The Effect of Light Crude Oil-Contaminated Soil on the Growth and Germination of Sorghum bicolor

摘要

Light crude oil has volatile components that can be toxic to living organisms when spilled to the soil and water. The use of plants for treatment of crude oil-contaminated soil has been of particular interest in environmental cleansing. Some plants have demonstrated to have a good capacity for biodegrading oil in soil. In this study the growth and germination of Sorghum bicolor was studied in the presence of different concentrations of light crude oil (1-10%) in the soil. Root and shoot biomass, leaflength and germination percentage decreased as crude oil concentration increased. Light crude oil delayed germination and affected the normal growth of S. bicolor, inducing chlorosis in plants. The measurement of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs) of soil at the end of treatment (45 days) showed that TPH was more reduced in the 1% sample than in the 7 and 10% samples. S. bicolor can be a good plant for phytoremediation of oil-contaminated soil when the concentration of crude oil is lower than 3% in the soil.