# The Use of Rhizospheric Microorganisms of Crotalaria for the Determination of Toxicity and Phytoremediation to Certain Petroleum Compounds

## TL;DR

This study explores how rhizospheric microorganisms in Crotalaria plants help assess toxicity and clean up petroleum compounds in soil.

## Contribution

The study introduces a novel approach using microbial indicators in Crotalaria rhizosphere for phytoremediation of petroleum hydrocarbons.

## Key findings

- RhN and AMFs structures showed toxicity to CRO, while RhR was stimulated by CRO in both plant species.
- C. incana removed 77% of TPHs, and C. pallida removed 91% of TLA in contaminated soil.
- RhR positively correlated with the removal of TPHs, TLA, and LAs, indicating its role in phytoremediation.

## Abstract

Microbial toxicity tests in the rhizosphere play an important role in the risk assessment and phytoremediation of chemical compounds in the environment. Tests for the inhibition of nodule number (NN), Rhizobia in the rhizosphere (RhR), Rhizobium in nodules (RhN) and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMFs) are important to evaluate the toxicity as well as the removal of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs), 15 linear alkanes (LAs), and total linear alkanes (TLAs). The inhibition and removal was evaluated at 60 (vegetative stage, VS) and 154 days (reproductive stage, RS) of the life cycle of Crotalaria incana and Crotalaria pallida in soil with four doses of CRO (3, 15, 30, and 45 g/kg) plus a control (16 treatments). Results indicated that RhN and five structures of the AMFs present an index of toxicity (IT < 1), and the microbiological variable is inhibited by the CRO. RhR exhibits a hormesis index (IT > 1) that is stimulated by the CRO in the VS and RS for C. incana and C. pallida. The highest removal of TPHs (77%) was in the rhizosphere of C. incana in the RS with 45 g/kg of CRO. C. pallida removed the greatest amount of TLA (91%). There was a positive correlation between the RhR and the removal of TPHs, TLA, and LAs (higher molecular weight). It could be argued that symbiotic microorganisms are significant for use in toxicity testing, and the rhizosphere of C. incana and C. pallida can be used for the phytoremediation of HTPs and ALs in loamy-clay soil contaminated with CRO.