A simple technique for assessing the cuticular diffusion of humic acid biostimulants
Abstract
Background: Experimental determination of the extent and rate of transport of liquid humates supplied to plants is critical in testing of physiological effects of such biostimulants which are often supplied as foliar sprays. Therefore, an original experimental method for the qualitative investigation and quantitative description of the penetration on humates through plant cuticles is proposed, tested, and evaluated. Results: The proposed method involves the isolation of model plant leaf cuticles and the subsequent in vitro evaluation of cuticular humate transport. The employed novel methodology is based on a simple diffusion couple arrangement involving continuous spectrophotometric determination of the amounts of penetrated humate in a hydrogel diffusion medium. Prunus laurocerasus leaf cuticles were isolated by chemical and enzymatic treatment and the rate of cuticular penetration of a commercial humate (lignohumate) was estimated over time in quantitative and qualitative terms. Different rates of lignohumate transport were determined for abaxial and adaxial leaf cuticles also in relation to the different cuticular extraction methods tested. Conclusions: The proposed methodology represents a simple and cheap experimental tool for the study on the trans-cuticular penetration of humic-based biostimulants.
Keywords
Diffusion, Hydrogel, Prunus laurocerasus, Liquid fertilization, Humic substances, Plant cuticlePersistent identifier
http://hdl.handle.net/11012/180811Document type
Peer reviewedDocument version
Final PDFSource
PLANT METHODS. 2019, vol. 15, issue 1, p. 1-11.https://plantmethods.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13007-019-0469-x#Abs1