Temporal effect of phytoremediation on the bacterial community in petroleum-contaminated soil

Phytoremediation is a promising bio-technology where plants associated with microbes are employed to remediate sites co-contaminated with petroleum. With the in-depth study of plant restoration, it is necessary to explore the dynamic changes of microbial communities in petroleum-contaminated soil. This study investigated the effects of Ryegrass on bacterial community and diversity in petroleum contaminated soil. High-throughput sequencing technology was used to compare the bacterial communities in 14 groups samples at different repair stages. It was concluded that different responses were observed to promote or inhibit microbial reproduction. The most significant bacterial family were Comamonadaceae, Nocardiaceae, Blastocatellaceae, and Cytophagacea. Comamonadaceae showed the highest level of remediation in non-petroleum-contaminated soils at 90 days. However, Blastocatellaceae and Cytophagaceae exhibited high microbial contents in petroleum-contaminated soil at 0 and 40 days, respectively. In all samples, plants improved the remediation of petroleum-contaminated soil and the highest abundance of microbial communities were found after 90 days. These data indicate that not only rhizosphere secretions but also petroleum, will promote microbial growth. Moreover, the repair time has a vital effect on microbial community changes. This study supports the foundation to control soil pollution and highlight the periodic dynamic of microbial community diversity and structure.