Growth and nutrient uptake by Schoenoplectus californicus (C.A. Méyer) Sójak in a constructed wetland fed with swine slurry

schoenoplectus californicus (c.a. meyer), soják is one of the plants most used to treat wastewater in a constructed wetland. our objective is to study the growth and nutrient uptake of schoenoplectus californicus cyperaceae in a constructed wetland fed with swine slurry. the methodology used to evaluate the growth of the schoeno-plectus californicus cyperaceae was to evaluate the allometric, relative abundance and biomass of the plants in the period 2009 - 2010. the results show that schoenoplectus californicus had allometric growth between 31.2 to 98.4 and relative abundance between 21 to 108 individuals m-2, during the fall and spring seasons, respectively. these results are influenced by the nitrogen content (between 0.05 to 2.0 kg n ha-1 d-1) present in the constructed wetland. in this same period, the increase in schoenoplectus californicus biomass (~28%) is related to a decrease in nitrogen loading between 2.0 to 0.05 kg n ha-1 d-1. aboveground biomass was greater (500 to 724 g m-2) than belowground biomass (4.8 to 22.7 g m-2). due to nutrient translocation in spring-summer, the n:p ratio aboveground ranged from 9 to 16, while belowground the ratio varied from 7 to 10.