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Abstract
This study was conducted to investigate microbial organisms that can be used for preventing clogging in drip irrigation systems caused by
biological factors. A total of 25 fungi isolate and 121 bacterial strains were isolated from water samples collected from drip irrigation systems
in tomato greenhouses in the eastern Anatolia region of Turkey in the spring season of 2001. Biological clogging of emitters in a model drip
irrigation system was experimentally caused by application of the microorganisms (fungi and bacteria) isolated in the study. Three
antagonistic bacterial strains in the genus Bacillus spp (ERZ, OSU-142) and Burkholdria spp (OSU-7) were used for treatment of biological
clogging of the emitters. The results showed that the antagonistic bacterial strains tested have the potential to be used as anti-clogging agents
for treatment of emitters in drip irrigation system. This is the first study that demonstrated that antagonistic microorganisms can be utilized
for treatment of clogging in drip irrigation systems.
q 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Biological treatment; Drip irrigation; Emitters; Antagonistic bacteria; Anti-clogging agent
Brenes, 2001). Calcium hypochlorite, sodium hypochlor- 2.2. Evaluation of antagonistic bacterial strains
ite, and particularly chlorine are the most common and against microflora of drip irrigation system
inexpensive treatments for bacterial slimes and for
inhibition of bacterial growth in drip irrigation systems Three bacterial strains (Bacillus OSU-142, Bacillus ERZ
(Howell et al., 1983; Evans, 2000; ASAE Standards, and Burkholdria OSU-7) determined to exhibit strong
2001). However, continuous chlorination would increase antagonistic activity in previous studies (Kotan et al.,
total dissolved solids in the irrigation water and would 1999; Eşitken et al., 2002; Kotan and Şahin, 2002) were
contribute to increased soil salinity (Hills et al., 2000). tested against each of the fungi isolates and bacterial strains
These problems have forced scientists to find an isolated in the present study according to the in-vitro tests
environmentally friendly method for treatment of bio- described previously (Kotan and Şahin, 2002). All of the
logical clogging. Some of the microorganisms have been three bacterial strains were found to have the potential to be
previously reported to be antagonistic and have been used in the treatment of biologically clogged emitters in drip
used for biological control of pathogenic microorganisms irrigation systems.
in agricultural crop production (Eşitken et al., 2002;
Kotan and Şahin, 2002). They may be useful for
development of an alternative method of controlling 2.3. Preparation of bacterial suspension
biological clogging of emitters in drip irrigation systems. for biological treatment
However, there has been no attempt to study the
development and application of biological methods for All three antagonistic bacterial strains (Bacillus
treatment of emitter clogging. Therefore, the objectives OSU-142, Bacillus ERZ and Burkholdria OSU-7) were
of this study were: (1) to identify potential microorgan- grown on nutrient agar. A single colony from each culture
isms with antimicrobial activity on the microbial flora was transferred to a 500-mL flask containing nutrient broth
isolated from drip irrigation systems and (2) to develop a (NB), and grown aerobically in the flask on a rotating shaker
biological method for treatment of biologically clogged (150 rpm) overnight at 30 8C. The nutrient broth with
emitters in drip irrigation systems. bacterial growth was then diluted in sterile distilled water
containing 0.025% Tween 20 to a final concentration of 109
CFU/mL, and used for biological treatment of biologically
clogged emitters in a drip irrigation system.
2. Materials and methods
2.4. Design and operation of a model drip irrigation system
2.1. Sample collection, microorganism isolation
and culture conditions An experimental model of a drip irrigation system was
designed on a workbench at the Laboratory of Irrigation in
In the spring of 2001, a total of 17 water samples the Department of Agricultural Structure and Irrigation at
with microbial growth were collected from drip irrigation Atatürk University. A hydraulic structure was formed with
systems of tomato greenhouses, where biological clog- two 12-m-long polyethylene drip irrigation pipes
ging of emitters was observed, in the eastern Anatolia (: 16 mm) (Göktepew, Izmir, Turkey), one of which was
region of Turkey. Each sample (10 mL) was mixed with for treatment and the other was a control lateral. Each lateral
90 mL of sterile peptone water by shaking in a emitter spacing, operation pressure and discharge rate was
Stomacher (Gerhardt, Germany) for 5 min. Then decimal 0.33 m, 0.4 atm and 2.3 L/h per emitter, respectively. The
dilutions of the resulting suspension in 9% (w/v) NaCl emitters (tortuous path) used in this study were the in-line
solution were prepared and plated on Potato Dextrose type with double exits. Hydraulic properties of the emitters
(PDA) agar (Oxoid, Hampshire, UK), and Sabouraund are summarized in Table 1.
Dextrose (SD) agar (Difco, Detroid, USA) for fungal
isolation and Man Rogosa Sharpe (MRS) agar (Oxoid), Table 1
Violet Red Bile (VRB) agar (Oxoid), Baird–Paker agar Hydraulic properties of emitters
(Difco) and Nutrient (NA) agar (Acumedia, Baltimore, Operation Average Coefficient of Correlation Manufac-
MD, USA) for bacterial isolation. All plates were pressure emitter (qZkhx) coefficient, turer’s
incubated at 30 8C for 3–5 days. After the incubation (atm) discharge equation r2 coefficient
period, sub-culturing on the same media used for rate, q (L/h) of variation
ka xb
isolation purified the grown bacterial and fungal colonies. 0.5 2.57 3.8441 0.5625 0.99 0.022
In this study, a total of 121 bacterial strains and 25 fungi 1.0 3.94
isolates were isolated and stored for further studies. 1.5 4.81
Bacterial strains were maintained for long-term storage in 2.0 5.62
nutrient broth with 15% glycerol at K80 8C. Fungi a
Coefficient characterizing dripper dimension.
b
isolates were kept in PDA slants at 4 8C in a refrigerator. Dripper flow regime coefficient (flow exponent).
340 Ü Şahin et al. / Journal of Environmental Management 76 (2005) 338–341
Table 2 100
The physical and chemical properties of drinking water used Treatment
Control
Physical Concen- Chemical Concentrations
properties trations properties
Suspended solids – Electrical 263.07 80
(mg/L) conductivity