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Phytotoxic effects of volatile organic compounds in soil water taken from a Eucalyptus urophylla plantation

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Abstract

Background and aims

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) released into the air from eucalyptus have putative roles in chemical communications. But the types and concentrations released in nature, as well as the ecological functions of VOCs in soil water, have not been adequately investigated to date.

Methods

We developed some effective methods for the extraction of VOCs released by root exudation, foliage and leaf litter leaching, and leaf litter decomposition, into water extracts in the laboratory or from field soil around Eucalyptus urophylla. The VOCs were determined by GC-MS. Lolium multiflorum Lam. (annual ryegrass) and Bidens pilosa (cobbler’s pegs) were selected to test the phytotoxic effects of VOCs in soil water released from E. urophylla grown under natural conditions.

Results

Fourteen VOCs in soil water, released by foliage and leaf litter leaching and leaf litter decomposition, were identified and quantified. But we did not identify any VOCs from root exudates. When the concentrations of VOCs were reconstituted to mimic the soil conditions, the laboratory bioassays showed that seed germination and seedling growth of the tested plants were significantly inhibited.

Conclusions

VOCs in soil water were phytotoxic when they had been released by foliage and leaf litter leaching and leaf litter decomposition from E. urophylla.

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Acknowledgments

We acknowledge helpful comments from Dr. George Li from the University of Sydney. We thank anonymous referees and the editor for their insightful comments that further improved our manuscript. We also thank Chaojun Chu, Hecong Wang, Baoyu Chen, Kangning Zhao, and Dongguan Botanical Garden for the assistance in the field works. This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (nos. 31361140363 and 30970468), the Science Foundation of the State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, and Zhang-Hongda Science Foundation, Sun Yat-sen University.

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  1. Department of Ecology, School of Life Sciences/State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, People’s Republic of China

    He He, Qinqmei Song, Yongfan Wang & Shixiao Yu

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  1. He He
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  2. Qinqmei Song
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  3. Yongfan Wang
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Correspondence to Shixiao Yu.

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He, H., Song, Q., Wang, Y. et al. Phytotoxic effects of volatile organic compounds in soil water taken from a Eucalyptus urophylla plantation. Plant Soil 377, 203–215 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-013-1989-1

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