Losses of diesel oil by volatilisation and effects of diesel oil on seed germination and seedling growth

For phytoremediation to be effective, seeds must germinate and subsequently grow, or seedlings must become established, in contaminated soil. In this study, the effect of diesel oil on the viability of seeds of white clover a nd ryegrass together with long term abiotic diesel oil loss were investigat ed. Losses of diesel by volatilisation were found to be as high as 58% over 360 days suggesting that volatilisation (abiotic loss) may be a significan t method of contaminant removal that may have been previously underestimate d or overlooked in short term studies. White clover and ryegrass seeds were able to germinate in the presence of volatile diesel components and follow ing 24 weeks immersion in diesel oil, which suggested that properties of th eir seed coats prevented diesel oil causing damage to the seeds.