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a b s t r a c tThis study was conducted to investigate the capability of pyrene-degrading bacterium Ochrobactrum sp. PW and ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum) grown alone and in combination on the degradation of pyrene in soil. After 60 days of ryegrass growth, plant biomass, pyrene-degrading microbial mass, soil enzyme activity (catalase activity and polyphenol oxidase activity) and residual concentration of pyrene in soils were determined. Higher dissipation rates were observed in PW inoculation treatments: ryegrassþ PW rhizosphere soil (RP-r) and ryegrassþ PW non-rhizosphere soil (RP-nr), than planting of ryegrass alone, rhizosphere (R-r) or non-rhizosphere (R-nr). The inoculation with PW significantly (p o0.05) increased the dry weight of ryegrass root and shoot, nearly 2.8 and 3.3 times higher than ryegrass treatment. The pyrene-degrading microbial mass indicated that a much larger mass of bacteria, actinobacteria were present in RP treatment. The catalase activity in all different treatments were significantly (p o 0.05) higher than in with treatment R-nr, and the polyphenol oxidase activity was also significantly (p o 0.05) increased by inoculation with PW, leading to enhanced mineralization of pyrene from soil. Our results suggest that adding of PAHs-degrading bacteria to soil can enhance remediation of PAHs contaminated soil, while improving plant growth.

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