title: Effects of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons on germination and subsequent growth of grasses and legumes in freshly contaminated soil and soil with aged PAHs residues.
abstract: The relevance of germination trials for screening plants that may have potential for use in the phytoremediation of PAH contaminated land was evaluated. The germination and subsequent growth of 7 grass and legume species were evaluated in soil spiked with a pure PAH mixture or coal tar and soil from a former coking plant heavily contaminated with aged PAHs. None of these treatments adversely affected germination of the plants. However, apart from Lolium perenne all species exhibited reduced growth in the coking plant soil after 12 weeks growth when compared to the untreated soil. In the coal tar spiked soil 4 out of the 7 species showed reduced growth, as did 3 out of the 7 in the soil spiked with a mixture of 7 PAHs. Therefore, germination studies alone would not predict the success of subsequent growth of the species tested in the ranges of soil PAH levels studied.
authors.affiliation: Glasgow Marine Technology Centre, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Glasgow, James Watt Building, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK. m.smith@mech.gla.ac.uk
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: T H
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Flowers
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Duncan
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Alder
mesh_terms: D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D003033:Coal Tar; D003077:Coke; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D004787:Environmental Pollution; D007887:Fabaceae / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development*; D018525:Germination / Q000187:drug effects; D006109:Poaceae / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development*; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013995:Time
chemical_list: D003077:Coke; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons; D012989:Soil Pollutants; D003033:Coal Tar