The effectiveness of
Vigna unguiculata
as a phytoremediation plant in the remediation of crude oil
polluted soil for cassava cultivation was carried out. Soil polluted with 50ml/kg of crude oil was phytoremediated
with
Vigna unguiculata alongside a control and double control. After 2 months of remediation, two cassava (
Manihot esculenta
) varieties (NR 8082 and TMS 30572) were planted. The level of remediation as well as the crop
performance (growth and yield) and leaf chlorophyll content were determined. Results showed that Total
Hydrocarbon Content in the phytoremediation soil reduced significantly to 600 mg/kg as against 1300 mg/kg in the
control. The crop performance (growth and yield) also improved as well as the leaf chlorophyll content of the two
varieties (p=0.05). The result also showed that TMS 30572 performed better in shoot length (37.3±0.38), belowground
fresh (51.24±0.77) and total dry weight (28.37±0.20) than NR 8082 of 29.9±0.83, 24.97±0.33, and 19.7± 0.19
respectively in the phytoremediated soil. Therefore, phytoremediation using
Vigna unguiculata is thus recommended
as a good phytoremediation measure for crude oil polluted soil for cassava cultivation especially TMS 30572. @
JASEM
