ABSTRACT

 The concentrations of waste engine oil increase in our environment from year to year. Different kinds of plants respond to concentration of contaminants differently, because of the diversity of physiological and morphological characteristics. The experiment was conducted in an experimental farm behind the mushroom house of the Department of plant Science and Biotechnology, Micheal Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike, in Ahia State. The experiment was arranged in completely randomized design, (CRD) with three (3) replicates and a total of five (5) treatments. In this study, the effect of different concentrations of spent engine oil was investigated on the anatomy of leaf, stem and root of two different grasses, E. indica and A. compressus. The soil was contaminated with different concentrations of waste engine oil at 2%, 4%, 7% and 10.0% v/w, (volume/weight), with untreated soil (0.0%) as the control. In this study the effect of different concentrations of spent engine oil was investigated on anatomy of the leaf, stem and root of the grasses. In E. indica and A.cpmpressus leaf with 0% concentration result showed that there were stomata present and have straight epidermal cell walls, while from 2% - 10% concentrations showed sinuosity and distortion of the epidermal cells of the leaves. Their stems at 0% concentration showed normal arrangement of the vascular bundles, large parenchyma cells and intercellular air spaces, but from 2%-10% showed distortion and clogging of the vascular bundles and damage of other tissues like the pith, parenchyma was the most noticeable effect on the contaminant had on the stem anatomy of the crops. Their roots at 0% concentration showed normal parenchyma cells of the pith, while from 2%- 10%, it showed breakdown of cells and tissues. In conclusion, waste engine oil pollution affects the anatomy of E. indica and A. compressus, grown on different concentration of this pollutant, the stomata, vascular bundles, parenchyma cells and intercellular air spaces were also affected on the stems of this grasses and breakdown of tissue and parenchyma cells were also affected at 2%, 4%, 7% and 10% concentration of waste engine oil.