Turnip (Brassica. rapa L. cv. Sultani) plants is one of the major cultivated crops and highly consumed as both fodder and food in Egypt. In this investigation, we studied the response of B. rapa to irrigation with drainage water of Abu-Rawash and underground well water of Kafr-Hakim. To achieve this aim, two samples of B. rapa plants were collected from Kafr-Hakim and from Abu-Rawash drainage during Jan/2013. The aim was to address the pollution supposed to occur in plants as a result of the quality of irrigation water and its influence on the metabolic changes of Brassica crop. To achieve this aim, B. rapa plants were tested for their physiological, nutritional and chemical composition. The chlorophyll (chl) absorbance and chl a, b and carotenoids contents per microgram in one gram dry weight were determined. The accumulated minerals and heavy metals in the shoot and the root were quantified. The total nitrogen was traced, and finally, the chemical composition was examined using the Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy technique. The results showed that heavy metals were accumulated significantly under the effect of wastewater irrigation in both the agricultural soil and in tap roots of plants. The chemical composition of major metabolites was differed. Pigment content has decreased severely indicating the influence of the photosynthetic apparatus. Thus, it is not recommended to irrigate crop plants using waste water.
Key words: Abu-Rawash, Brassica rapa, Chlorophyll, Infrared, Kafr-Hakim, Heavy metals
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