Effect of heavy crude oil-contaminated soil on germination and growth of Poa trivialis (Rough meadow-grass)

Abstract

The use of plants to remediate crude oil-contaminated soil has been a particular interest in environmental cleansing. Some plants such as grasses have been demonstrated to have better capacity in biodegradation of oil in the soil. In this study the effect of different concentrations (1–15%) of heavy crude oil on germination and growth of Poa trivialis (Rough meadow-grass) was studied. Our results showed that the planting occurred in all crude oil concentrations including 15% heavy crude oil. The heavy crude oil in the soil in both high and low concentrations, could delay germination and reduce the number of germinations, the length and the width of the leaves and also decrease the biomass in vegetated soil. The reduction of the crude oil in the vegetated soil was higher than the non-vegetated soil. The roots of the plants were well distributed in the soil in concentrations up to 3% while it was poorly distributed in 10% and 15% of the crude oil concentrations. The absolute reduction of the oil in 15% vegetated sample was higher than the samples with lower concentrations of the crude oil.