The Effect of Industrial Effluents on Crop Plants: a Review

Environmental pollution poses a great health hazard to human beings, animals and plants. Pollution has also adverse effects on the land, water and its living and nonliving components. Industrial effluents, containing organic and inorganic compounds have strong influence on the development of growth of crop plants. When the concentration of the pollutants in the effluents are low, the agriculture reuse of the treated effluents serve goals such as promoting sustainable agriculture and conservation of the scarce water resources. While, high concentration of the effluents causes many plant growth related problems. Industrial wastewater causes accumulation of heavy metals that are toxic in plants and thus affect the plant growth, seed germination, lower crop yield and human health. The adequate dilution of effluents treatment is therefore needed before the disposal and reuse of wastewaters for irrigation purposes.