Growth Response and Phytoremediation Ability of Reed for Diesel Contaminant

Abstract

Oil spills may considerably damage sensitive coastal wetlands. In this open-air pot experiment, Reed, a dominant coastal marsh plant, was transplanted into soil contaminated with diesel at concentrations of 1 000, 5 000, 10 000, 15 000 and 20 000mg diesel kg-1 dry soil. In order to better evaluate the phytoremediation potential and restoration of Reed, the chlorophyll content, root vitality, activity of peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT), ascorbic acid oxidase (AAO) in plant tissue and the dissipation rate of diesel were investigated after 50 days of treatment at the levels mentioned above. The results showed that the activities of POD in root, CAT, and AAO in stem increased first, and declined at higher concentrations. Additionally, the increment of chlorophyll content and root vitality were observed, indicating that Reed was tolerant to diesel, especially when the concentrations of diesel was lower, which was also proved by the highest restoration effectiveness at the lower levels of diesel. Collectively, Reed is a potential plant which can be used for restoring the diesel-contaminated soil.