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Interrelationships between p-Coumaric Acid, Evapotranspiration, Soil Water Content, and Leaf Expansion

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Abstract

Increasing concentrations of p-coumaric acid applied to (cucumber seedling)–[Cecil A p soil–sand mixture (or soil)] systems inhibited evapotranspiration (primarily transpiration) and leaf area expansion of cucumber seedlings and increased soil moisture. Higher soil moisture resulting from the inhibition of evapotranspiration lowered soil solution concentrations of p-coumaric acid by 14–40% but did not significantly influence the inhibitory effects of p-coumaric acid on seedlings. Inhibition of evapotranspiration and total leaf area and increases in lowest daily soil water were observed 1–3 d after the first p-coumaric acid treatment, whereas inhibition of absolute and relative rates of leaf expansion was observed within a 24-hr period. Development of the maximum effects of p-coumaric acid required several additional days. Recovery from effects, i.e., return to control levels, after p-coumaric acid depletion from soil solution was a gradual process requiring days for evapotranspiration, lowest daily soil water, and total leaf area, but was slightly faster for leaf area expansion. It appears, at least for short-term studies, that the initial input or treatment concentrations of p-coumaric acid represented a reasonable estimate of dose despite the dynamic nature of soil solution concentrations, and that the lowering of available p-coumaric acid concentrations, associated with the elevation of soil moisture, did not result in a concurrent detectable seedling response. However, increased soil moisture associated with p-coumaric acid treatments of sensitive species suggests a means by which the magnitude of some allelopathic interactions may be modified and resource competition and allelopathy could interact.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Jeff Weidenhamer and several anonymous reviewers for reviewing this manuscript and for their valuable and thoughtful suggestions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Botany, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27695-7612, USA

    Udo Blum

  2. Department of Statistics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27695-8203, USA

    Thomas M. Gerig

Authors
  1. Udo Blum
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  2. Thomas M. Gerig
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Correspondence to Udo Blum.

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Table 1

Parsimonious models for the effects of multiple treatments of p-coumaric acid on evapotranspiration of cucumber seedlings growing in cecil Ap soil-sand mixturea (Exp. 1b) (DOC 28.16 kb)

Table 2

Parsimonious models for the effects of multiple treatments of p-coumaric acid on soil water and lowest soilwater during each 24-hr period for cucumber seedlings growing in cecil Ap-soil-sand mixture (Exp. 1b) (DOC 27.64 kb)

Table 3

Parismonious models for the effects of multiple treatments of p-coumaric acid on leaf area, and absolute and relative rates of leaf expansion of cucumber Seedlingsa (Exp. 1b) (DOC 27.13 kb)

Table 4

Parsimonious models for the influence of soilwater level on the inhibition of multiple treatments of p-coumaric acid on evapotranspiration and lowest soil water of (cucumber seedling)-(cecil Ap soil-sand mixture) systems a (Exp. 2) (DOC 28.16 kb)

Table 5

Parsimonious Models for the influence of soilwater level on the inhibition of p-coumaric acid on leaf area, and absolute and relative rates of leaf expansion of cucumber seedlings growing in a cecil Ap soil-sand mixturea (Exp. 2) (DOC 28.67 kb)

Table 6

Models for the influence of soilwater treatments on soil water, μmol p-coumaric acid/g soil and Mm p-coumaric acid in soil solution in (cucumber seedling)-(cecil AP soil-sand mixture) systemsa (Exp. 2) (DOC 27.13 kb)

Table 7

Parsimonious models for the inhibition and recovery of evapotransiration and lowest soil water during and after a combination of p-coumaric acid treatments.a (Exp. 3) (DOC 29.18 kb)

Table 8

Parsimonious models for the inhibition and recovery of total leaf area, and absolute and relative rates of leaf expansion during and after a combination of p-coumaric acid treatments.a (Exp. 3) (DOC 32.72 kb)

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Blum, U., Gerig, T.M. Interrelationships between p-Coumaric Acid, Evapotranspiration, Soil Water Content, and Leaf Expansion. J Chem Ecol 32, 1817–1834 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-006-9111-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-006-9111-2

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