Relative Leaf Expansion Rate Research Articles

Leaf area development of ABA-deficient and wild-type peas at two levels of nitrogen supply.

The ABA-deficient wilty pea (Pisum sativum L.) and its wild-type (WT) were grown at two levels of nitrogen supply (0.5 and 5.0 mM) for 5-6 weeks from sowing, to determine whether leaf ABA status altered the leaf growth response to N deprivation. Plants were grown at high relative humidity to prevent wilting of the wilty peas. Irrespective of N supply, expanding wilty leaflets had ca 50% less ABA than WT leaflets but similar ethylene evolution rates. Fully expanded wilty leaflets had lower relative water contents (RWC) and were 10-60% smaller in area (according to the node of measurement) than WT leaflets. However, there were no genotypic differences in plant relative leaf expansion rate (RLER). Growth of both genotypes at 0.5 mM N increased the RWC of fully expanded leaflets, but did not alter ethylene evolution or ABA concentration of expanding leaflets. Plants grown at 0.5 mM N showed a 20-30% reduction in RLER, which was similar in magnitude in both wilty and WT peas. Thus,leaf ABA status did not alter the leaf growth response to N deprivation.

Individual Leaf Development in Arabidopsis thaliana: a Stable Thermal-time-based Programme

In crop species, the impact of temperature on plant development is classically modelled using thermal time. We examined whether this method could be used in a non-crop species, Arabidopsis thaliana, to analyse the response to temperature of leaf initiation rate and of the development of two leaves of the rosette. The results confirmed the large plant-to-plant variability in the studied isogenic line of the Columbia ecotype: 100-fold differences in leaf area among plants sown on the same date were commonly observed at a given date. These differences disappeared in mature leaves, suggesting that they were due to a variability in plant developmental stage. The whole population could therefore be represented by any group of synchronous plants labelled at the two-leaf stage and followed during their development. Leaf initiation rate, duration of leaf expansion and maximal relative leaf expansion rate varied considerably among experiments performed at different temperatures (from 6 to 26 degrees C) but they were linearly related to temperature in the range 6-26 degrees C, with a common x-intercept of 3 degrees C. Expressing time in thermal time with a threshold temperature of 3 degrees C unified the time courses of leaf initiation and of individual leaf development for plants grown at different temperatures and experimental conditions. The two leaves studied (leaf 2 and leaf 6) had a two-phase development, with an exponential phase followed by a phase with decreasing relative elongation rate. Both phases had constant durations for a given leaf position if expressed in thermal time. Changes in temperature caused changes in both the rate of development and in the expansion rate which mutually compensated such that they had no consequence on leaf area at a given thermal time. The resulting model of leaf development was applied to ten experiments carried out in a glasshouse or in a growth chamber, with plants grown in soil or hydroponically. Because it predicts accurately the stage of development and the relative expansion rate of any leaf of the rosette, this model facilitates precise planning of sampling procedures and the comparison of treatments in growth analyses.

The effect of salinity and CO2 enrichment on the growth and anatomy of the second trifoliate leaf of Phaseolus vulgaris

The effect of CO2 and NaCl on the second trifoliate leaf of Phaseolus vulgaris L. was studied. Salt reduced leaf area and volume. Volume density of the palisade mesophyll was increased and that of the intercellular spaces and abaxial epidermis was reduced. Salt increased the numbers of epidermal and palisade cells per unit area and the stomatal density of the abaxial epidermis but reduced the numbers of cells per leaf. Salt reduced stomatal indices of both epidermal surfaces, cell volumes, relative leaf expansion rate, leaf plastochron index, leaf fresh and dry weights, and specific leaf area. Elevated CO2 increased leaf area and volume, reduced the density of epidermal and palisade cells and increased fresh and dry weights. Cell areas and volumes of epidermal and palisade cells, but not stomates, were increased. Elevated CO2 partially overcame some salinity effects such as leaf area, volume, specific leaf area, and relative leaf expansion rate. Leaf fresh and dry weights, leaf volume, palisade and spongy mesophyll tissue volume, and the numbers of palisade and epidermal cells per leaf equalled controls. Under high CO2, epidermal and intercellular space volume, cell areas, stomatal index, and the volume density of intercellular spaces and abaxial epidermis were reduced, and the volume density of the palisade mesophyll increased. Leaf thickness, palisade cell length and volume, volume density of spongy mesophyll, and succulence were greater than controls in salt and high-CO2 leaves. High CO2 had more effect on salt-stressed than unstressed plants in leaf weight, thickness, and cell volume.Key words: CO2 enrichment, leaf growth, leaf anatomy, Phaseolus vulgaris, salinity.

