title: Effects of alfalfa and organic fertilizer on benzo[a]pyrene dissipation in an aged contaminated soil.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A climate-controlled pot experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of planting alfalfa and applying organic fertilizer on the dissipation of benzo[a]pyrene from an aged contaminated agricultural soil.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Short-term planting of alfalfa inhibited the dissipation of benzo[a]pyrene from the soil by 8.9%, and organic fertilizer enhanced benzo[a]pyrene removal from the soil by 11.6% compared with the unplanted and unfertilized treatments, respectively. No significant interaction was observed between alfalfa and organic fertilizer on benzo[a]pyrene dissipation. Sterilization completely inhibited the removal of benzo[a]pyrene from the soil indicating that its degradation by indigenous microorganisms may have been the main mechanism of dissipation. Furthermore, significant positive relationships were observed between benzo[a]pyrene removal and the contents of soil ammonium nitrogen, nitrate nitrogen, and total mineral nitrogen at the end of the experiment, suggesting that competition between plants and microorganisms for nitrogen may have inhibited benzo[a]pyrene dissipation in the rhizosphere of alfalfa and the addition of organic fertilizer may facilitate microbial degradation of benzo[a]pyrene in the soil.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Soil Environment and Pollution Remediation, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: Dengqiang
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Teng
authors.forename: Yongming
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: Chen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tu
authors.forename: Shixing
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Zhengao
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Christie
mesh_terms: D000641:Ammonia / Q000032:analysis; D001564:Benzo(a)pyrene / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D018533:Biomass; D005308:Fertilizers; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D000455:Medicago sativa / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D009566:Nitrates / Q000032:analysis; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000032:analysis; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000378:metabolism; D018520:Plant Shoots / Q000378:metabolism; D058441:Rhizosphere; D012987:Soil / Q000737:chemistry; D012988:Soil Microbiology; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics
chemical_list: D005308:Fertilizers; D009566:Nitrates; D012987:Soil; D012989:Soil Pollutants; D001564:Benzo(a)pyrene; D000641:Ammonia; D009584:Nitrogen