CONICET | Buscador de Institutos y Recursos Humanos

Fresh water is a valuable nonrenewable resource and plays an important role in maintaining economic and social development. Considering its large population and consumption potential, water resources deficit will certainly impede basic industries a sustainable development in China in the near future. Application of sewage irrigation, to some extent, was regarded as an alternative way to solve the problem of agricultural irrigation water shortage in some areas (such as North China). However, accompanied with an extensive implementation of sewage irrigation, some problems on sewage irrigation in agriculture are gradually obvious, especially serious pollution and destruction of farmlands. In this paper, the effects of sewage irrigation on soil physical (soil bulk density, soil resistance to penetration and field capacity), chemical (pH, soil organic matter, nitrogen, phosphrous, patassium, heavy metal and organic pollutants) and biological characteristics (soil microorganism and enzyme activities) of farmlands in China were systematically reviewed on the base of the current utilization status of China?s farmland sewage irrigation. Some feasible suggestions were put forward to the development prospects in the future. This review will be beneficial for promoting a healthy development of sewage irrigation and providing a theoretical support for reclamation and a high efficiency use of effluents in China.