Secondary Metabolites, Ferulic Acid and p-Hydroxybenzoic Acid Induced Toxic Effects on Photosynthetic Process in Rumex acetosa L.

Abstract

The elimination of broadleaf weeds from agricultural fields has become an urgent task in plant and environment protection. Allelopathic control is considered a potential approach because of its exclusive and ecological safety measures. Plant secondary metabolites also called allelochemicals are released from plant leaves, roots, stem, bark, flowers and play significant roles in soil rhizosphere signaling, chemical ecology, and plant defense. The present study was carried out to evaluate the impact of two allelochemicals; ferulic acid (FA) and p-hydroxybenzoic acid (pHBA) on photosynthetic characteristics; Fv/Fm: efficiency of photosystem II photochemistry in the dark-adapted state; ΦPSII: photosynthetic quantum yield; NPQ, non-photochemical quenching; qP, photochemical quenching, and photon energy dissipation (1−qP)/NPQ in Rumex acetosa following 6 days exposure. R. acetosa seedlings were grown in perlite culture, irrigated with Hoagland solution and treated with allelopathic compounds FA and pHBA and were evaluated against the photosynthetic attributes. Both compounds behaved as potent inhibitors of photosynthetic traits such as Fv/Fm, ΦPSII, qP, and NPQ in R. acetosa. Photon energy dissipation (1−qP)/NPQ increased significantly from days 3 to 6. Higher dissipation of absorbed energy indicates the inactivation state of reaction centers and their inability to effectively use the absorbed energy in photosynthesis. These results indicated the potential allelopathic application of FA and pHBA for control of broadleaf weed, Rumex acetosa.

Ferulic Acid and Salicylic Acid Foliar Treatments Reduce Short-Term Salt Stress in Chinese Cabbage by Increasing Phenolic Compounds Accumulation and Photosynthetic Performance

“…This is in agreement with published data reporting that higher SA concentrations (1.0 mM) have an inhibitory effect on photosynthesis and overall growth performance in B. juncea cultivars [34]. Moreover, a high concentration of FA (1.5 mM) inhibited photosynthesis and can be used as a bioherbicide [35].…”

“…To our knowledge, the effect of FA on the photosynthetic apparatus has not been studied to date. In a recent publication, it was shown that a high concentration of FA (1.5 mM) inhibits photosynthesis and can be used as a bioherbicide [35], although there are no reports on the effects of lower concentrations of FA on the photosynthetic apparatus. However, it has been shown that plants with higher levels of endogenous FA showed better photosynthetic performance under stress conditions [40].…”

Weed pressure determines the chemical profile of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and its allelochemicals potential

“…Allelochemicals exert their phytotoxic effects through different pathways, and the biological activity on the target weeds also varies from one weed to another 5,43,65 . Allelochemicals can be considered an important part of ecological weed management, but it is necessary to understand the class of allelochemicals and their possible mechanisms of action 5 .…”

Unraveling Sorghum Allelopathy in Agriculture: Concepts and Implications

“…Ferulic and p-hydroxybenzoic acids Inhibition of photosynthetic attributes Rumex acetosa [36] Ferulic and p-hydroxybenzoic acids…”

“…The mode of action of natural products includes multiple mechanisms, such as the reduction in percent and rate of germination together with reductions in root and shoot growth [ 33 , 34 ], interference with photosystem-II through electron transport [ 12 ], [ 35 , 36 ] and primary action on ATP production. In addition, this includes the inhibition of chloroplast oxygen evolution, a strong effect on mitochondrial function, alteration of nutrient absorption, chlorophyll pigments, carbon isotope discrimination [ 11 , 12 ], or water use efficiency [ 12 , 37 ].…”