Modelling leaf expansion in a fluctuating environment: are changes in specific leaf area a consequence of changes in expansion rate?

Leaf expansion rate varies with leaf temperature, photon flux density (PPFD), evaporative demand and soil water status. In most simulation models, it is calculated every day by multiplying the amount of carbohydrate available to leaves by specific leaf area (SLA). However, leaf expansion rate is considerably reduced by mild water deficits which do not affect photosynthesis, and is not affected by a reduction in the PPFD intercepted during rapid leaf expansion. Specific leaf area undergoes a several‐fold variability depending on PPFD, soil water status and time of day. It is increased when environmental conditions have a greater depressive effect on expansion rate than on photosynthesis, and is decreased in the opposite case. It is therefore appropriate to model leaf expansion independently of the plant carbon budget. Consistent characteristics can be deduced from a series of experiments, allowing a model of leaf expansion to be proposed. (i) Time courses of relative leaf expansion rate and of epidermal cell division rate are well conserved within a plant and across a large range of environmental conditions, provided that durations and rates are expressed in thermal time. Maximum relative rates are common to all zones of a leaf and to all leaves of a plant, in maize and sunflower. (ii) A water deficit, or a reduction in intercepted PPFD, imposed in the first half of the period of leaf development affects the relative expansion rate in the deficit only, but permanently affects the absolute expansion rate. In contrast, a reduction in PPFD causes no effect on leaf expansion if imposed in the rapid expansion period when the leaf is autotrophic. (iii) Expansion rate is related to evaporative demand and to the concentration of ABA in the xylem sap with relationships that apply under both field and laboratory conditions. (iv) Tissue expansion and epidermal cell division behave as independent processes which determine epidermal cell area at each time.

Growth and Drought Tolerance of Viburnum plicatum var. tomentosum `Mariesii' in Pine Bark-amended Soil

Container-grown Viburnum plicatum Thunb. var. tomentosum (Thunb.) Miq. `Mariesii' were planted in unamended planting holes, tilled plots, and tilled plots amended with aged pine bark. A 36-day drought was initiated 108 days after planting. Amending induced N deficiencies, reduced shoot growth, and increased root growth. Plants harvested from tilled and planting-hole plots at drought initiation had 63% and 68% more dry weight, respectively, than plants from amended plots. Between 8 and 19 days after drought (DAD) initiation, plants from tilled plots maintained higher relative leaf water content (RLWC) than plants from planting holes. Plants in amended plots maintained higher RLWC than both other treatments between 7 and 33 DAD. Amended and tilled treatments had higher relative leaf expansion rates (RLERs) than the planting-hole treatment 8, 11, 13, and 15 DAD. As the drought lengthened, plants in amended plots maintained higher RLERs than plants in tilled plots. While plants in pine bark-amended plots were more drought tolerant than those in tilled plots, it is unclear if increased drought tolerance was caused by the improved rooting environment or N deficiency.

822 PB 269 PINE BARK SOIL AMENDMENTS AND NUTRITION AFFECT GROWTH AND DROUGHT TOLERANCE OF VIBURNUM PLICATUM VAR. TOMENTOSUM `MARIESII'

Container-grown Viburnum plicatum var. tomentosum `Mariesii' were planted in tilled beds and tilled beds amended with aged pine bark. After transplanting, plants were fertilized at three different rates: no fertilizer, 18.4 g of N m-2, and 36.8 g of N m-2. A 31 day drought was begun 73 days after planting. Fertilization of tilled plots induced ammonium toxicity, which caused a linear reduction in leaf area, shoot dry weight, and root dry weight. Fertilization of amended plots had no effect on shoot growth but reduced mot growth by 54%; thus, amendments ameliorated ammonium toxicity. Between 10 and 28 days after beginning the drought, plants in unfertilized-amended plots maintained higher relative leaf water contents (RLWC) and relative leaf expansion rates (RLER) than plants in unfertilized-tilled plots. Amendment induced nitrogen deficiencies contributed to the increased drought tolerance of plants from unfertilized-amended plots. Since fertilized plants developed symptoms of ammonium toxicity, we were unable to determine if increasing fertility would counteract the drought tolerance conferred by pine bark soil amendments.

