Effect of oil polluted soil on the anatomical features of alfalfa and two grasses used in remediation

الملخص EN

The anatomy of the root, stem and leaf of Medicago sativa, Lolium multiflorum and Phalaris canariensis plants inoculated with microorganisms and cultivated in sandy soil, in the presence or absence of 10 % of crude petroleum oil were studied.

Microscopically measurements of certain characters of different types of plants and organs showed the following observations: Medicago sativa, plants inoculated with microorganisms showed an increase in diameter of root, xylem and phloem over control by 14.6%, 47.8% and 19.2%, respectively, while plants inoculated in the presence of 10% crude oil showed an obvious decrease by 30.6%, 13.6% and 40.9%, respectively if compared with plants inoculated only.

On the other hand, stem diameter and cortex in inoculated plants increased over the control by 9.8%, and 81.6%, respectively while those characters tend to decrease in polluted soil by 2.4% and 44.9%, respectively.

Lolium multiflorum, plants inoculated or uninoculated with mixture of microorganisms in the presence or absence of 10% crude oil showed sharp decrease in thickness of the median of the leaf while thickness of ridges and furrows of the blade was moderately decreased when plants were inoculated in the absence or presence of crude oil compared with the control.

Phalaris canariensis, diameter of root, cortex and vascular cylinder of inoculated plants sharply increased over the control by 112%, 79.2% and 190.3%, respectively.

On the other hand, number of vascular bundles of the median of the leaf was increased by 200%, and the width was increased by 103.9% over the control.

In the presence of crude oil, diameter of root, cortex and vascular cylinder was decreased by 12%, 39.9% and 45.5%, respectively less than plants inoculated only.