Abstract
We investigated whether or not lettuce growth was inhibited by diffused L-3-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)alanine (L-DOPA), an allelochemical exuded from the roots of velvetbean (Mucuna pruriens (L.) DC. var. utilis) cultivars using a modified plant-box bioassay. For all the cultivars and one accession examined L-DOPA diffused from the roots and caused radicle and hypocotyl growth inhibition. A high correlation co-efficient (r = 0.838 to 0.982) was observed between L-DOPA concentration and lettuce seed sowing distance. L-DOPA diffused equally in all directions from roots at 0 mm position (close to root surface) in the plant-box, while the inhibition (%) of lettuce radicle growth gradually decreased with distance from the roots. For all cultivars the concentration of L-DOPA was significantly different at 0 mm position: being highest in cv. preta (167 μg/ml) and lowest in cv. jaspeada and cv. ana (13 μg/ml). The correlation between lettuce radicle growth inhibition and concentration of diffused L-DOPA was high (r = 0.856 to 0.966) in all cultivars and accession examined. However, the concentration of diffused L-DOPA did not correlate with the fresh weight concentration of L-DOPA measured in roots. The lettuce radicle growth inhibition from mucuna diffused L-DOPA was very similar that induced by synthetic L-DOPA, suggesting that diffused L-DOPA was the allelochemical responsible for growth inhibition.
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Nishihara, E., Parvez, M., Araya, H. et al. L-3-(3,4-Dihydroxyphenyl)alanine (L-DOPA), an allelochemical exuded from velvetbean (Mucuna pruriens) roots. Plant Growth Regul 45, 113–120 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10725-005-0610-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10725-005-0610-x