Spatial-temporal phytotoxicity evaluation of Billings water with use of mustard seeds (Sinapis alba)

Abstract

The Rio Grande branch of The Billings Dam has been degraded by releases of untreated and / or inefficiently treated sewage. In addition, due to the complexity of the effluent released, the characterization of water quality becomes more complex as well. Thus, Ecotoxicology is a tool to evaluate the toxicity of these complex matrices. One branch of Ecotoxicology are the phytotoxicological tests, which analyze the toxicity of the substance in relation to some plant species. In this research project will be used seeds of mustard (Sinapis alba) as indicator of toxicity in water samples that will be collected in 5 stations spatially distributed in the Rio Grande Arm of Billings Dam and in 2 adjacent streams (Ribeirão Pires and Tubarão). Drought and rain collection will be carried out to evaluate the influence of seasonal variations on the dilution of the dumps and, consequently, the degree of toxicity. The collections will be done in triplicate (n = 3) at each sampling station. The tests will be performed in duplicate to increase the reliability of the data. It will be determined the germination index, which considers the seed germination and root growth capacity. Subsequently, it will be compared with tabulated toxicity values for determining the toxic level of the samples for the mustard seed. The project is part of a larger project entitled "WEMSI (Water Environmental Micropollutants Scientific Initiative), in partnership with GCU (Glasgow Caledonian University)" and PUC-PR (Pontifical Catholic University of Parana). (AU)