Results
The germination data indicate that pyrene did not inhibit the germination of the tested plants (Figure 1). In
particular, the germination of the three tested plant species is not significantly affected by the presence of
pyrene at both concentrations. These results agree with those of Smith et al. (2006), who reported that
germination of seven plants (grasses and legumes) is not affected by PAH contamination in soil, whereas dry
foliage yield was significantly reduced. The same conclusion was reached by Sverdrup et al. (2007), who
showed that PAHs have no influence on seed germination of L. perenna T. pretense and Brassica alba,
whereas the growth of these plants, in terms of plant dry weight, is reduced. Huang et al. (1996) reported that
pyrene induced chlorosis in Brassica napus L., but this symptom was not found in this study