title: Biological Activity of Vegetal Extracts Containing Phenols on Plant Metabolism.
abstract: The influence of vegetal extracts derived from red grape, blueberry fruits and hawthorn leaves on Zea mays L. plant growth and the activity of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL), a key enzyme of the phenylpropanoid pathway, was investigated in laboratory experiments. The extracts were characterized using FT-IR and Raman spectroscopies in order to obtain a pattern of the main functional groups. In addition, phenols content was determined by HPLC, whereas the content of indoleacetic acid and isopentenyladenosine hormones was determined by ELISA test and the auxin and gibberellin-like activities by plant-bioassays. The treated maize revealed increased root and leaf biomass, chlorophyll and sugars content with respect to untreated plants. Hawthorn, red grape skin and blueberry at 1.0 mL/L induced high p-coumaric content values, whilst hawthorn also showed high amounts of gallic and p-hydroxybenzoic acids. PAL activity induced by hawthorn at 1.0 mL/L had the highest values (11.1-fold UNT) and was strongly and linearly related with the sum of leaf phenols. Our results suggest that these vegetal extracts contain more than one group of plant-promoting substances.
authors: Dipartimento di Agronomia, Animali, Alimenti, Risorse Naturali e Ambiente (DAFNAE), Università di Padova, Viale dell'Università 16, 35020 Legnaro (Padova), Italy. andrea.ertani@unipd.it.
authors: Andrea
authors: A
authors: Ertani
authors: Dipartimento di Agronomia, Animali, Alimenti, Risorse Naturali e Ambiente (DAFNAE), Università di Padova, Viale dell'Università 16, 35020 Legnaro (Padova), Italy. diego.pizzeghello@unipd.it.
authors: Diego
authors: D
authors: Pizzeghello
authors: Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie, Università di Bologna, Viale Fanin 44, 40127 Bologna, Italy. ornella.francioso@unibo.it.
authors: Ornella
authors: O
authors: Francioso
authors: Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche e Neuromotorie, Università di Bologna, Via Belmeloro 8/2, 40126 Bologna, Italy. anna.tinti@unibo.it.
authors: Anna
authors: A
authors: Tinti
authors: Dipartimento di Agronomia, Animali, Alimenti, Risorse Naturali e Ambiente (DAFNAE), Università di Padova, Viale dell'Università 16, 35020 Legnaro (Padova), Italy. serenella.nardi@unipd.it.
authors: Serenella
authors: S
authors: Nardi
mesh_terms: D018533:Biomass; D029798:Blueberry Plants / Q000737:chemistry*; D027825:Crataegus / Q000737:chemistry*; D007210:Indoleacetic Acids / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D007541:Isopentenyladenosine / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D010636:Phenols / Q000032:analysis / Q000494:pharmacology; D010650:Phenylalanine Ammonia-Lyase / Q000378:metabolism*; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000032:analysis / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010937:Plant Growth Regulators / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; D013059:Spectrum Analysis, Raman; D027843:Vitis / Q000737:chemistry*; D003313:Zea mays / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development*
chemical_list: D007210:Indoleacetic Acids; D010636:Phenols; D010936:Plant Extracts; D010937:Plant Growth Regulators; C030737:indoleacetic acid; D007541:Isopentenyladenosine; D010650:Phenylalanine Ammonia-Lyase
keywords: biostimulant; hormone; maize; phenolic acid; phenylpropanoid; vegetal extract