Coleoptile tiller development is associated with fast early vigour in wheat

Faster canopy development in temperate cereals can result in more efficient utilization of wate, light and nutrients if these are in limited supply. It can also result in more competitive plants and less use of herbicides. The possible importance of the coleoptile tiller for increasing early vigour in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) was determined for twelve F4 lines in two experiments. Each F4 line was chosen for variation in the presence and absence of a coleoptile tiller in plants in the previous generation; each F4 line was traced to a single F2 plant from a multiple convergent cross of sixteen parents. Eight plants of each of the F4 lines were grown in a single row in both experiments. Just after the coleoptile tiller appeared, plants within each line were classified into one of two groups; one group contained plants with large coleoptile tillers whereas the other group had either small coleoptile tillers or none at all. Leaf expansion rates were determined non-destructively at regular intervals, and plants were harvested to determine leaf and tiller characteristics when there were about five mainstem leaves. There was substantial variation in the leaf area of the coleoptile tiller both between groups and among lines. In both experiments plants with a large coleoptile tiller had 24–30% more leaf area and dry weight than plants selected with a small or absent coleoptile tiller up to the final harvest. Leaf expansion rates (increase in leaf area per day) were 25 to 35% greater in the large coleoptile tiller selections from the time tillers first appeared to the time of harvest, whereas the relative leaf expansion rate (increase in leaf area per unit of leaf area present per day) of the large selections was significantly greater than the small selections only at the time of appearance of the coleoptile tiller and just after. There was no evidence that the early appearance of a coleoptile tiller was associated with the largest seedlings or that it inhibited the growth of later tillers. It is concluded that selection for the appearance of a large coleoptile tiller should improve the early vigour of temperate cereals.

Leaf expansion, photosynthesis, and water relations of sunflower plants grown on compacted soil

Leaf expansion and growth response of sunflower (Helianthus annuus, L.) to soil compaction were investigated in relation to compaction effects on water relations, nitrogen nutrition, and photosynthesis. A series of field experiments were conducted with plants grown in 20 cm-diameter cylinders with soil bulk densities ranging from 1.2 to 1.7 g cm−3 at the 0–20 cm depth (equivalent to 0.8 to 2.4 MPa soil strength measured with a soil penetrometer). Relative leaf expansion rate (RLER) decreased linearly with increasing soil strength. Smaller plant size in compacted treatments was due not only to slower expansion rates, but also smaller maximum size of individual leaves. Sensitivity of leaf expansion to soil strength was best illustrated by a reduction in RLER and maximum size of the first leaf to emerge in a treatment with only the lower 10–20 cm of the profile compacted (bulk density of 1.7 g cm−3). Root growth was less affected than shoot growth by compaction and root:shoot ratios of compacted treatments were significantly higher than the control.

Rapid Leaf Growth in Wheat and Its Links With Flowering

Recent papers have proposed that rapid leaf growth in pasture grasses in spring is linked with the switch from vegetative to floral development. The paper examines this possible link in wheat using various photoperiodic treatments and isolines with different vernalisation requirements to induce floral initiation at several plant ages. The findings were as follows. (1) Induction of floral initiation by 3 long days at any plant age resulted in accelerated leaf expansion and relative growth rate of the whole plant. The effects were on shoots alone. (2) At equivalent plant age, when a winter isoline had no signs of double ridges, and so was apparently vegetative, and a spring isoline was clearly floral, whole-plant relative leaf expansion rates were not significantly different between isolines though tillering was much less in the spring line. (3) Photoperiodic treatments which were not sufficient to induce floral development irreversibly resulted in ephemeral increases in leaf expansion rate. These increases were followed by compensatory reductions. These data suggest that rapid leaf expansion and floral development are not linked, although both can be initiated by extended photoperiods rich in far-red radiation. The relevance of these findings to the selection of wheat genotypes with rapid early growth is discussed.

