Phytoremediation of petroleum-contaminated soil by : from activity to physiological and morphological communications.

Petroleum is one of the critical environmental pollutants. can grow in petroleum-contaminated soil. Therefore, the potential of two Iranian species, Akhani and Akhani, for phytoremediation of soils contaminated with 0.2% or 2% petroleum was evaluated over short (1 and 10 h) and long (100 days) periods of time. In addition, some key factors including the expression analysis of , physiological and morphological factors were studied. Both species reduced the petroleum in 0.2% and 2% petroleum-contaminated soils to 40% and 60% of the initial amount, respectively. The expression of increased twice more than the control 10 h after 0.2% petroleum stress and the carotenoid content increased twice more than the control. Chlorophyll and total chlorophyll decreased three times less than the control in both contamination levels, while chlorophyll decreased three times less than the control only in 2% contamination. The proline content peaked 10 h after 2% stress as it was 10 times more than the control. Promoter analysis of showed the existence of responsive cis-acting elements to abscisic acid suggesting the key role of this gene in abiotic stresses.