A Study on the Potential of Improving the Water Quality of the Agricultural Drainage Lake in Brak Agricultural Project Using Magnetized Water Technology and its Reuse for Irrigation Agricultural Crops

Abstract

This study was conducted to investigate the possibility of improving the water quality of the agricultural drainage lake in the Brak Agricultural Project using magnetized water technology, with the aim of enhancing its quality and exploring its potential use in crop development. The properties of the drainage water were compared before and after treatment, and water collected from five wells within the agricultural project was used as a control. The results of this study showed a significant improvement in the quality of lake water after treatment. The electrical conductivity (EC) decreased from (7.54 ds/m) to (7.23 ds/m), total dissolved salts decreased from (4825.6 mg/L) to (4627.2 mg/L), calcium decreased from (2.52 meq/l) to (2.16 meq/l), sodium decreased from (3.65 meq/l) to (3.28 meq/l), chloride decreased from (47.9 meq/l) to (44 meq/l), potassium decreased from (4.32 meq/l) to (4.16 meq/l), boron decreased from (0.14 mg/L) to (0.12 mg/L). The concentration of sodium was 0.0276 meq/L, while there was no change in magnesium concentrations (2.56 meq/L), and no increase in pH concentrations (8) - (8.3). Mechanical analysis of the soil sample revealed the following: sand content: 94.02%, clay : 3.98%, and silt content: 2%. The study also showed that the highest sodium accumulation in the soil was in the pre-treated lake water irrigated soil (5.47 meq/L), due to the high sodium concentration. The study also demonstrated improved plant growth after treatment. The stems of plants irrigated with well water showed progressive growth at a rate of 1-2 cm per week. The stems of plants irrigated with pre-treated lake water exhibited the highest reading after treatment (9.92 cm) and the lowest reading before treatment (2.83 cm). By the eighth week, all irrigated plants had died. While maize irrigated with pre-treated lake water showed progressive growth until the eighth week, maize irrigated with post-treated lake water continued to grow until harvest. The study demonstrated a significant improvement in both fresh and dry weight of maize plants irrigated with pre-treated lake water (0.82 g) and post-treated lake water (1.66 g), representing a 102% increase. Similarly, maize plants showed a significant increase in height (2.15 cm before treatment and 9.92 cm after treatment). Furthermore, maize plants exhibited better resistance to salt stress and more uniform growth compared to maize. The study concluded that magnetised water irrigation can be used as one of the most valuable modern technologies, contributing to water conservation, improved productivity, and the irrigation of sandy desert soils. It also suggests that this environmentally friendly technology offers promising benefits for soil and agricultural improvement under arid conditions.