Effects of soil nitrogen level on ferulic acid inhibition of cucumber leaf expansion

It has been suggested that the allelopathic activity of phenolic acids should be primarily important in soils of low fertility. If this is true, then plant growth inhibition by phenolic acids may be unimportant in managed agricultural soils. The objective of this study was to determine how soil nitrogen (N) level might modify phenolic acid inhibition of growth. Cucumber seedlings (Cucumis sativus cv Early Green Cluster) grown in containers in growth chambers under varying N levels (5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 μg N/g soil) in Portsmouth B,-horizon soil material were treated with ferulic acid (0 or 10 μg/g soil). Nitrogen and ferulic acid (FA) were applied every other day to the soil surface. The amount of FA in the soil solution declined with depth in the containers. A more rapid disappearance of FA from the soil solution was observed for the last FA treatment (0% recovered after 10 hr on day 23) than the first treatment (44% recovered after 10 hr on day 13). Both low N (5 μg N/g soil) and FA treatments reduced shoot dry weight, the mean absolute (AGR) and the mean relative (RGR) rates of leaf expansion, and increased the root-shoot ratio. High N treatments reduced shoot dry weight and the AGR. Ferulic acid inhibited cucumber seedling growth over a range of N concentrations, suggesting that the allelopathic activity of phenolic acids may be important in both nutrient limiting and nonlimiting soils for some species.

Inhibition of cucumber leaf expansion by ferulic acid in split-root experiments

Experiments were conducted to determine how the proportion of a root system in contact with an allelopathic compound may affect seedling responses. Cucumber seedlings grown in a split-root nutrient culture system were given either single (1 mM) or multiple applications (0.5 mM) of ferulic acid. Seedlings receiving single applications were left in the treatment solutions for two days and then harvested, while seedlings receiving multiple applications had their solutions changed every other day for a total of three changes. Leaf areas were determined daily starting with the initial ferulic acid treatment. Mean absolute and mean relative rates of leaf expansion were inversely related to the proportion of the root system in ferulic acid solution. Leaf expansion was inhibited primarily during the first 24 hr after each treatment. A partial recovery of growth occurred during the second 24-hr period following each treatment. Root length was reduced by ferulic acid. These results suggest that information on root and allelochemical distribution in soils is important when assessing the potential of allelopathic interactions between plants.

Control of Leaf Expansion in Wheat Seedlings Growing in Drying Soil

The relative leaf expansion rate (RLER) of plants in drying soil eventually falls behind that of well watered plants. There is increasing evidence that the roots sense the drying of the soil and send signals to the leaves that control their behaviour independently of any effects of the soil's drying on the water status of the leaves. The roots could be sensing the falling availability of phosphorus, the falling water status, or the hardening of the soil. This paper explores these possibilities and concludes that, in the soil used, the roots were sensing both the water status and the strength of the soil but not the availability of phosphorus. Some of the experiments were done with a high evaporative demand on the leaves to see if the RLER would then be sensitive to the leaves' water status; it was not.

Two methods to determine plant responses to pollutant mixtures

Two methods are described which enable better interpretation of the effects of pollutant mixtures on plants. The first method is a statistical procedure in which treatment components are partitioned into single degrees of freedom comparisons. With this technique, joint action of pollutants can be calculated. Trends in response, such as linear or quadratic, can be observed for quantitative data. Also, the nature of interactions in experiments of a factorial design can be determined. The second procedure described is growth analysis. Growth analysis provides a method for determination of the effects of pollutants on physiological processes, such as relative rates of growth, carbon allocation and leaf expansion. Advantages, disadvantages and applications of both methods are discussed.

Root Signals Control Leaf Expansion in Wheat Seedlings Growing in Drying Soil

Wheat plants were grown with their roots and soil in pressure chambers, so that the leaves could be kept highly turgid, even when the soil dried, by applying a pneumatic pressure to the roots. The relative leaf expansion rate (RLER) of plants in drying soil eventually fell behind that of well-watered plants, but, remarkably, the fall in RLER was the same whether or not the leaves were kept highly turgid. It is argued that the roots sensed the drying of the soil and sent signals to the leaves that controlled their behaviour, overriding any effects of turgor on the leaves. It is likely that the roots were sensing not only the water potential of the soil but also its hardness, which increased substantially as the soil dried.

The Effect of Soil Strength on the Growth of Young Wheat Plants

Wheat seedlings were grown in soil of various strengths, obtained by changing the bulk density or the water content of the soil. Leaf expansion and transpiration rate were monitored from emergence until the main stem had 5-7 leaves. Leaf area, and shoot and root dry weights, were negatively correlated with soil strength as measured by penetrometer resistance. The growth of roots was less affected than that of shoots. Leaf expansion was reduced before the first leaf was fully expanded. Relative rates of leaf expansion thereafter were consistently lower at high soil strength, although not always significantly. High soil strength also produced substantially smaller stomatal conductances. All effects were the same whether variations of soil strength were brought about by changes in water content or in bulk density. Three possible causes of reduced shoot growth were examined: (1) a limiting supply of nutrients; or (2) of water, because of a restricted root system; or (3) a reduced carbon supply because of a higher carbon demand from the roots, or because of the low stomatal conductance. We conclude that these are all unlikely explanations for the onset of the effects of soil strength, which were independent of soil phosphorus content, of leaf water potential, and of the amount of carbon reserves in the seed. We suggest that growth of the shoot is primarily reduced in response to some hormonal message induced in the roots when they experience high soil strength.

