JAMAICA SEEDS (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) AS BIOINDICATOR OF TOXICITY IN HYDROCARBON CONTAMINATED SOIL

Soil polluted by hydrocarbons is a worldwide issue. The environmental standards in Mexico do not include any bioindicators to assess the hazardous effects of hydrocarbons on microorganisms and plants. The germination rate of the Jamaica plant (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) is greater than 90%, and nascence takes 2 to 3 days. The goal was to see if the jamaica plant might be used as a bioindicator of toxicity in soil that had been contaminated with hydrocarbons. Three hydrocarbon concentrations were evaluated in the toxicity bioassay for two soils on the coast of Oaxaca, México: 895 ppm (T1), 447 ppm (T2), 223 ppm (T3), and a control without hydrocarbon (C) (Bajos de Coyula and Barra de la Cruz). The germination index (GI) was calculated by combining the relative percentage of germination (RPG) and relative root growth (RRG). In the indices that were evaluated, the following link was discovered: lower value with increased hydrocarbon concentration. Seedling height inhibition was lower than root growth inhibition; although root growth was suppressed up to 73.4 percent, seedling height inhibition was only 6 percent (T3) and 48 percent (T1). When compared to Bajos de Coyula, the GI mean in Barra de la Cruz (43.7) was 1.1 times higher (39.3). The unfavourable effect of hydrocarbon on germination could be caused by partial oxygen depletion and a lack of moisture in the soil matrix. The hydrocarbon in the soil had a negative effect on the GI of Jamaica, but germination was not entirely hindered. We believe that the jamaica plant (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) can be employed as a bioindicator of toxicity in hydrocarbon-contaminated soil based on these findings.

Please see the link :- https://www.ikprress.org/index.php/AJOPSS/article/view/3361