Abstract: Five treatments with different petroleum pollution levels were designed, and the values of height, fresh weight and rootshoot ratio of 4 halophyte species as well as the total petroleum hydrocarbon content in soil were measured to investigate the adaptability of growth of the tested halophytes in Xinjiang and the improvement of petroleumcontaminated soils. The results are as follows: ① Compared with the blank group, petroleum could promote the growth of the 4 tested plant species, but the difference of plant growth was not significant when the petroleum concentration in the oilcontaminated soil was 0.5%; ② Growth of the tested plant species was restricted with the increase of petroleum pollution degree, and the leaf scorch and even death of Salicornia europaea and Atripex aucheri in growth season occurred when the petroleum pollution concentrations were 1.5% and 2.0% respectively, and the growth of these halophytes could be maintained for about 20 days; ③ The oilcontaminated soil could be improved to a certain degree after a 120day phytoremediation, and the decomposition efficiency of total petroleum hydrocarbon content of the four tested plant species was in an order of A.tatarica>Suaeda salsa>A.aucheri>S.europaea; ④ Compared with other two plant species,A.tatarica and S.salsa were more effective in improving the oilcontaminated soil.

Key words: halophyte')">halophyte, phytoremediation; total petroleum hydrocarbon content; soil pollution, Karamay