Investigation on the long term effects of palm oil mill effluent pollution on soil catalase activity and dehydrogenase activity of soil micro organisms

The long term effect of palm oil mill effluent pollution on soil catalase activity and dehydrogenase activity of soil micro organisms was investigated using 2, 3, 5 – triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) dehydrogenase activity inhibition test. Samples from long term palm oil effluent-polluted soil were used as test while soil samples without palm oil effluent pollution served as the control. Results revealed that there was a significant (p>0.05) decrease in soil catalase activity and dehydrogenase activity of micro organisms, found in the chronic palm oil mill effluent – polluted soil samples when compared to the control. The results indicated that palm oil effluent contain some toxic substances which at toxic levels inhibited soil catalase activity as well as dehydrogenase activity of soil micro organisms thus affecting soil physiology and soil fertility. It is, thus, expedient to prevent toxic, prolonged palm oil effluent-pollution on our agricultural soils.