Phytotoxic assessment of soils contaminated by railway transport facilities

Abstract

The paper presents results of the study phytotoxicity level of soil that are contaminated due to the operation of the railway. The urgency of the work is determined by the growth of man-made load on the environment by rail. The aim of the presented work was to assess the phytotoxicity of soils near railway tracks using a bioassay for watercress to determine the level of their anthropogenic pollution. The object of the study were soil samples taken in the area adjacent to the tracks on the section of the railway Bakhmach-Hrebinka near the station of the city Pyriatyn. Soil sampling was carried out in accordance with DSTU ISO 10381-1: 2004. Assessment of soil contamination was assessed by bioindication using watercress test. According to the results of the research, it was found that the germination energy, seed germination and growth rates of watercress plants decreased on soil samples taken closer to the railway tracks. Weak levels of contamination were observed on soils selected at a distance of 5 meters from the railway, germination energy and seed germination were - 58 and 77%, respectively, the remaining samples did not show a significant effect on the sowing quality of watercress seeds. It was found that in plants grown on sample 4 (100 meters from the railway tracks) the length of the root system was 46 mm, while in samples 1, 2, 3 the indicator decreased respectively by 50, 32 and 9%, . The aerial part of watercress plants grown on 4 samples was 42 mm, while in samples 1,2,3, the figure decreased respectively by 43, 9 and 2%, . Therefore, it can be argued that the soil samples taken in the area adjacent to the tracks on the railway line Bakhmach-Grebinka, at a distance of 5 meters from the tracks, are low-contaminated, while the rest of the samples according to research are unpolluted and meet sanitary requirements on planning and development of settlements.