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Morphological and physiological effects of trans-cinnamic acid and its hydroxylated derivatives on maize root types

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Abstract

Roots encounter cinnamic acid and its hydroxylated derivatives that are commonly found in soils. However, root systems consist of different root types with different morphological and physiological characteristics. Very little is known about the responses and adaptation mechanisms of the root types to cinnamic acid and its hydroxylated derivatives. In this study, the morphological and physiological responses of different maize root types exposed to different concentrations of t-cinnamic, ferulic, caffeic or p-coumaric acids were investigated. The results showed that the effects of allelochemicals were dependent on concentration, chemical structure, root type and process considered. In particular, t-cinnamic acid was characterized by higher allelopathic activity when compared with its derivatives, where a hydroxyl or methyl groups were present in aromatic ring. Among root types it was possible to delineate the following tolerance hierarchy: primary > seminal > nodal > lateral of the primary = lateral of the seminal roots. Moreover, primary and seminal roots showed a different strategy to cope the chemical stress by either increasing or decreasing specific root length. Finally, an electrophysiological approach identified an involvement of proton pump activity and consequently a decrease in nitrate uptake.

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  1. Dipartimento AGRARIA, Università Mediterranea di Reggio Calabria, Salita Melissari, 89124, Reggio Calabria, RC, Italy

    Antonio Lupini, Agostino Sorgonà, Maria Polsia Princi, Francesco Sunseri & Maria Rosa Abenavoli

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  1. Antonio Lupini
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  2. Agostino Sorgonà
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  3. Maria Polsia Princi
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  4. Francesco Sunseri
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  5. Maria Rosa Abenavoli
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Correspondence to Antonio Lupini.

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Supplemental Fig. 1

Compounds used in this study. A, t-cinnamic acid; B, p-coumaric acid; C, caffeic acid; D, ferulic acid (JPEG 27 kb)

Supplemental Fig. 2

Representative pictures of maize seedlings exposed to 300 μM allelochemicals for 24 h (A, control; B, t-cinnamic acid; C, caffeic acid; D, ferulic acid; E, p-coumaric acid) (JPEG 39 kb)

Supplemental Fig. 3

Nodal roots exposed to the allelochemicals, p-coumaric (PC); ferulic (FER), caffeic (CAF), t-cinnamic (CIN), acids for 48 h. The values are showed as mean ± SE (n = 7). * = significant different at p < 0.05 respect to control (line), according to Student’s unpaired t test (JPEG 713 kb)

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Lupini, A., Sorgonà, A., Princi, M.P. et al. Morphological and physiological effects of trans-cinnamic acid and its hydroxylated derivatives on maize root types. Plant Growth Regul 78, 263–273 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10725-015-0091-5

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