Published in Scientific Papers. Series A. Agronomy, Vol. LXIII, Issue 2
Written by Lyubka KOLEVA-VALKOVA, Veselin PETROV, Adelina HARIZANOVA, Kiril MARINKOV, Atanas SEVOV, Andon VASSILEV
The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of microalgae suspension (MS) treatment on soil health and on the potential for phytoremediation. One of the strategies to alleviate soil toxicity, which has become increasingly popular in recent years, is bioremediation by inoculation with specific microorganisms. We tested the effect of a mixture of four microalgae strains (Scenedesmus incrassatulus, Trachydiscus minutus, Chlorella sp. and Phormidium sp.) on the specific physiological parameters of a model barley crop cultivated on petroleum-contaminated soil. Non- destructive methods of analysis were used to evaluate the state of the photosynthetic apparatus and the ability to carbon assimilation from the plants. The results clearly show that petroleum-contaminated soil adversely affects the growth and development of the model culture, while treating the soil with the microalgae suspension significantly mitigates the negative impact. This is supported by the better growth and photosynthesis observed in plants grown on microalgae- treated soil. Therefore, the application of microalgae is an environmentally friendly and environmentally oriented strategy for improving soil health in areas affected by petroleum pollution.
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