CHLOROPHYLL FLUORESCENCE OF BASIL PLANTS CULTIVATED IN A HYDROPONIC SYSTEM USING TREATED DOMESTIC WASTEWATER

ABSTRACT Different techniques have been used to evaluate the energetic characteristics and damage to the photosynthetic apparatus of plants exposed to different stresses, including the measurement of chlorophyll fluorescence. The objective of this study is to evaluate the photosynthetic response by assessing the fluorescence parameters of chlorophyll a in basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) cv. Alfavaca Basilicão cultivated in a hydroponic deep-flow technique system using treated domestic wastewater. The study used a completely randomized block design with a 2 × 2 factorial scheme, in which the factors were the water source used for preparing the nutrient solution (tap water or treated domestic wastewater) and the height (upper and lower) of the platform of the cultivation system. The photosynthetic yield of the plants grown on the lower platform was comparatively lower regardless of the water source. However, there was no significant effect of the water source on the potential and effective quantum yields of photosystem II, indicating the absence of changes in the photosynthetic apparatus and photosynthetic yield of plants produced with treated domestic wastewater, suggesting the viability of this treatment for producing basil cv. Alfavaca Basilicão in hydroponic systems.