Ecology, Environment and Conservation Paper

PERFORMANCE OF MARSILEA QUADRIFOLIA L. IN THE WASTEWATER FROM OIL AND PETROLEUM REFINING INDUSTRY AT VADODARA (GUJARAT), INDIA, WITH RESPECT TO RELATIVE GROWTH RATE AND TOTAL CHLOROPHYLL CONTENT

Punita S. Parikh and Soma K. Mazumder

Abstract

The current research is aimed at evaluating Relative Growth Rate (RGR) and Total Chlorophyll Content (TCC) of Marsilea quadrifolia L. in different concentrations of wastewater from Oil and Petroleum Refining Industry, comparing them with the data of RGR and TCC inaqueous soil media and Hoagland media in the pre and post monsoon periods. The RGR of M. quadrifolia and Chlorophyll contents were found to be comparatively low in all concentrations (1, 0.75, 0.50, 0.25 ml/mL) of wastewater from the Oil and Petroleum Refining industry than the Hoagland media in the both the seasons. Comparatively high RGR was found in all the concentrations of wastewater than the aqueous soil media in the post monsoon period. RGRs were found to be more in the post monsoon period than the pre monsoon period in all the concentrations of wastewater as well as in Hoagland and aqueous soil media. Quality of the wastewater was found to be influencing the content of chlorophylls, thereby influencing the RGRs apart from the seasonal influence of light, temperature and humidity. Performance of M. quadrifolia in terms of RGR and Total Chlorophyll Content showed that it could survive well in the pure wastewater indicating its adaptive capability to survive. This plant needs to be preserved either by cultivation or by allowing it to grow in diluted treated wastewater in the region of Vadodara, Gujarat as it is beneficial to human being having high medicinal properties.