An Assessment of the Growth of Irvingia gabonensis (Aubry-Lecomte Ex O’Rorte) Bail Seedlings as Influenced by Crude Oil Contamination of Soil

An assessment of the growth responses of Irvingia gabonensis seedlings as influenced by various level of crude oil contamination of soil was carried out in Asaba, Delta State, Nigeria. The crude oil levels used were 0.00 (control), 2.19, 4.38, 6.58 and 8.77% by weight of the soil samples. Growth responses of the test plant were measured in terms of plant height, number of leaves, leaf area, collar girth and dry weight yield. A negative interaction was observed between the soil crude oil content and the seedling performance of this multipurpose forest fruit tree species. For example, the leaf area of seedlings grown in the uncontaminated soil was 66.16 while 46.00 cm2 was recorded for seedlings subjected to 8.77% of oil. The present study has shown that crude oil contamination of soil has a highly significant effect (p≤ 0.05) of reducing the growth of Irvingia gabonensis seedlings. Irvingia gabonensis can therefore be recommended for reforestation and bioremediation of low concentration crude oil impacted soils.