Growth and light receipt by mainstem cotton leaves in relation to plant density in the field

The expansion of individual mainstem cotton leaves and light receipt at their natural angle of display were measured in the field to determine simple expressions for growth and light interception of cotton leaves. Plant density and planting date were varied in three seasons to generate a range of leaf and plant sizes. When expressed in thermal time, leaves appeared regularly at intervals of 2.9 physiological days (or 41 day degrees) and the leaves expanded for a relatively constant time of 18 p-days (253 day degrees), being insensitive to plant density and planting date. Leaf size and, therefore, daily rate of leaf expansion were strongly influenced by position on the plant, plant density and planting date (largest leaves in the middle region of the plant, at low plant densities and late planting dates). These effects were consistent with leaf size at initiation and relative leaf expansion rate being influenced by assimilate competition within the plant either between leaves and fruiting branches, or due to mutual shading. Planting date effects were consistent with a temperature response. Leaves faced the sun in the early morning and late afternoon, which a simulation study suggested allowed an extra 40% photosynthesis at these times. However, since absolute light levels were low at these times, simulated daily photosynthesis was only increased by 9% over leaves which stayed at constant leaf display. Plant density highly influenced light extinction coefficients ( K) for mainstem leaves when measured at their natural angle of display. For plant densities of 2, 8 and 24 m −2 K was 3.56 ± 0.26, 1.76 ± 0.08 and 1.15 ± 0.10, respectively. These effects were attributed to the more “clumpy” nature of plants at low density. When measured at ground level with a linear sensor held horizontally under a medium plant density crop, K was 0.87 ± 0.03. Therefore, it was postulated that K for fruiting branch leaves might be substantially lower than for mainstem leaves. It was demonstrated that K could have a large effect on calculated photosynthesis of lower leaves in a crop model based at the single leaf level.

Simple Relationships Describing the Responses of Leaf Growth to Temperature and Radiation in Sunflower

In attempts to determine simple relationships describing the responses of leaf expansion to temperature and radiation, sunflower plants were grown in glasshouses under five temperature and two natural radiation regimes. Crops were also grown in the field at three radiation levels. All leaves, regardless of their position on the plant, fitted a single relationship of relative leaf expansion rate versus leaf age for each regime. These relationships showed that, whilst increased temperature increased the rate of expansion of a leaf at day 1 on our growth scale (approximately unfolding), and reduced the period for which the leaf expanded, each leaf expanded for the same period in day-degree terms regardless of its temperature regime. However this expansion period was modified by radiation such that, for each 1 MJ m-2 day-1 increase, the day-degree sum was reduced by approximately 5°C. The strict inverse relationship between the initial rate of expansion and the expansion period, expressed in days, suggests that at least in some cases the final area of a leaf is largely determined by the stage of 'unfolding'.

Gas Exchange and Growth in Wheat and Barley Grown in Salt

By measuring a range of gas exchange and growth variables, attempts were made to select key indicators of response to salinity in a wheat (Q61) and a barley (Beecher). A second wheat (WW15, Anza) was included in the growth measurements. Plants were grown to anthesis in gravel culture flushed with 0, 75 or 150 mol m-3 NaCl, and under the high radiation and evaporative conditions of summer. Salinity increased leaf chloride contents and reduced peak photosynthesis, the initial slope of the light response curves, and dark respiration of young leaves at ligule emergence, but dark respiration of slightly older leaves was increased by salinity as were the CO2 compensation points. Short-duration changes in salinity could modify photosynthesis rates by no more than 15% though dark respiration rates moved quickly towards those of plants held continuously at the new salinity level. While Q61 wheat appeared superior to Beecher barley at moderate salinity using these gas exchange indicators, it died at 150 mol m-3 NaCl; Beecher and WW15 survived. Carbon and water budgets are used to propose that the demise of Q61 could have been partially due to its marginally poorer water-use efficiency and its higher specific leaf weight, i.e. its higher requirement for carbon and water to produce each unit area of leaf. It is suggested that measurements of relative leaf expansion rate, specific leaf weight, and water use efficiency would be basic requirements in a salinity screening program. Measurements of ion contents and gas exchange variables are of little benefit when used alone.

