of the recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF)e2
Outcome
improvementse2
Direction
most pronouncede2

Not reportedComparator

Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Oryza sativa
Oryza sativa · Taxon · picture from its Wikimedia Commons categoryDesmanthus4food · CC BY-SA 3.0 us · Wikimedia Commons ↗

Verbatim

e0

“rice (Oryza sativa L.) and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 355–410 · show in text ↑
e2

“The most pronounced improvements were observed under the treatment comprising 30 t ha-1 SSL in combination with 100 % of the recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF)”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 771–932 · show in text ↑
Intervention effectobservedoriginal resultpositivemeasured

Claim · model-written summary

The most pronounced improvements in wheat occurred under 30 t ha-1 SSL combined with 100 % of the recommended fertilizer dose.

Treatment
30 t ha-1 SSL in combination with 100 % of the recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF)e2
Outcome
improvementse2
Direction
most pronouncede2

Not reportedComparator

Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Triticum aestivum
Triticum aestivum · TaxonRasbak · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons ↗

Verbatim

e0

“rice (Oryza sativa L.) and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 355–410 · show in text ↑
e2

“The most pronounced improvements were observed under the treatment comprising 30 t ha-1 SSL in combination with 100 % of the recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF)”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 771–932 · show in text ↑
Intervention effectobservedoriginal resultpositivesignificant (as stated)measured

Claim · model-written summary

Sewage sludge with chemical fertilizer treatments significantly lowered proline, phenolics and malondialdehyde in rice.

Treatment
SSL-CF treatmentse3
Outcome
proline, phenolics and malondialdehyde (MDA)e3
Direction
lowere3

Not reportedComparator

Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Oryza sativa
Oryza sativa · Taxon · picture from its Wikimedia Commons categoryDesmanthus4food · CC BY-SA 3.0 us · Wikimedia Commons ↗

Verbatim

e0

“rice (Oryza sativa L.) and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 355–410 · show in text ↑
e3

“stress-associated metabolites such as proline, phenolics and malondialdehyde (MDA) were significantly lower under SSL-CF treatments”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 947–1078 · show in text ↑
Intervention effectobservedoriginal resultpositivesignificant (as stated)measured

Claim · model-written summary

Sewage sludge with chemical fertilizer treatments significantly lowered proline, phenolics and malondialdehyde in wheat.

Treatment
SSL-CF treatmentse3
Outcome
proline, phenolics and malondialdehyde (MDA)e3
Direction
lowere3

Not reportedComparator

Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Triticum aestivum
Triticum aestivum · TaxonRasbak · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons ↗

Verbatim

e0

“rice (Oryza sativa L.) and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 355–410 · show in text ↑
e3

“stress-associated metabolites such as proline, phenolics and malondialdehyde (MDA) were significantly lower under SSL-CF treatments”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 947–1078 · show in text ↑
Recommendationauthor interpretationoriginal resultbasis n/a

Claim · model-written summary

Heavy metal accumulation risks call for systemic monitoring and regulated application of sewage sludge in cereal crops.

Taxon
cereal cropse5
Outcome
systemic monitoring and regulated application strategiese4

Verbatim

e4

“the potential risks associated with heavy metal accumulation underscore the need for systemic monitoring and regulated application strategies”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 1330–1471 · show in text ↑
e5

“enhances physiological efficiency and stress tolerance in cereal crops”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 1245–1315 · show in text ↑

organic · physiology: oxidative · Oryza sativa (rice)Positive and negative results

2 papers: 1 positive, 1 negative or no effect

1 in the opposite direction

  1. negative
See all 2 papers →

organic · physiology: pigments · Triticum aestivum (wheat)Positive and negative results

11 papers: 10 positive, 1 negative or no effect

9 papers in the same direction as this paper · 1 in the opposite direction

  1. negative
  2. positive
  3. positive

7 papers more in this group

See all 11 papers →

fertilization · physiology: oxidative · Oryza sativa (rice)Positive and negative results

20 papers: 18 positive, 2 negative or no effect

17 papers in the same direction as this paper · 2 in the opposite direction

  1. negative
  2. negative
  3. positive

16 papers more in this group

See all 20 papers →

fertilization · physiology: oxidative · Triticum aestivum (wheat)Positive and negative results

33 papers: 32 positive, 1 negative or no effect

31 papers in the same direction as this paper · 1 in the opposite direction

  1. negative
  2. positive
  3. positive

29 papers more in this group

See all 33 papers →

fertilization · physiology: pigments · Oryza sativa (rice)Positive and negative results

124 papers: 115 positive, 9 negative or no effect

114 papers in the same direction as this paper · 7 in the opposite direction · 2 reporting no difference from an alternative

  1. no effect
  2. no effect
  3. negative

120 papers more in this group

See all 124 papers →

fertilization · physiology: pigments · Triticum aestivum (wheat)Positive and negative results

134 papers: 123 positive, 11 negative or no effect

122 papers in the same direction as this paper · 8 in the opposite direction · 3 reporting no difference from an alternative

  1. negative
  2. no effect
  3. negative

130 papers more in this group

See all 134 papers →

organic · yield · Triticum aestivum (wheat)Positive and negative results

322 papers: 281 positive, 41 negative or no effect

280 papers in the same direction as this paper · 35 in the opposite direction · 6 reporting no difference from an alternative

  1. no effect
  2. negative
  3. negative

318 papers more in this group

See all 322 papers →

organic · yield · Oryza sativa (rice)Positive and negative results

327 papers: 279 positive, 48 negative or no effect

278 papers in the same direction as this paper · 37 in the opposite direction · 11 reporting no difference from an alternative

  1. negative
  2. negative
  3. no effect

323 papers more in this group

See all 327 papers →

8 of 12 groups shown: named compounds and organisms first, then groups whose results differ (checked claim by claim), then those with positive and negative results, then the smaller groups.

Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.