ABSTRACT

 The study examined the heavy metal content of P. maximum (W.Hill) grown in soil contaminated with waste engine oil. The discriminate dumping of waste engine oil which has led to the loss of arable land, forest and potable waste is on the rise. The study was conducted at the Department of Plant Science and Biotechnology, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike, Nigeria. It was to examine the heavy metal content of P. maximum. The metals studied were; lead (Pb), Zinc (Zn), Copper (Cu) and Iron (Fe). The experiment was laid out as a completely randomized design (CRD) and the waste engine oil constituted treatments of 40ml(l %), 80ml(3%), I 20ml(5%), and 160ml(7%) (V/W) in three replicate, including the control (0%) which had no contamination was used in this work. Soil sample was collected from an experimental farm within the campus of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike, Abia State in Nigeria. The plant (P. maximum) used was obtained from a farm land behind Michael Okpara Secondary School, Umudikc. 60 samples of P. maximum were obtained. Waste engine oil was obtained as pooled used engine oil from motor mechanic workshop, located in Umuahia, Abia State. The results showed that there was a reduction in the amount of iron in the shoot of/'. maximum as the concentration of waste engine oil increased. Likewise the soil and root which showed significant reduced as the concentration of waste engine oil contamination increased. Hence, the plant specie have higher potential for phytoremediation of waste engine oil contaminated soil has the showed to the contamination from waste engine oil high heavy metal content after growing on the waste engine contaminated soil.