Effects of ferulic andp-coumaric acids in nutrient culture of cucumber leaf expansion as influenced by pH

Cucumber seedlings were grown in 5 mM MES [2-(N-morpholino)ethanesulfonic acid] -buffered nutrient solutions adjusted to a pH of 5.5, 6.25, or 7.0. Nutrient solutions were changed on alternate days. Seedlings were treated for a two-day period with various concentrations (0-1 mM) of ferulic acid,p-coumaric acid, or mixtures of these phenolic acids when 16 days old. Leaf growth, dry weight, and water utilization of the seedlings; pH of the solutions; and disappearance of the phenolic acids from nutrient solutions were monitored. Leaf area expansion of cucumber seedlings was inhibited by both ferulic andp-coumaric acid, and the magnitude of these inhibitions was influenced by concentration and pH. Inhibition of leaf area expansion was greater at pH 5.5 and nominal at pH 7.O. Ferulic acid was more inhibitory thanp-coumaric acid. The effect of pH on growth was best described by data for mean relative rates of leaf expansion. For example, the mean relative rates of leaf expansion by both acids at 0.5 mM for the 16- to 18-day growth period (treatment period) were reduced by 45, 31, and 8% for the pH 5.5, 6.25, and 7.0 treatments, respectively. The dry weight of seedlings at harvest (day 22) was significantly reduced for seedlings grown in the pH 5.5 and 6.25 treatments, but not for the pH 7.0 treatment. There was, however, one exception; the dry weight of seedlings treated withp-coumaric acid solutions adjusted to a pH of 5.5 was not significantly reduced. Water utilization by the seedlings was reduced by both ferulic andp-coumaric acid. Again, the impact of ferulic acid was greater thanp-coumaric acid. The effect of ferulic acid on water utlization decreased with increasing pH of the nutrient solution. The pH effects were not so consistent forp-coumaric acid. The effects of equimolar mixtures of the two phenolic acids were additive for all variables measured. There was a linear correlation between mean relative rates of leaf expansion and water utilization.

Effects of various mixtures of ferulic acid and some of its microbial metabolic products on cucumber leaf expansion and dry matter in nutrient culture

Cucumber seedlings (Cucumis sativus cv. 'Early Green Cluster') ranging from 6 to 16 days of age were treated with various concentrations (0- 1 mM) of caffeic, ferulic,p-coumaric,p-hydroxybenzoic, protocatechuic, sinapic, syringic, and vanillic acids and mixtures of ferulic acid and one or two of the other phenolic acids. Seedlings were grown in full-strength Hoagland's solution which was changed every other day. Phenolic acid treatments were given with each nutrient solution change starting at day 6 or given once when seedlings were 13 or 14 days old. Leaf area, mean relative rates of leaf expansion, transpiration rates, water utilization, and the concentrations of the phenolic acids in nutrient solution were determined at one- or two-day intervals. Seedling dry weight was determined at final harvest. Seedling leaf area and dry weight were linearly related. Since leaf areas can be easily obtained without destructive sampling and leaf area expansion responds rapidly to phenolic acid treatments, it was utilized as the primary indicator of plant response. The resulting data suggested that a number of ferulic acid microbial metabolic products, as well as two other phenolic acids observed in soils (p-coumaric and syringic acid), can reduce seedling dry weight, leaf expansion, and water utilization of cucumber seedlings in a similar manner. The magnitude of impact of each of the phenolic acids, however, varied with phenolic acid and concentration. It appears that the inhibitory activity of these phenolic acids involved water relations of cucumber seedlings, since the phenolic acid treatments resulted in closure of stomata which then remained closed for several days after treatment. The data also demonstrated that the effects of mixtures of phenolic acids on cucumber seedlings may be synergistic, additive, or antagonistic. The type of response observed appeared to be related to the factor measured, the compounds in the nmixture, and the magnitued of inhibition associated with each compounds. The data also indicated that the effects of the various phenolic acids were reversible, since seedling leaf area increased rapidly once phenolic acids were removed from the root environment. Mean relative rates of leaf expansion recovered even in the presence of the various phenolic acids.